The Arab American News
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Hizbullah fortifies frontier against Israel
NABATIYEH (IPS) — In the mountains towering above this southern city, Hizbullah (Party of God) is building a new line of defense on lands where a fierce war was once fought between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. An asphalt road rising up from the sea seems to carve up the southern chain of mountains of Jabal...
Occupation eats away Israel’s heart and soul
December 18th, 20090 JERUSALEM — After Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank torched a mosque and desecrated copies of the Qur'an in the Palestinian village of Yasuf, last Friday morning, they ran into a wall of condemnation. Israeli police officers detain a Palestinian protester in front of the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City December...Arab American testifies before House subcommittee on terrorism risk
President of the Washington-based Arab American Institute, Jim Zogby, testified Tuesday before the U.S. House subcommittee on intelligence, information sharing and terrorism risk assessment. Jim Zogby Zogby spoke alongside a civil liberties leader and psychiatry and policy scholars, addressing the topic "Violent Extremism:...Travel agent accused of scamming customers
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn travel agent has been charged with cheating customers out of $14,000 after a New York Arab American organization notified authorities of complaints. Fatma Aly, 42, specialized in booking travel to the Middle East. She is accused of taking cash from customers without fully processing their ticket orders, at...
Mormon Senator, Arab singer create Hanukkah tune
December 18th, 20090 A Republican, Mormon U.S. Senator has teamed with an Arab American singer to record a song for Hanukkah. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and singer Rasheeda Azar from Indiana, recorded "Eight Days of Hanukkah," a cheerful pop ballad, in New York in October and released it through a Jewish online magazine...
Weathering the storm at schools
December 18th, 20090 During these times of economic crisis, when our state is scrambling to balance the generation of revenue against the spending required to maintain services needed for our citizens, it is not uncommon for the blame game to begin. Many rumors and accusations have been launched over the past few months. Fingers are being pointed from our...Iran sanctions are counterproductive
Following his vote against H.R. 2194 — Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009 — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement outlining his opposition: I strongly oppose the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009. This legislation obstructs the Obama administration's ongoing negotiations with...Lebanon not ready for radical reform
In attempting to reform their state, the Lebanese fear the unraveling of their nation. President Obama was well briefed on Lebanon's fragile, "national unity" government when he received Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on December 14 at the White House. Vehicles are seen in a traffic jam along a main road after a heavy...The lobby within dictates policy
A just and peaceful solution to the protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict is only possible if the U.S. ceases to block every attempt made towards it. This assertion might raise many questions. For example, just how is one to define a just and peaceful resolution? And for what reasons would the U.S. obstruct such a possibility,...Confronting radicalization online
The recent arrests of five American Muslim youth in Pakistan on suspicion of attempting to join militant groups there has provoked deep concern about the existence of homegrown extremism among Muslim American youth. Until recently, it was believed that this was a problem confined to other Western countries such as the UK. The fact that...
Smokers under siege, businesses will have to adjust to new law
December 18th, 20090 Dozens of restaurants and hookah lounges in Dearborn and throughout the region could struggle to stay open after the state smoking ban that Gov. Jennifer Granholm was expected to sign Friday goes into effect May 1. A Mangos Cafe customer smokes argeela on the restaurant/hookah bar’s crowded patio last summer. PHOTO: Nafeh...Community fundraises for 2010 Gov. candidate
DEARBORN — A group of Arab American businesspeople and activists held a fundraising dinner for 2010 gubernatorial candidate Michael Bouchard on Tuesday at Byblos Banquet Hall. Osama Siblani, who is publisher of The Arab American News, stands with 2010 gubernatorial candidate Michael Bouchard during a campaign fundraiser...ADC vows to fight on for civil liberties
DEARBORN — Despite the civil rights organization's financial struggles, the mood was upbeat and celebratory as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee – Michigan on Dec. 11 honored those in the community who have made a difference. Arab American of the Year awardee Ashley Ansara speaks before a packed house...Trust is crucial to dispelling H1N1 hype
From New America Media DETROIT — While recent news of H1N1 suggests the virus may have reached its peak, Center for Disease Control officials say reaching out to communities to clarify serious misunderstandings remains crucial. At a Detroit ethnic media roundtable discussion on the issue last week, Dr. Corey Herbert, medical...
Europe steps in to pressure Israel
December 12th, 20090 JERUSALEM (IPS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Palestinian counterpart Salam Fayyad have both been scrambling earnestly to win the backing of European leaders in advance of what could be a major EU policy shift that aims at creating new impetus for Palestinian-Israeli peace prospects. A view of the Dome of......
WITH VIDEO: Boxing battles at Byblos
December 12th, 20090 It was showcase night for local boxing talent on Thursday night as Knockout Promotions brought its "Battle at Byblos " event to a popular Dearborn banquet hall. Kronk boxer Hassan Bousi, age 18, 152 pounds, poses after defeating Andre Murray on Thursday. A sellout crowd along with well-known boxing figures like legendary Kronk...One step closer to unilateral sanctions against Iran
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Congress has given new momentum to a bill imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran — a move seen by many as an ineffective form of sanctions and potentially antagonistic against valuable U.S. allies on the U.N. Security Council. This comes ahead of the end of the year deadline set by U.S. President Barack Obama for......
Increased focus and growing pressure on Pakistan
December 12th, 20090 WASHINGTON (IPS) — While President Barack Obama's announcement last week that he will "surge" 30,000 more U.S. troops into Afghanistan has received all of the attention here over the past week, Pakistan appears to be looming larger than ever in Washington's strategic calculations and concerns. A mother wounded in a bomb...Muslims work with FBI on missing men
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad speaks during a Wednesday press conference in Washington on the Muslim community’s role in notifying law enforcement of potential militant activity by five American men in Pakistan. American Muslim families and civil rights leaders played a major role in alerting law enforcement about...Student stabs professor to death in New York
Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani, a Saudi Arabian graduate student at Binghamton University, has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing to death anthropology professor Richard Antoun, an Arab American, on Dec. 4. Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani mug shots No motive for the crime has yet been identified. Al-Zahrani's...
Store owner turns around life of would-be thief
December 12th, 20090 Mohammad Sohail, alongside New York Post clippings that told his story in May, shows the letter and $50 he got from the would-be robber he sent out of his deli with $40, bread and a blessing. PHOTO: NY Post A New York store owner who showed compassion to a would-be......
Obama launches Freedom of Information initiative
NEW YORK (IPS) — Advocates for greater freedom of information are expressing approval of the Obama administration's new "Open Government Directive" — but some are sounding cautionary notes that executive agencies are still hiding behind "national security" to conceal government misconduct. Jameel Jaffer, Director of the...
The hypocrisy of al-demoqratia
December 12th, 20090 So this is how democracy works? In 2004, France banned headscarves and school principals chased after young "defiant" Muslim girls who continued to cover their heads in school. Now, following a national referendum, Switzerland has banned the construction of minarets, because minarets also somehow symbolize oppression. Thanks to the......
Economic hope for the ingenious
December 12th, 20090 While jobs continue to be scarce in the current United States economic climate, the Internet continues to provide a bastion of hope for those looking for alternate ways to make a living. Mohammad Al Adham, 24, co-founded the popular video-sharing site TwitVid.com. Oftentimes, all it simply takes is an idea, a vision, and a...Old ways of fighting for rights must change
This week, we've seen a perfect example of how the rejectionists over-press their support for Palestinian rights in Europe and end up creating disasters that harm the Palestinian cause. The activists have been pressing European Union officials to declare that Jerusalem is to be a shared city. A proposal condemning Israel's expulsion of......