What is the significance and effect of including Arabic text in these mostly English-language poems?

I love that these poems included Arabic script. Although many people who read them might not be able to understand Arabic, it shows the poet's tie to his Arab culture. And, for some reason, I felt that the English words of the poem were more powerful with the Arabic words right next to them.

How do we understand people we think of as alien?

We dont understand them. What we understand is that anyone in the "other" category does not deserve our respect. We do not see them as valuable human life. Their well-being is of little concern to us because it doesnt affect us. Although, as we are learning more and more, our treatment toward these aliens has more direct consequences than we would like to think.

The combination of Arabic and English reflects the unique culture that is inherent in Arab Americans. The use of Arabic and English produces the same effect as does Spanglish. The only difference is, we are more used to hearing Spanish and English interchangably.
The mere fact that someone would be considered "alien" shows the lack of understanding. "Alien" is a generic term used to describe anyone who is not from the area. Once the person (or group of people) are understood, they cease to be labeled in such an inpersonal way.

Mohja Kaf uses Arabic as a concrete example or a visible influence of the Arab culture in this English poetry. The Arabic stands out from the rest of the poem just by looking at it, even though it may communicate the same meanings, and this is something he communicates in Fayetteville as in Fate. This poem also illustrates how East meets West in the modern world with technology making people more accessible despite geographic distance. He also says that they can learn of their similarities through literature, just as he shows in several other poems like My Babysitter Wears a Face Veil.

I think including Arabic into these mostly English poems gives greater significance to duality of being American and Arabic. A lot of the poets we have read talk about the complications with having two very different cultures, but actually including Arabic into the poem seems to make a more dramatic impact. Instead of just talking about Arabic culture we actually see a how it is a part of her. She actually uses the language to distinguish her identity.
I think many people view people they consider aliens in a curious or bewildering way. Because they know nothing about them they either depend on stereotypes to comprehend them or just completely disregard them and label them as "weird".

I think that it is important that Arabic was added to these almost pure English poems as a means of showing the author's identity as being Arab and American. It reminds the reader, that although this may sound like an American poet, they are Arab as well. The whole reason that we view people as "aliens" is because of the lack of understanding we have about these people which is why they seem to be so different from ourselves. An example of this would be in "My Babysitter Wears a Veil," like shes a normal person who does everyday normal things, but because she wears a veil, shes viewed as "alien."

I think that including Arabic in the English poems has the effect of being one way that an author can combine Arab and American cultures, like Rihani does in "The Book of Khalid."

As far as the question of how we understand people we think of as alien, I would argue that we don't. If we do, it is only through a lens of the stereotypes that surround that "alien." This is especially evident in the poem "My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears," my personal favorite of the poems we read.