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On Tuesday, November 6th, 2018, the Arabic Language and Muslim Cultures (ALMC) program hosted Najm Al-Tameemi, a master Arabic calligrapher from Iraq.
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In the morning, Najm held a two-hour Arabic calligraphy workshop. At the workshop, students learned about the different styles of Arabic calligraphy, their history, and their different uses. Najm showed examples of these different styles and talked about how to produce them. During the second part of the workshop, students learned how to write the Kufic style of calligraphy using special calligraphy paper, ink, and hand-made bamboo pens. Najm also wrote each student's name in Arabic calligraphy and gave it to them to keep as a reminder of the workshop and what they learned.
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After the workshop, ALMC students were invited to have lunch with Najm. Over a feast that included traditional Arab cuisine, students asked him about his experience learning and practicing calligraphy as well as his life experiences as an Iraqi who has immigrated to Canada.

In the afternoon, Najm gave a lecture to over 50 attendees (including students, faculty, and community members), detailing his personal experiences as a refugee who survived the horrors of conflict and war in his homeland, eventually making his way to Edmonton with his wife and children in 2015. Through his thoughtful and heartfelt description, Najm was able to provide the audience with an idea of what it is was like to live in Iraq during its recent wars, and also of his difficult journey from Iraq to Syria to Canada, and how his life has changed since settling in Edmonton.

On behalf of SLLLC, the Arabic Language and Muslim Cultures program and all who attended the workshop and/or the lecture, thank you very much Najm Al-Tameemi for sharing your calligraphy expertise and personal story with us.