The Arab American News
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‘Rendition’ affirms politico-military establishment
It has been the norm with movies about Middle Eastern events, or Middle Eastern themes, that Arab/Muslim/Middle Eastern suffering is treated with a few words or lines by a character. But suffering by someone who is white, Western, Jewish or Christian is treated with powerful imagery, often done at half-speed, with wrenching detail in...The Camelot of Benazir Bhutto
The 1970s were beginning, and the unrivaled star of my Introduction to the Middle East class was "Pinkie" Bhutto. I asked her once about her given name, Benazir, and she giggled in embarrassment at its literal meaning: "Incomparable." No one at Radcliffe or Harvard called her anything but "Pinkie" back then. But it was already apparent...U.S. illusions die with Bhutto
The shortsighted, ad hoc nature of U.S. policy toward Pakistan is on display once again. Benazir Bhutto has been murdered, most likely by religious fanatics. In the West, pundits and diplomats now wring their hands and lament: "Oh no. All our eggs in one basket."But let's step back for a second to look at how thoroughly bankrupt U.S....New Year begins unhappily in Iraq
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The end of 2007 produced a telltale indication of what the New Year seems likely to bring to Iraq."We the Iraqi members of parliament signing below demand a timetable for withdrawal of the occupation forces (MNF) from our beloved Iraq," 144 members of the 275-member parliament, a clear majority, wrote in a declaration...Is Suleiman up to the challenge?
In Lebanon over the last three months, ten parliamentary sessions to elect a new president have been postponed. By tradition the president has to be a Maronite Christian; this tradition is a problem that has never been addressed adequately. The eleventh parliament election session, scheduled for December 29, is expected to be...Should Lebanon become a neutral country?
Should Lebanon become a neutral country? That is the question addressed by André Patry, professor emeritus of international law at Laval University, in an article appearing in the French-language Quebec magazine "Forces." To begin, Patry distinguishes between two kinds of neutrality.Neutrality can be either perpetual or...Terror prosecutions shed more heat than light
NEW YORK (IPS) — The U.S. government's spotty record in obtaining convictions of people charged with providing "material support" to terrorist organizations is adding new impetus to the efforts of prominent constitutional lawyers to seek substantial changes in the law.The latest failure in a terrorism-financing prosecution came late in...Yemen mourns speaker of parliament
The speaker of Yemen's parliament, Abdullah Bin Hussein al-Ahmar, died on Saturday at the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after a long fight with cancer.Al-Ahmar was elected the first speaker of the Republic of Yemen's House of Representatives in 1993, and was re-elected in 1997, 2003 and 2007. al-AhmarThe 74-year-old was...Syrian expatriates return hoping for wealth
Many Syrian-Americans are leaving for Damascus, lured by the opportunities offered by a newly open economy.Damascus — For Louay Habbal, sipping his latte in an upmarket coffee shop in Damascus, the U.S. will always be home.The warmth of the people, the possibility of achieving success from nothing, and the vast open spaces are...Obama shakes up Democratic Party
Des Moines — Iowans shocked the foundation of the Democratic Party Thursday night when Illinois Senator Barack Obama placed first in the Iowa caucuses among the Democratic candidates. I had traveled with friends to Iowa to experience the last minute campaigning and the legendary Iowa Democratic caucus process which, by all...Republican presidential candidates on Arab American issues
It has begun in earnest. With the Iowa caucuses out of the way and the New Hampshire primary approaching, the domestic news agenda for 2008 is pretty much set. To start the year off, here is a quick rundown of the Republican and Democratic candidates' positions on various issues.WAR ON IRAQRudy Giuliani: He supported the war on...We need to stand up for our own
In a report published December 9 in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, a poll cited that 74% of Israeli youth believe Arabs are less intelligent and that they are violent. Two thirds of Israelis believe that Arabs are "not clean," and half of them would not accept to live in a building where an Arab lives, nor would they allow an Arab to...
The Iowa caucuses: The race is on
January 5th, 20080 Iowans gathered last week to deliberate about who they would like to represent their party in this year's presidential race. In about 3,500 caucuses, or political meetings, roughly 10% of Iowa's partisan voters met throughout the state to kick off this year's primary season. Democratic candidate Barack Obama finished...Turkey: Another ally lost
Over the past six years the Bush administration, aided and abetted by Congress, has trashed what used to be described as American foreign policy. Foreign policy once was shaped around the U.S. national interest, but no longer. Vulnerable key allies such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are now struggling to deal with the consequences...Democratic presidential candidates on Arab American issues
The DemocratsWAR ON IRAQJoseph Biden: Called his support of the war in 2002 "a mistake." He opposed the surge, and calls for a "phased redeployment with decentralization." He supports a federal Iraq, with the regions having more power than a central government.Hillary Clinton: Voted in support of the 2003 invasion as......
Happy holidays to all
This issue of The Arab American News brings us to the close of 23 years of publishing. As we have for the past few years, we have combined the final two issues of the year to give our staff a much-needed break and to facilitate the observance of all the year-end holidays of 2007. We very much look forward to the coming year, to...‘Save Darfur’ is a PR scam
The star-studded hue and cry to "Save Darfur" and "stop the genocide" has gained enormous traction in U.S. media along with bipartisan support in Congress and the White House. But the Congo, with ten to twenty times as many African dead over the same period, is not called a "genocide" and passes almost unnoticed. Sudan sits atop lakes of......
Security hurts trade
Canadian Minister of International Trade David Emerson charges that "Some of the rigid mindsets of the security establishment are really starting, I think, to threaten the special relationship that used to be there." He spoke of companies having to warehouse inventory on both sides of the border, "a just-in-case supply chain rather...Dubai sheik pardons Canadian
Vancouver native Bert Tatham was working for an American company under contract to the State Department to assist the Afghan government in eradicating opium poppies. On arrival in Dubai, he was found to be in possession of 0.6 grams of hashish and two poppy bulbs. A urinalysis found traces of hashish. The judge in Dubai was...Arar book scheduled
Monia Mazigh, wife of Maher Arar, the Canadian who was rendered to Syria by American authorities, where he was tortured, has a deal with publishers to write a book about the family's experiences. The book, scheduled to appear in 2009 in both English and French, will be written in French and then translated. ...General: Banning prisoner transfer wrong
In response to efforts of Canadian human rights organizations to get a court-ordered halt to the transfer of Taliban prisoners to Afghan authorities, Brigadier-General André Deschamps predicted serious consequences should such a ruling be made. The groups bringing the case to court are concerned about the mistreatment of those who......
Interfaith dialogue
Earlier this year, I attended the Ottawa convention of the Islamic Society of North America. One session was on interfaith dialogue, with presentations by Abdul Rashid, an Islamic scholar, and Sister Jean Goulet, a Catholic nun. Rashid emphasized the Qur'anic basis for the practice of dialogue: "O mankind! We created...
Politics, distress as Muslims mark Eid al-Adha
December 23rd, 20070 It was a typical holiday of Eid al-Adha, the biggest Muslim holiday of the year. Two men in paper overalls placed the struggling sheep in the direction of Mecca before taking a shiny blade to its throat and unleashing a fountain of warm blood that quickly filled the floor of the small cement courtyard. Half a dozen small......
Honor killing in Canada needs denouncing
On December 10, a man in Toronto's suburb of Mississauga called 911 to report that he had just killed his daughter. Muhammad Purvez, the father, has been arrested, along with his son Waqas, who has been charged with obstructing police. Sixteen-year-old Aqsa Purvez had been in constant conflict with her family over matters such...Donors back Palestinian economy, urge Israeli ease-up on restrictions
WASHINGTON (IPS) — International donors pledged billions of dollars this week to shore up peace prospects amid warnings no amount of money can help if Israel keeps the Palestinian economy in a stranglehold. Donor countries and agencies promised 7.4 billion dollars to the Palestinian Authority at a pledging conference in Paris Monday.......
