Publisher Touts Arab American Beauties In New Calendar

DEARBORN (WWJ) - It's the big unveil Tuesday night in Dearborn for something that's never been done before.

Nafeh AbuNab is publishing a calendar of local Arab American woman.  Abunab says the woman won't wear scarves, but it won't be one of those calendars.

"They show subtle beauty, there is nothing racy in it - there is no skin in it, so to speak," said AbuNab.

But he says it's an idea whose time has come.

"It's about time that we let our own community tell our own story, due to the lack of having people telling our story on our behalf, we have left a wide open void for everybody to tell our story and to paint us in any color that they want," said AbuNab.

Listen to the full interview here.

"The ladies were photographed in various locations in Dearborn and Detroit over a one month period," stated Natalie June, the Calendars creative director.

There's a calendar release party tonight at Byblos Banquet Hall.

You can find it at select stores and businesses in the tri-county area and on-line here.  A portion of the proceeds will go to charity, AbuNab said.

Per Muslim tradition, many Arab women wear headscarves in public and dress conservatively to avoid tempting men. Islamic rules say a woman's entire body must be covered by clothing, including arms and legs; clothing must be loose, though not resemble a man's garb; and it has to be thick enough that observers can't see through it.