The Arab American News
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Syria is many conflicts rolled into one. It is also at the center of two regional struggles
"Shame on you! Shame on The Independent!" boomed the voice of a Syrian intellectual in my phone half an hour after I had returned from Damascus to Beirut. He was so incoherent in his rage that it was difficult to know his precise objections, but my sin seemed to be that I had been in Damascus, talked to members of the Syrian government...
Hizbullah chief calls for ‘humanitarian’ approach to Syria displaced
January 5th, 20130 Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah urged the government to take a strictly humanitarian approach to Syria's displaced in Lebanon Thursday, days after Energy Minister Jibran Bassil recommended sealing the borders between the two countries.Nasrallah's remarks came during a speech to mark the 40th day since Imam Hussein's...Political Islam and the Arab Spring
Is political Islam matching the aspirations of the Arab Spring? Egyptians may have a clear answer after living a few years under a Muslim Brotherhood administration. Early signs from Cairo are not encouraging.President Morsi, representing the Brotherhood, won the post-uprising Egyptian presidential elections for three main factors:...The Arab Spring at two: What lessons should we learn?
WASHINGTON (IPS) — As the Arab Spring enters its third year, new Arab democracies and the international community should reflect on several critical lessons from the past two years.Thinking about these lessons and learning from history, no matter how recent, could help us understand the trajectory for the next stage in Arab...The ‘flattening’ of Gaza
GAZA CITY (IPS) — On Nov. 17, four days into Israel’s eight-day assault on the Gaza Strip, deputy Israeli Prime Minister Eli Yishai publicly called for the Israeli army to “blow Gaza back to the Middle Ages, destroying all the infrastructure including roads and water”.The following day, Gilad Sharon, son of former Israeli Prime...Cash-strapped Palestinians urge Arabs to pay pledged funds
RAMALLAH — The Palestinian government in the West Bank on Wednesday urged Arab nations to deliver on pledges to supply the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA) with $100 million a month.Already mired in a financial crisis, the PA has suffered further with Israel's decision to withhold the transfer of tax and tariff funds it...Why U.S./Israel face sinking polls
When U.S. and Israeli officials look glumly at international polls showing their declining popularity, they often think that just some better salesmanship will do the trick. But the real problem isn’t the pitch; it’s the product, in this case policies that offend much of the world, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.An Israeli think...What Hagel could give Obama
With the “fiscal cliff” partly solved and partly delayed, President Obama may now turn his attention to filling his national security team for the second term, including whether to face down neocon opposition to Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary, as ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern notes.Absent from the discussion...Al Jazeera buys U.S. channel Current TV
Al Jazeera buys U.S. channel Current TVQatar-based network to launch Al Jazeera America, reaching 40 million US homes, up from 4.7 million before the dealDOHA — The Qatar-based network said on Thursday that with the acquisition it plans to create Al Jazeera America, a US-based news channel. Al Jazeera’s coverage will soon be...Legislation that permits wiretapping of foreign citizens without warrant extended
The U.S. Senate recently agreed to approve and extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The legislation permits the National Security Agency (NSA) and other foreign intelligence groups to wiretap the conversations of foreign citizens without a warrant. Civil rights agencies across the country have for years expressed...Local 21-year-old in need of kidney
HaidarDEARBORN — 21-year-old Mohammed Haidar was just recently moved from University of Michigan Ann Arbor's hospital to Henry Ford Hospital. Haidar has been in need of a kidney since he was 16. His family is asking locals to get tested to see if they can qualify for a kidney donation, hoping that their wishes will finally be answered...Dearborn Mayor joins coalition for greater gun control
DEARBORN — In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut that left 26 dead, including 20 children, Mayor Jack O'Reilly of Dearborn has joined a coalition along with hundreds of others mayors across the country that calls for congress to push greater federal gun control.The Mayors Against Illegal Gun Coalition...I-96 shooter charged with terrorism
Howell — A gunman who was firing shots at motorists along 1-96 throughout the month of October has been charged with a rare terrorism felony, according to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette.Raulie W. Casteel, 43, is accused of shooting at 24 motorists on numerous occasions in the counties of Oakland, Livingston, Shiawassee and...Detroit’s 2012 murder rate up 10 percent over previous year
DETROIT — 2012 is over and the city of Detroit has recorded 386 homicides within a one year span, up 42 killings from 2011's data. The 2012 figures get even worse when 25 justifiable murders are added which includes three police shootings, according to the Detroit Free Press. Forty years ago, the city of Detroit was known as the...Students, parents stress on later start times at Dearborn’s high schools
DEARBORN — Local resident Helena Thornton, a parent of a 2012 Dearborn High School graduate, has started a petition requesting that the Dearborn Public School Board set a new policy to start high schools after 8:15 a.m, citing research that suggests teenagers need to get a required 8.5-9 hours of sleep in order to function......
String of Detroit gas station robberies put Arab owners at risk
January 4th, 20130 DETROIT — On New Years Eve, a local 43-year-old woman was shot in the leg at the Citgo gas station located at Evergreen Rd and Fenkell in Detroit while visiting her friend, who is a cashier at the location. The incident marks the latest in a string of gas station robberies involving 3-5 young men who are all dressed in black with their...Owners of foreign bank accounts beware: New law has teeth
DETROIT — With the US Federal debt crisis persisting and the government starved for income, all should be ready for some heavy duty tax collection. “Exhibit 1” to this new era of vigorous government tax enforcement is The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or “FATCA”. This federal law, enacted in 2010 is, expected to be......
580 tickets issued in Dearborn during snow emergency
DEARBORN — The city of Dearborn, along with several surrounding cities in Wayne County had declared a snow emergency on the evening of Wednesday December 26th that lasted until 3:00 p.m. the following day. During the course of the snow emergency, the Dearborn Police Department had issued 580 tickets for improper parking in the cities...
Hate crimes against Muslims only escalating 10 years after 9/11
January 4th, 20130 The tragic events that unfolded on Sep. 11, 2001 gave birth to an ugly and embarrassing chapter in America’s history-the post 9/11 anti-Islamic and Arab era that continues today. Despite relentless national efforts to combat the negative stereotypes and intolerance of Muslims and Arabs that’s emerged after 9/11, hate crimes...
Petition to recognize Westboro Baptist Church as hate group is most popular in White House history
January 4th, 20130 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Users of the White House's "We the People" digital petition platform have flooded the site in support of an effort to officially designate the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.The most popular petition was submitted on Dec. 14, the same day as the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in...
Marianna Kay Siblani (1948-2013), A powerful voice and advocate for Arab and Muslim Americans, passes away
January 2nd, 20130 Marianna Kay Siblani (1948-2013)DEARBORN (January 2, 2013) - It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we inform you of the passing of Marianna Kay Siblani, the executive editor of The Arab American News for the last 28 years. She passed away peacefully last night surrounded by her family, after a long struggle with......
U.S. Senate extends warrantless wiretapping under FISA
December 28th, 20120 WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate agreed on Friday to approve an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, legislation that allows the NSA and other US intelligence agencies to wiretap conversations involving foreign citizens without obtaining a warrant.Despite growing opposition to one of the most notorious and secretive US...
Petition to recognize Westboro Baptist Church as hate group is most popular in White House history
December 28th, 20120 WASHINGTON, DC - Users of the White House's "We the People" digital petition platform have flooded the site in support of an effort to officially designate the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.The most popular petition was submitted on Dec. 14, the same day as the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary......
Local family hosts foreign exchange student from Palestine, encourages others to follow suit
DEARBORN - Maysoon Abu-Omarah and her husband Mohamad have been hosting 16-year-old Aseel, a foreign exchange student from Palestine at their home, along with their five children. Through a program funded by the Department of State of Education, Aseel is staying in the U.S. for an entire school year, where she has been attending Fordson...The unmaking of Syria: Beneath the fog
Everything about Syria is steeped in miasma: Is this conflict politically and sociologically definable as a civil war? Has it become a sectarian war? How strong and widespread is the Salafist (and global Jihadi) presence? Was militarization wise or did the opposition have no choice in this regard? Are the armed groups able to defeat the......