Northwestern administration sent an email on May 1 saying an Arab cultural performance left it “shocked and appalled.” Students are now divided on whether the University’s attempt to protect them from “unwelcome and inappropriate political expression” represses Arab, specifically Palestinian, heritage.

The school-sponsored event took place at Sargent Dining Hall on the evening of Tuesday, April 29, wrapping up Northwestern’s third annual Arab American Heritage Month celebration. Compass, Northwestern’s independent dining vendor, hired Firket Al Azdeekah Entertainment to perform in a campus dining hall for the second consecutive year.

The group wore keffiyehs (traditional Arab kerchiefs) as they danced to music from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq.

“There’s been so much repression of everything Palestinian. So it was extremely uplifting to see that in the dining hall,” said Chris, a Palestinian student under a pseudonym for fear of retribution.

While the performers led students through group dances, some diners texted friends and Hillel executive board members that the show made them uncomfortable. 

Two days later, Vice President for Student Affairs Susan Davis emailed an apology to students who swiped into Sarge Tuesday evening.

“Dinner should be a time of relaxation, sustenance and community, not a time for unwelcome and inappropriate political expression,” the email said. 

The email mentioned Palestine’s flag and the dancers’ outfits, which included t-shirts that “superimposed a keffiyeh over the state of Israel” and camouflage pants. 

In a written statement, the Middle Eastern and North African Student Association said it was not involved in planning the event but disagrees with the “conflation of cultural celebration as political expression.”

“We view the politicization of Arab culture as harmful perpetuation of MENA stereotypes often portrayed in the media,” the statement continued.

The conflict in the context

Weinberg fourth-year and Northwestern Hillel President Sari Eisen said she initially thought the performance was a great way to celebrate Arab culture, but she was “disheartened” that the dancers wore symbols that, to her, called for the eradication of Israel. 

“Having just the flag or just wearing a keffiyeh on its own doesn’t send this message,” Eisen said. “But in context, I think it was a troubling way to display that [culture].”

The Northwestern administration agreed. 

The University later put the administrator who supervises the residential dining program on leave. Following this, Compass removed the staff who ran Compass Northwestern operations and campus marketing at Northwestern’s request, according to reporting from The Daily Northwestern. 

Compass did not respond to multiple requests for comment by the time of publication.

Dancing into political territory

The University’s attempt to protect students from political sentiment left others feeling silenced for celebrating their heritage.

Chris said their country’s flag, map and the keffiyeh are cultural symbols, not political.

“To call that an ‘unwelcome and inappropriate political expression’ says to me, ‘Palestinians aren’t allowed to exist,’” they said. 

Chris said they lack clarity on what about the show “shocked and appalled” the Northwestern administration. 

“Our heritage, our culture, our history, our dancing? Did you hate the dancing?” they asked.

When questioned for more details, the University reiterated the statement it emailed on May 1.

Northwestern dining halls host many cultural celebrations, including Lunar New Year and Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month. But Hillel Executive Director Michael Simon said this performance – which was advertised as celebrating Arab culture at large, not specifically Palestinian heritage – ventured into “provocative political messaging.”

“It’s hard to argue that the intent, when you couple it all together with what the dancers were wearing, was not to demonstrate more of a quasi-military political dance,” Simon said.

Those who were involved in the performance felt otherwise. FAA Entertainment member Ahmad Awad said his group chose these outfits because they thought they were “cool.”

“People wear camouflage pants when they go grocery shopping,” he added.

Awad said Arabs from various countries wear the keffiyeh, and it does not represent a political movement. The map of the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea communicates cultural pride, and the Palestinian flag was the only one the team had on hand, because they had forgotten the others, he added.

“We’re entertainers,” Awad said. “If you want to have fun, let’s have fun. Otherwise, we have no political agenda in any way, shape or form.”

But Simon said regardless of the intent, some students expressed feeling “unnecessarily uncomfortable.”

The performance fell on the first night of Israel’s Memorial Day, which could have exacerbated the discomfort of these individuals, he said.

According to Awad, a student approached him with this concern on the night of his routine. The performer said he was unaware of the day’s significance.

“I’m in solidarity with anybody who’s passed away,” Awad said. “But how are you using that to try and tell me that I’m not allowed to celebrate Arab heritage?”

‘It didn’t really strike me as anything special’

Another Weinberg student, under the pseudonym Jess for physical safety concerns, said the University misconstrued a cultural event for a political one due to the current war in Gaza.

“It didn’t really strike me as anything special,” said Jess, who compared it to a Pow Wow and African American ceremonies hosted at Northwestern. 

What stood out, she added, was the performers’ ability to “find joy and find community” despite the violence in their home region.

Jess said her friends agreed the email “was an exaggeration of something that didn’t seem that significant.”

The performance made no direct reference to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has resulted in more than 60,000 Palestinians dead or missing and 1,139 Israelis dead, according to authorities in Gaza. The violence is rooted in a history of disputes between Israelis and Palestinians over the territory emblazoned on the shirts of the FAA Entertainment dancers.

Chris said Davis’ email, which called this map “the state of Israel,” implies that Israel will take over the whole territory. The administration uses “such extreme language” only towards expressions of Palestinian culture, they added.

“We have the right, as does anyone else, to express our culture and be proud of our culture,” they said.