“Self-Hating (Arab)” is an excerpt from Ali’s debut book, Dearborn – a narrative non-fiction about growing up in America’s most Arab and Muslim city. It centers on Fordson High, the failing high school that nearly met its destruction during Ali’s senior year, until his father – Imad Fadlallah – was called upon to save it. With posthumous chapters from “The Principled Principal,” Ali and his father chronicle a raw story of one public school’s revolution that uncovers insidious Islamophobia and aggressive anti-Arabism. “Self-Hating” explores Ali’s internalized oppression, the seeds of which were planted in the place his father called the prison of minds.
Self-Hating (Arab) by Ali Imad Fadlallah
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Dr. Ali Imad Fadlallah
Dr. Ali Imad Fadlallah is a writer and professor from Dearborn, MI, as well as co-founder of Medina Media. His primary work centers on supporting applicants to elite colleges and jobs as an admissions coach. Ali also has a decorated career in media; highlights include his 2017 TED Talk on “Hit Song Science, as well as serving as a 2019 Voqal Fellow.