August 2011, Pages 30-31

Southern California Chronicle

"1001 Inventions" Exhibit Showcases Islamic Genuises From Cordoba, Cairo and Beyond

By Pat and Samir Twair

The "1001 Inventions from the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization" exhibit on view at the California Science Center through Dec. 31 is an educator's dream of hands-on, interactive learning. As we strolled among displays at the May 27 West Coast premiere of the traveling show, we were bedazzled to encounter actors portraying major figures in Islamic science.

Youngsters crowded around a young, handsome Ibn Batuta who answered questions about his journey through 40 countries over 29 years in the 14th century. Overhead was a life-size replica of Ibn Firnas tied to his 9th century glider of lightweight wood, silk and eagle feathers which kept him briefly aloft after leaping from the great mosque of Cordoba.

Upon entering the third floor of the museum in Los Angeles' Exposition Park, viewers are treated to an introductory film starring Academy Award-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, who describes the ingenuity of Muslim inventors and their creations replicated in the exhibition.

The first display visitors encounter in the exhibition hall is the remarkable elephant clock invented in 1206 by the engineering genius al-Jazari. The 20-foot-high replica of the fabled time device includes an Indian elephant, wooden robots in Arab attire, Chinese dragons, a Greek water timing mechanism and an Egyptian phoenix. The clock cleverly reflected all the cultural and technological influences brought together in Muslim civilization from Spain to China.

Another display features hydraulic feats achieved by Islamic scientists including a miniature of the six-story-high waterwheels in Hama, Syria. In the 12th century, al-Jazari utilized cranks, gears and a double-action suction pump to suck up river water to supply a network of canals irrigating crops.

Students can view an actress playing Fatima al-Fihri on a life-size screen as she relates how she paid for the construction of the al-Qazrawiyin mosque and college complex in Fez, Morocco. The buildings, which date to 859 C.E., are possibly the world's earliest university.

Travel and trade is the topic of another display which features a 12th century map of the world which the Moroccan al-Idrisi made for the king of Sicily. On screen an actor cast in the role of al-Jahiz, an African from Basra, tells how he wrote nearly 200 books on animals. Pre-dating Charles Darwin by centuries, al-Jahiz presented his theories on evolution in his zoological manuscripts.

A turbaned Maimonides chats with students and discusses his philosophy and 12th century medical experiments. Another kiosk demonstrates how Islamic astronomers measured time and space and charted the heavens. Women inventors are well represented, including the mathematician al-Shifa.

Teachers who bring their students to the admission-free Los Angeles exhibition can obtain an instruction pack online at . Next year the exhibit will travel to the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC.

Just steps outside the science museum is the IMAX Theater, which is screening the West Coast premiere of "Arabia 3D." Cost of the film is $8.50, but viewers will gain insight into the history, geography and culture of Saudi Arabia.

"I Heart Hamas" in L.A.

Next time she lands at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport on her way to Ramallah, if an Israeli security guard asks Jennifer Jajeh if she's carrying weapons, the playwright/actress should reply "just myself."

The outspoken first-generation Palestinian American's creativity is a most effective weapon against Israel's military occupation of the West Bank. In her tragicomedy, "I Heart Hamas," she vividly describes the fear and humiliation she experienced from Israeli troops from 2000 to 2001 in Ramallah.

Jajeh relates the frustrations of growing up Palestinian in the U.S. and the rejection she encountered in Palestine, where her scant knowledge of Arabic and cultural traditions made her "foreign."

Her one-woman show doesn't rely on inside remarks to Arabs so much as having a universal appeal to anyone who's gone through the angst of being a single unmarried woman in her thirties. As the lights dim, a woman warns the audience not to ask Jajeh her age or why she's not married. As for Jews on hand, the announcer states: "the show isn't about you, it's about Jennifer."

In an especially poignant moment, Jajeh shows the actual family trees of her mother and father which document their forebears' presence in Ramallah since the 1550s. "I'm the link breaking a 450-year chain," she laments.

Jajeh studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Conservatory in New York City and American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco. She has appeared as an actress in 36 film, TV, commercial and theater productions and written two films, "In My Own Skin" and "Fruition."

She began to write "I Heart Hamas" in January 2008. Over the past three years, the production has appeared in 12 U.S. cities, college shows and theaters. By popular demand, it has been extended through July at the Theater Asylum Lab, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood. For dates and reservations, contact <www.ihearthamas.com>.

Syrians Rally for Democracy

Appalled by the images and stories of bloodshed since March 15 as the Assad regime violently quashes peaceful demonstrations calling for democracy, Syrian Americans have been staging demonstrations two to three times a week in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. As the death toll soared over 1,100 in early June, two committees, the Syrian Emergency Task Force and Syrian American Council, organized protests at media outlets, the West Los Angeles Federal Building, and in Pomona, Anaheim, Irvine, Glendale, Corona and San Diego.

Pro-government agents initially showed up at demonstrations to intimidate participants. However, as thousands of Syrians fled to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey and evidence of government massacres, torture of children, and a scorched earth policy at Jisr Ashoughour appeared in the U.S. media, pro-Assad regime figures disappeared.

On June 3, Syrian Americans gathered outside CNN's Los Angeles headquarters and, standing on four corners of the intersection of Sunset and Cahuenga Boulevards, chanted "Thank you, Thank you CNN for your coverage of Syria" (in reference to reports made by Anderson Cooper on Syria's violent clamp-down).

About a dozen CNN employees came outside to talk to demonstrators and remarked that it's common to receive complaints, but rare to be praised.

As we went to press, demonstrations were called for June 16 at NBC in Burbank, June 18 for the Gaza Strip in Anaheim and June 25 in Westwood. More rallies are planned for July. For additional information, contact <> or <www.sacouncil.com>.

Laguna Pageant Unveils Arabian Nights

Since 1934, art lovers have traveled to Laguna Beach in the summer to view the seaside resort's annual Pageant of the Masters, in which live models strike poses that recreate famous paintings, sculptures, ceramics, posters or jewelry.

This year's theme, "Only Make Believe," will bring to the stage of the Irvine Bowl fairies, dragons, myths, heroes and even tales from the Arabian Nights. The essence of make believe is story telling and the greatest story teller was Scherherazade, who legend says prolonged her life for 1001 nights by weaving adventures to a caliph who had ordered her death.

Models will recreate three illustrations made by Virginia Sterrett for a 1928 edition of 1001 Arabian Nights, entitled "Morgiana," "The Princess" and "Scherherazade."

Curtain time is 8:30 p.m. July 7 through Aug. 31 at 650 Laguna Canyon Rd. More information is available at <www.PageantTickets.com>.

Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles.