A Very Arab Weekend
Three things in 48 hours. Joy, community, solidarity. And the reminder that it's not just us anymore.
I don't usually write diary posts. But this weekend felt worth documenting. Three things in 48 hours all pointed to the same feeling. Arab joy, arab community and arab culture, celebrated not just by us, but by people with no particular reason to care about it except that they encountered it and loved it. This is what cultural appreciation feels like.
Saturday, 3eib
I’ve been wanting to go to a 3eib pop-up for a while. Founded by Palestinian entrepreneur Dania Arafeh, 3eib (عيب, Arabic for shame) is a community-led fashion platform and pop-up series showcasing SWANA creatives since 2023. The name is a thing in itself; shame is one of the primary tools used to police Arab communities, to keep people quiet, conformist and in line. Arafeh took it and turned it into the name of a space where SWANA creatives could be unapologetically themselves, it’s kind of funny (which is a very Arab thing in itself).
Last weekend’s pop-up was at 25 Woodseer Street in Spitalfields, just off Brick Lane, which felt like exactly the right neighbourhood for it. Twenty brands from across the region, some of them showing in London for the first time, travelling in from Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon. Everything from ready-to-wear to streetwear. It was busy, warm and slightly chaotic in the best way.
I got henna from Huq That, which was beautiful and which I have one cute photo of (my hand looks like a child’s in the other pics I took). I ate a Merguez-filled Lamiri Harissa sandwich that was genuinely one of the best things I’ve eaten this year. I didn’t have nearly enough time to speak to the brands properly (it was too busy for big conversations), but I’ll be DM’ing them this week to get their takes for another post. I can’t wait for the next one, it felt like a community coming together, having fun and raising money for Palestine and Lebanon, of course.
Sunday morning, Farha
Farha means joy in Arabic. It is also the name of a Middle Eastern bakery that opened in Leyton in December 2025 and has been quietly becoming one of the most talked about places in East London since. Founded by Nargis Shaikh, a Hackney primary school teacher, and her husband Umar Raza, it took two years to convert a dilapidated corner garage into what is now a beautiful room with handmade zellige tiles from Fez, Morocco, limewashed walls, furniture from a local Leyton carpenter and ceramics by London ceramicist Kimberley Chan. The Egyptian sink was hand-carved from lava stone. You can feel the two years it took to build it. Every decision feels like it’s been made properly.
The head baker is Vanessa Campanelli, who has worked at Toklas, Fortitude, Cedric Grolet at The Berkeley and Ottolenghi (the pastries show it). I had hibiscus iced tea and a pistachio and raspberry bun that I am still thinking about.
People are crossing town for this place. Not just Arabs, not just east Londoners. People who woke up on a Sunday morning and thought, I’m happy to travel 45 minutes for that. That is Arab joy landing and exisitng somewhere unexpected. It is called Farha, it lives up to its name.
Sunday, Egypt at the World Cup
Egypt are at the World Cup, their first appearance since 2018, when they lost all three group games in Russia. This time, 120 million Egyptians expect them to get out of the group stage for the first time in history. They are in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand and Iran, led by Mohamed Salah, who is two goals away from breaking Egypt’s all-time scoring record (currently held by his own coach, Hossam Hassan, you can’t write this stuff).
My boyfriend’s dad is from Liverpool, and he’s backing Egypt. He put a bet on them winning the whole thing. When I asked him why, he said: they’re playing differently, and it’s the first time he’s ever wanted a team that isn’t his own to win (I’m pretty sure Salah has a lot to do with it, but still, how amazing). A Scouser, in 2026, with money on Egypt at the World Cup. I don’t think he fully realises what that means to me, I don’t think I fully realised how much it means to me either.
Also, Egypt were denied a flight to Seattle ahead of their final group match. A World Cup team, denied a flight, to their own game… I don’t have much to add to that.
Three things in 48 hours. A room full of SWANA creatives and the people who showed up for them. A bakery called Joy that people are crossing London for. A Scouser with money on Egypt winning the World Cup.
Arab culture is having a moment. Honestly, I think it always has been. We’re just finally showing up for it, and it turns out we’re not the only ones.