Located in Anaheim between Euclid and Magnolia streets and between La Palma and Chapman avenues, it is a must see for those wanting a taste of Arabia. Bookstores, clothing boutiques, hair salons, travel agencies, restaurants, even hookah bars turn this side of town into a multicultural, super-sensory trip.

At Al Hikma bookstore, literally meaning "wisdom," hundreds of Islamic texts dating back more than a millennium line shelves for as far as one can see. "Some of these books are very old, some are very new," said the store’s manager. "Some of these are before [the year] 1000, some before 800 and some even before 700."

But literature is in high demand here. Racks stacked with Sunday editions of English and Arabic language newspapers – Al-Arab, The Arab World (Al-Alam Al Arabi), Al Watan and even UCI student run Alkalima.

In the same shopping center, sits Sinbad Travel, displaying a model Saudi Arabian Airlines airplane--one of the many partnering Middle Eastern airlines--in its window. A few shops down is furniture store Alkam, featuring finely woven Oriental rugs in rich desert colors and a sculpture of Mecca’s Grand Mosque.

A little further north on the strip resides another shopping center. The Sizzler sign flashier than most others in the plaza. But this Sizzler is different, it serves halal burgers and steaks.

Next door is Cleopatra Hair Salon, catering to Middle Eastern women. It is a favorite amongst most women who wear the religiously mandated hair covering or hijab. Thus, small booths allow them to get their locks trimmed in privacy.

Speaking of hair, Muslim women are known throughout the world for their modest clothing – flowing robes and dignified hair scarves. But who says you can’t do this in style. And thus, Al Anwar proves to be one of the most popular spots in Little Arabia. Racks upon racks of glittering robes drape in almost every color of the rainbow – from the richest of reds and darkest of blacks to the brightest of blues to the most gorgeous of greens. Along the sides of the boutique, hijab clad busts show off the latest fashions in head coverings.

Mohammad Abrahim chasing after his toddler daughter as his wife shopped for the newest apparel. "I come here [Little Arabia] every month to get my shopping done," he said. "They have nothing like this in LA."

Further down the road from Al Anwar, shoppers quickly filed in and out of Al Hoda Meat Market. Inside, clean white walls and gleaming silver industrial meat cutters provided the atmosphere exactly how the owner of this place, Mohammad Abdullah, imagined it.

For some authentic Middle Eastern delicacy, Sahara Falafel is a vegetarian and meat-lover’s paradise. Most of the locals come for the shewarma sandwiches, making them think Sahara Shewarma would probably be a better name.

Offering services such as civil rights and advocacy, national organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), have searched for central locations to best suit the community. Because of that they have both chose to established offices here in Little Arabia.

After a good day’s worth of shopping, dining, bonding with family and friends – the nearby mosque, Masjid Al Ansar, offers the chance to give one’s thanks. The mosque also acts as a renewal area, an oasis of sorts, for tired and weary.

The shopping centers at Little Arabia are all but ordinary Southern California strip malls – flat-roofed, sand-colored stucco and plaster boxes holding up neon signs. They are instead a signs of an emerging, unstoppable community. (Nasir Jiwa)

Writing an article about Little Arabia without referencing Ahmad Alam would not make it complete. Alam--a modern day Renaissance man who has dipped his hands into such endeavors as journalism, real estate, festival planning and promotions--was one of the first people to publicly talk about this region. But talking wouldn’t nearly be enough for this activist. Alam gallantly did what no one else in the community was bold enough to do: put the Arab and Muslim community on the map…literally. He created a tangible outline the area and christened it with its now well-known name, "Little Arabia."

Alam came to this country in the early 70’s and has lived in Orange County since. During those three decades, Alam had seen the Arab and Muslim community grow and flourish around him. Slowly, the corner gas station was bought and managed by a Jordanian family; a new Syrian run grocery store opened just down the street; Islamic apparel stores appeared; and before they knew it, the Alams weren’t the only family of Arab descent living on their residential block.

But it wasn’t until 1996 that Alam began planning for his biggest mission to date: the first ever Arab American Day Festival. The three-day long event--which now brings in the likes of over 45,000 spectators--showcases booths full of international cuisine, literature, newspapers, and political parties, professional services from local merchants such as lawyers, travel agents, human rights groups, and performances by local musicians. But promotion and advertising for this project became an issue for Alam.

"I tried to advertise [the Festival] in the papers, but there wasn’t a big response from them. They would try to charge me $1000 a page because they knew I couldn’t advertise anywhere else," said Alam. His solution: start his own paper.

And thus Al-Alam Al Arabi was born. With an impressive circulation of 20,000 papers a week, a distribution to all over California and over 7 different states, Al-Alam Al-Arabi became the new voice of the Arab World. In the second issue of the paper, Alam presented a map of what he called "Arab Town".

"In the newspaper, we drew a map of what Arab Town would be like," said Alam. "We brought Little Arabia into reality. We put it down on paper and in writing. That map helped the area grow. People from out of state would see that map and visit the area. Newcomers to the States look at the map and feel like this is home."

The Al-Alam Al Arabi wasn’t the only thing helping Little Arabia grow. Ahmad Alam had bigger ideas for this city. Alam used his talents in real estate to purchase a large business center smack dab in the middle of Little Arabia off Brookhurst Street – the main street in Little Arabia.

The strip has never seen such an extreme makeover like that of the Alam’s plaza. In addition to remodeling the nearly dozen stores in his square, Alam hung flags from the neighboring rooftops and a non-verbal announcement to all around of the Arab presence in that area. A new fountain resides in the center as a prestigious symbol of cyclical rebirth and cleansing.

"We always advertise for people to live in this area, visit businesses there, and spend their time and money there," says Alam. "There’s plenty of places here to make them feel at home." (Nadia Afghani)

Family Market is the newest grocery store which has opened up in Little Arabia. The owner, Mohammad Trabolsi, a former resident of Riverside, was drawn to the Anaheim area because of the large Arab population and vibrant community and neighborhood. Not only does he have a business here, but he lives across the street from it. His kids attend weekend school at the Al-Ansar Mosque. "Everything is one place," he says. "I’m closer to my friends, closer to the mosque, and the Arab culture is all around." His large grocery store hosts everything from Arabian coffee pots, exotic nuts, fresh Middle Eastern cheeses and olives, and tropical drinks such as mango and guava juices. His grocery store is packed on the weekends with visitors from as far as San Francisco and Phoenix.

Trabolsi says the few improvements he does want to see in Little Arabia include having a sign on the freeway, such as that for "Little Saigon," and having more the street décor and buildings reflect the Arab culture.

To say that Yassir Alkam is an overachiever would be an understatement. This thirty-something, self-made businesses man, brought up in the rough streets of Tormusayya, Palestine, worked hard and achieved the American Dream.

Fresh out of high school in the late 80’s, and working a few years at his family’s business, Alkam Home Fashion, he made the difficult decision to continue his education and found himself at San Bernardino Valley College. Despite having a full-time job, studying part-time, and taking care of his family, Alkam graduated in 1998 with Honors, a 4.0 GPA, and special recognition by the Mayor for his educational excellence. California Southern Law School in Riverside was his next stop, where he received his second degree in 2002 with Honors and presided over graduation as valedictorian.

"Looking back at college and law school," Alkam said, "I took a lot of time out from my family so I could read and prepare for classes. My wife helped me a lot...I don’t think I could have done it without her. There’s not one time I could remember her complaining."

Not more than a month after his graduation, Alkam took the Bar Exam. But the man who described the exam as "the hardest exam on the face of the Earth" shined once again. "Out of the 35 students in my class, I was the only one to pass the exam." Since being sworn in by an Orange County Judge on December 3, 2002, Alkam has tried to give back to the Arab American community that was always there for him.

He set up shop in Anaheim, slightly east of Little Arabia. In his three years of practice, he has been greatly received by the Arab and Muslim community. "I really appreciate my community’s support," said Alkam, "I have been very fortunate for the encouragement I’ve received since I started my office."

He practices all areas of family law including divorce, custody battles, visitation right, and child/spousal support. "The Muslim and Arab communities seem to face a lot of problems with family law," says Alkam. "Approximately 20-25% of the cases I’ve handled, a Muslim is divorcing a non-Muslim and there are children involved. The problem arises of who will have the children on Friday and who will have them on Sunday for obvious reasons. As I talk to you, I have at least 3 cases I’m working on."

Alkam, a proud father of four--all boys-- could not stress the importance of remembering the effect on the children when dealing with any form of family law. "My advice is to think about everything, including your kids when you plan to get married or plan to have children. That’s the biggest and most sensitive issue I deal with." (Nadia Afghani)

The northern "gate" to Little Arabia must be at the CAIR building where CAIR-LA, ACCESS California, and In Focus Newspaper have their offices. We talked to Hussam Ayloush who has been the Executive Director of the Southern California office since its inception in 1989. CAIR-LA has seven full-time and 3 part-time employees serving the area from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

Behind piles of papers on his desk, Ayloush noted that "the Muslim, South Asian, and Arab community is finally coming of age." After years of self-imposed isolation and may be "shyness", it is organizing to become an active and productive part of our larger society.

He added, "The community is becoming more assertive in challenging the evils of Islamophobia, hate crimes, and discrimination."

He shared with us media reports of many recent successes.

"Our CAIR staff spend much of their time working with media to present an accurate image of Islam to the public, negotiate with local businesses to ensure fair treatment of Muslim employees, and partner with local schools and law enforcement, such as FBI, Sheriff, and police, to provide sensitivity training about the Muslim community to their staff. Our community has been very successful in promoting a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation with communities of other faiths and with our political leaders," Ayloush said.

Ayloush sounded upbeat. "I believe California is ready for elected officials who are Muslim," he concluded.

Below the CAIR office, Nahla Kayali, Executive Director of ACCESS California recently held its first annual gala. Throughout the weekdays, adult female students, of all ages filter in and out of the different classes offered by this social services agency. Many of them are Arab and Muslim immigrants who want to hone their skills by either taking ESL classes, parenting, citizenship, or civic classes, provided free of charge.

Keenly aware of the social challenges facing the community, Kayali says, "We are a hard to reach community. We have language barriers, literacy barriers, cultural barriers, not familiar with American system and services, are afraid to receive services because they think it might affect their immigration status, and the discrimination resulting from the backlash.from September 11."

Bilal Dalati, political and business leader in the community and owner of Dalati’s Insurance Agency spoke on the urgent need for the Little Arabia community to get involved in the larger community. He said, "There is a lot that has to be done. The businesses are not involved with the city and government. People need to get involved more." He stressed the role of organizations such as CAIR and MPAC to educate community members on the benefits and way to get involved. The benefits of involvement with the Chamber of Commerce and city would lead to more clientele, and expand out of just serving Arabs and Muslims.

In 1996, the West Coast Islamic Society was a small warehouse located at Crescent and Brookhurst. At that time, only 200-250 families attend the mosque. Now in its current location on Brookhurst, it is hustling and bustling with classes and activities for the whole family throughout the week and now boasts an attendee list of 1000 families.

Tawfiq Deek is chairman of the Board of Directors at West Coast Islamic society, also known as the "Al Ansar Mosque." It is one of the few mosques in which the Friday sermon is delivered in Arabic (mosque officials try their best to have translation as well), but that is because the make-up of the audience is "more than 90% Arab," he says. "The Arab families, especially the new immigrant families and the older generation, feel at home at the mosque because of the vast number of classes and services offered in Arabic," says Deek. It is also a social meeting place where friendships are built.

But Deek is not oblivious to the upcoming challenges. Although a translation system with headphones has recently been installed for non-Arabs and Arab children who don’t speak the language, he feels more must be done. "We might lose the younger generation – many of whom do not speak Arabic." This is why efforts are underway to have at least two out of four Friday khutbahs (sermons) per month in English. He also praises the current youth group, boy, girl, and cub scouts meetings which are all in English as attractive to the younger crowd.

For the Saadoun family, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree…it sort of rolled down the hill, found a place on the cusps of Little Arabia and set up shop there in the form of Jarir Bookstore.

"I was kind of afraid to open it," said owner and manager Jarir Saadoun. "Every business is a risk. The risk of this one is the perception that Arabs don’t typically read." He laughed; probably thinking about his experience working at Irvine based Dar Al Kitab Al Arabi, his father’s bookstore.

But for the last two and a half years, this 20--yes, twenty-- year old has been providing teachers, historians, professors, and the Muslim and Arab community with literature. And while claims of having "practically every book written in Arabic, you name it we’ve got it" may be true, he also has a large collection of English, French, Spanish, and Urdu texts.

But what separates this bookstore from all the Barnes & Nobles, Barons, and Borders in Orange County is its unique collection of Islamic children’s books. Children make up quite a bit of the customer flow into Jarir’s Bookstore. "It’s a good sign of education; that children are learning about Islam."

"It takes a special person to run a bookstore, not everyone can do it. Some people don’t know what they want, and I have to know for them," said Jarir as he handed me a copy of Sayyid Qutb’s "Milestones". "You’ll probably like it because it was banned in Egypt." There’s no denying it, the man knows his books. (Nadia Afghani)

Mayor Pro Tem Richard Chavez was elected to the Anaheim City Council in November 2002. Very visible at the Arab and Muslim community events, just in the month of March he was spotted at the ACCESS California Gala and at a private showing of new film on the life of Rachel Corrie by a Palestinian Director.

Always supportive and nurturing of the Muslim and Arab community’s participation, he says, "There is an enhanced sense of culture with the Arab presence in Anaheim, the Arab community, has made us a more international city." He adds that "the assimilation has been quite quick" because of three factors - the Arab population’s enhanced education, business, and religion." "They have enhanced the community and I have enjoyed watching it very much," he states.