The Arab American News
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Hamas won’t give in to blackmail
RAMALLAH (IPS) — At the eleventh hour, just as a permanent ceasefire painfully mediated by the Egyptians after weeks of intensive shuttle diplomacy was about to take effect, Israel suddenly changed its preconditions for a settlement with Hamas. This has left the Palestinians, especially Gazans, the Egyptians, the Hamas leadership and...Novelists are not the only ones who tell lies
Editor's note: In this powerful speech, the great Japanese writer explains why he chose to accept a literary prize in Israel. Novelist Haruki Murakami of Japan Reuters I have come to Jerusalem today as a novelist, which is to say as a professional spinner of lies. Of course, novelists are not the only ones who tell...Muslims reject terror tactics, back some goals
WASHINGTON – Strong majorities of people in predominantly Muslim countries reject terrorism but support key goals of Al Qaeda, notably expelling U.S. military forces from the Islamic world, according to a major new study of public opinion in seven nations and the Palestinian territories released here Wednesday. Nearly 90 percent...Divided we stand awaiting elections
On Feb. 14, supporters of the March 14th anti-Syrian movement thronged in time-honored tradition to Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut to commemorate the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri four years ago — a show of strength that has become a fixture of Lebanese politics. Saad Hariri at a Beirut...
World news briefs: Is pasta humanitarian aid?
February 28th, 20090 When Rep. Keith Ellison visited the Gaza Strip earlier this month, he reported back on some of his concerns about humanitarian aid for the Palestinians. He said even basic food items were being blocked at the border. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn. Israeli officials said pasta isn't food aid. Ellison learned about some...FBI losing partnership with Arab, Muslim communities
The revelation this week that the FBI used paid informants and agents provocateur in U.S. mosques who have participated in law enforcement outreach efforts undermines the decade-long relationship that Arab Americans and American Muslims have built with law enforcement. This news sends a devastating message to community leaders and imams...Memo to Obama: Urgent action needed in Mideast
We do not know what special envoy George Mitchell told President Barack Obama after his tour of the Middle East. But here is what I hope he is telling the president now. "Mr. President, unfortunately I do not have good news. It is easy to misjudge Israel. It is indeed a country that thrives in certain respects, but politically it has...The Israeli occupation binds together Syria, Iran and the resistance
Washington is now listening intently to Syria. Last week, the Democratic Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. And this week, Syria's ambassador to the United States visits a high level official in the State Department. There is an improvement in relations as...
Money, name recognition push Bing, Cockrel past primary
February 28th, 20090 DETROIT — Detroit businessman Dave Bing and incumbent Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. came out on top in Tuesday's special mayoral primary election. The two will face off in a May 5 runoff. Detroit businessman Dave Bing Reuters The winner will serve out the remainder of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's term,...
CAAO meets with U.S. Congress members to push community agenda
February 28th, 20090 Congress of Arab American Organizations representatives Nabih Ayad, L, Sufian Nabhan, Imad Hamad with Sen. Carl Levin, CAAO member Abed Hammoud, Jim Allen, Osama Siblani and Ali Baleed Almaklani at Levin's Dearborn office on Feb. 18. Representatives of the Congress of Arab American Organizations met with or held a conference...
First web issue of school paper pulled over article critical of Israel
February 28th, 20090 DEARBORN — A group of young journalists taking their school newspaper online for the first time suffered a setback last month when all of its web content was ordered removed after a controversial editorial on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was published. Deanna Suleiman, R, works on the Edsel Ford High School newspaper The...
Palestine film festival comes to Ann Arbor
February 28th, 20090 As the latest site of a film festival entirely dedicated to films made in and about Palestine, the upcoming Palestine Film Festival in Ann Arbor is testament to the growing visibility of, and demand for, the Palestinian narrative in the cinematic format. Screenshot from one of the films to be screened at the Ann Arbor Palestine...
Dearborn Police on the lookout for a bank robber
February 28th, 20090 Photo of the robber captured by a bank security camera and distributed by Dearborn Police Department. DEARBORN — An armed robber made away with an undisclosed amount of cash and dye packs from the Key Bank in Dearborn after pulling a gun on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at approximately 9:10 a.m., according to Dearborn police. The money...
Dearborn mayor takes on new role, changes appearance
February 28th, 20090 Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly changed his appearance Monday to portray an Amish judge in the Dearborn High School student film "Dare to be Amish." The mayor shaved his mustache. Photo courtesy City of Dearborn DEARBORN — Tom Hanks famously lost 50 pounds for his role in "Cast Away," Tommy Lee Jones shaved his head to...
Arab medical society raises funds for Gaza
February 28th, 20090 The National Arab American Medical Association of Birmingham held a fundraising dinner entitled "Gaza: The Aftermath" on Feb. 21, with all proceeds going to humanitarian assistance organizations for food and emergency medical relief in the Gaza Strip. The dining room was packed almost to capacity at Bint Jebail Cultural Center in......
State Dems meet, elect leaders
February 28th, 20090 About 2,000 Democrats gathered in Lansing for the pary's state convention on Feb. 21. Dozens of caucuses came together to conduct business and to hear from candidates and elected officials. Elections were held, resulting in the reelection of Ismael Ahmed, a leader in the Arab American community and Director of the...
Restaurant remodels to rave reviews
February 27th, 20090 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – In today’s market, owning a Middle Eastern restaurant in the Dearborn and Dearborn Heights area is much more difficult than it used to be. Co-owners (from left) Hassan Hachem and his brother Mike pose with their waitstaff inside Beirut by Night restaurant in Dearborn Heights. PHOTOS: Nick......
Movie explores 1982 massacres
A special showing of the critically acclaimed and Academy Award nominated Israeli film "Waltz With Bashir" will be held on Saturday, February 28, at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor. This is perhaps the most highly regarded film to ever come out of Israel. It has already won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best...
Video: Former President Carter weighs in Israel-Palestine conflict on Tavis Smiley
February 24th, 20090 Former President Jimmy Carter outlined obstacles for a peace deal in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a guest on PBS' "Tavis Smiley" on Feb. 16, addressing illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the separation barrier that cuts deep into Palestinian land and the Hamas resistance. In this segment, Carter said many of the...
Video: Students allowed to wear kuffiyehs after protests
February 24th, 20090 Two students at a Monroeville, Pa. high school were asked to remove, then allowed to wear their kufiyyehs – traditional Arab scarves worn increasingly in the U.S. as cultural, political or fashion statements – last week after fellow students complained the garments signified support for terrorism. Pittsburgh's CBS news affiliate...Iraq’s Sunnis joining Shi’a pilgrims
BAGHDAD — Sheikh Mohammad al-Ethawi, resplendent in his gold-trimmed robe and white headdress, hands out oranges to Shi'a pilgrims walking by a striped tent on the main route to the holy city of Karbala. Shi'a and Sunni 'Sons of Iraq' guard force lay down their rifles to serve Shi'a pilgrims on their way to Karbala south of......
Arab American quarterback to play for Wolverines
February 21st, 20090 Ann Arbor Pioneer quarterback Nader Furrha will play for Michigan next year as a preferred walk-on after turning down scholarships from several Division-2 schools. Photo courtesy of Nader Furrha Growing up across from Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Nader Furrha dreamed of playing on the big stage in the Big House in front of more...Signs of a thaw, but differences run deep
WASHINGTON - Two high-level U.S. Congressional delegations are setting out for Syria to meet with President Bashar Al Assad. The trips are seen as a precursor for engagement with Syria, but the extent of possible diplomatic deal-making is still in question. U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (C) speaks during a news conference......
Is the U.S. repeating Soviet mistakes in Afghanistan?
February 21st, 20090 A U.S. soldier with Alpha Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment provides security during a visit by his unit at Khas Kunar refugee camp, Kunar Province, eastern Afghanistan February 18, 2009. REUTERS/Oleg Popov KABUL, Afghanistan — Twenty years to the day after the last Soviet soldier left Afghanistan, Dastagir Arizad ticked off...
Kerry first American official to visit Gaza after Hamas takeover
February 21st, 20090 U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) speaks with a Palestinian man (L) during his visit to the destroyed American International School in the northern Gaza Strip February 19, 2009. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem The U.S. will not change its stance towards Hamas, John Kerry, the former democratic U.S. presidential candidate, has said during a tour......
