Q&A WITH RASHAD AL-DABBAGH

Little Arabia was recently recognized as an o cial district within the city of Anaheim. Could you share more about that?

Rashad Al-Dabbagh is the founder and executive director of the Arab American Civic Council, an Anaheim-based grassroots organization that empowers its community through civic participation. We spoke with him about the Little Arabia District.

For more than two decades, the Arab American community has been advocating for a formal designation of Little Arabia. On August 23, 2022 the council voted in favor of [this]. It was a historic and empowering moment for us. We’ve had more than 30 meetings with elected representatives, conducted dozens of meetings and training workshops within our community to educate and engage them on the importance of this designation.

What does this mean for Anaheim’s Arab American community?

This decision gives the Arab

American community the recognition it deserves. It also means that the city will put more resources into this part of Anaheim, which was historically neglected. Since the designation we’ve already seen improvements, such as planting olive trees and palm trees in Little Arabia. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the city to make improvements and build together.

Why do you think it's important for people to know about this district and to visit it?

Empowering small immigrantowned businesses is important. We have amazing small businesses and authentic Arab restaurants and dessert shops in Anaheim that created a thriving business and cultural destination in Little Arabia. It’s important that people experience this part of Anaheim, a part that was built by immigrants to make the city a better place for all. Little Arabia can serve as a place where we can build trust and create understanding between the diverse communities in Southern California.

What will you find in Little Arabia?

You can find falafels and kebabs anywhere in Southern California but what Little Arabia o ers is authentic regional dishes that you will not find elsewhere. For example, you can go to El Mahroosa and have authentic Egyptian-stu ed pigeons, or you can go to Altannour and have an Iraqi-style fish entree called masgoof.