How would you feel if you're a black person walking into a place decorated with large portraits showing the worst stereotypes of black people? Or a white person walking into a bar that shows pictures of the white people lynching a person of color? I'm sure you'd be outraged, and the place would probably not be open for long unless they change their themes.
To a person from the Middle East, this cafe panders to Westerners by magnifying the worst aspects of Arab culture: belly dancing and drinking. For those who do not know, belly dancing is the Arab counterpart to strip dancing in America. Arabs consider it very humiliating and objectifying to women. So to walk into a place that makes it seem like all there is to being Arab is belly dancing and drinking is quite offensive and should be viewed that way. The reputation of Arabs in this country is suffering quite enough from stereotypes like this, and the owner should know better than to make it worse just for the sake of profits.
Very disgraceful and disingenuous. The food is not that great either. Several Middle Eastern places on Central Avenue offer better tasting Middle Eastern food.
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