T ime and time again, the story of the Arab migrant appears in the media in narrow and damaging ways: victims in their homelands, shootings in the suburbs, demonstrations in the streets, arrests linked to terrorism or crime. These images have become shorthand for “Arabness” in Australia.

What is rarely seen is the complexity of who we are. Occasionally, a “success story” surfaces, but it is framed as an exception rather than part of a broader, vibrant community. For most Australians, Arab voices remain invisible. The everyday lives of Arab Australians, growing up between languages, caring for family, excelling in business, academia or the arts, barely register in public imagination. Poetry forged in war: Palestinian exile and social media sensation Plestia Alaqad leaves Sydney audience

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