Little Arabia District is an ethnic enclave in Orange County, California, the center for Orange County's Arab-Americans, who number more than 24,000. It is sometimes referred to as "Little Gaza" which was a play on the original designation of this area as the "Garza Island." Little Arabia grew significantly in the 1990s with the arrival of immigrants from the Middle East, and is the home to thousands of Arab-Americans predominantly hailing from Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Yemen. The district is centered on Brookhurst Street in Anaheim, near the Santa Ana Freeway between La Palma Avenue and Katella Avenue. Businesses include halalbutcher shops, beauty salons, jewelry stores, Arabic and Islamic clothings, travel agencies, bakeries, Arab and Armenian restaurants, and hookah cafes. There are also numerous mosques and a few churches in the enclave.
Hookah Lounges/Restaurants
Little Arabia is known for its popular hookah lounges. More than a dozen businesses that serve hookah and/or sells hookah supplies exist in the district. Established restaurants that serve hookah include Nara Bistro and Nubia Cafe. Popular hookah lounges include Hidden Cafe, Fusion Ultra Lounge, and Dream Cafe. Anaheim made national news in 2005 when the city banned belly dancing in Little Arabia's hookah bars. In its annual "Best of OC" awards, the OC Weekly awarded Olive Tree Restaurant, located on Brookhurst St. and Orange, the 2011 Best Middle Eastern Restaurant award. The restaurant is known for its "daily special" dishes. Each day, one or two specials, such as "Maqluba", "Sayadeia", and "Kabsa".
Reaction to the "Arab Spring"
In 2010, Nara Bistro became the first business in Little Arabia to be registered in the city of Anaheim as "Little Arabia's Nara Bistro". In 2011, Little Arabia became the center of Arab-American activities supporting the wave of Arab revolutions known as the "Arab Spring". On February 4 a demonstration in support of the Egyptian revolution took place on Brookhurst Street followed by a celebration on February 11 after Egyptian presidentHosni Mubarak was ousted and another one on February 12. A series of pro democracy protests in support of the Syrian revolution were also held. On October 20, local Libyan-Americans greeted the death of Moammar Gaddafi with joy. During the Hosni Mubarak trial, local restaurants, including Nara Bistro and Nubia Cafe, were packed with people glued to TV screens watching live coverage of the trial until 5 am. In August 2011, a restaurant named "Medan el-Tahrir" or "Tahrir Square" opened on Magnolia Ave. The restaurant hosted an event for the Syrian American Council, an organization opposed to Bashar al-Assad's rule, on August 13. The event featured a representative of the Syrian addressing the attendees via Skype, as well as , editor of the "Syrian Revolution News Round-up."
