2011 brings the centennial anniversary of the publication of the first Arab-American novel: Ameen Rihani’s The Book of Khalid (1911). The story of two Arab boys who immigrate to New York City, the novel ambitiously confronts issues that concerned Rihani’s era and still confound our own: the ideal relations between Americans and Arabs, the problem of religious conflict in the Arab world and beyond, and the rightful position of Arabs within the great American story of immigration.

Yet Rihani’s masterpiece is underappreciated; no edition of the work has ever been widely taught in American high schools. Moreover, Ameen Rihani himself, one of the 20th century’s most unique and talented intellectuals, writers, and poets, is insufficiently acknowledged and appreciated within American culture.

His admirers have a duty to use the special occasion to correct this cultural error. Rihani’s body of work seems uncannily made for this moment in time, which has not lost its peril or urgent need for reconciliation. And there is a critical present need to popularize and expose the impressive history and literary creations of the early Arab-American immigrants, whose struggles and creativity fit perfectly within the great American narrative of immigration which usually focuses on other groups.

In order finally to popularize this novel and generate greater awareness of Rihani as an individual, Project Khalid proposes to create a new educational edition of The Book of Khalid and to manage its distribution and promotion in American high schools. Project Khalid is a program of the Ameen Rihani Institute, a registered 501(c)(3) organization. We invite you to join us by signing up for updates, registering your interest in the new edition as a school teacher or administrator, or donating to support the project.

Although The Book of Khalid stands as a great literary work, the lack of an appropriate edition has largely excluded it from the classroom. In order to correct this cultural error, teachers and schools must be encouraged to explore the work and consider deploying the new curriculum when it is produced. As a teacher or school administrator, if you are interested in learning more about the novel, or would like to express interest in using the anniversary edition, please fill out the form below. In particular, we would like to ask you to leave a brief one or two sentence statement expressing why this type of novel is important to the education of your students.

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Project Khalid is directed by the Ameen Rihani Institute, a registered 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the promotion and promulgation of the thought and work of Ameen Rihani. Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Checks should be written to "Ameen Rihani Institute" and sent to:

7979 Old Georgetown Rd., Suite 700
Bethesda, MD 20814

Please sign up for updates by completing the form below. Feel free to add suggestions or offers of support:

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If you have questions about the project, please contact Todd Fine:

Phone: (857) 234-0920
Email: toddfine@projectkhalid.org