The Arab American News
Author's Posts
Ten ways to manage your finances and avoid post-holiday regrets
Indianapolis —The holidays are upon us, bringing all those images and sensations we cherish — the glow of the menorah, the fragrance of home-cooked meals and sugar cookies, and the sounds of the season in holiday songs, laughter, and shrieks of joy from kids discovering Santa's generosity. But for many of us there are a few not-so-joyous...HFCC offers History of Islamic Art course for Winter 2007 semester
DEARBORN — Does Islamic art reflect the faith of Islam? Is there such a thing as Qur'anic iconography and how is it related to Biblical iconography? What is the role of the muqarnas (geometric design) and Arabic calligraphy in Islamic architecture? How can we identify Islamic art? As Henry Ford Community College continues to...Films explore post 9/11 Arab American reality
Dubai — The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has included a special sub-section in its Arabian Nights programming segment which is dedicated to films that depict Arab life and stories in the Middle East and around the world. This year, the segment will feature a thematic grouping of films called The 9/11 Effect that delve into...Bush: It’s a goat even if it flies!
What did President Bush read in his oval office on Monday Dec. 3, 2007? He read a report compiled by sixteen American intelligence agencies concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, contradicting a previous assessment that Tehran was working on, even close to, building a nuclear weapon. This report...U.S. Jews tilt to the right on Israel
WASHINGTON (IPS) — U.S. Jews appear to have become more opposed both to Israel's making key concessions in renewed peace talks with Palestinians and to the U.S. carrying out a military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities, according to the latest in an annual series of surveys of Jewish opinion released here this week by the American...After Annapolis: U.S. peace allies ready to build ‘political will’ for successful diplomacy
WASHINGTON — Over 200 people attended the Capitol Hill event last Thursday, "Digesting Annapolis: What Happened, What it Means, and What Happens Next?" co- sponsored by Churches for Middle East Peace, together with Americans for Peace Now, the American Taskforce on Palestine, the Arab American Institute, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Israel...Saudi rape case: a catalyst for change?
Recently in Saudi Arabia, a young woman from the town of Qatif who had been raped by seven men was sentenced to prison and to 90 lashes, which were later increased to 200 lashes because of the woman's denunciation of her case through the media. When Josée Verner, the Canadian minister for the status of women, called the sentence...West Bank Palestinians imprisoned by Israel
The lives of 10,000 Palestinians trapped within West Bank enclaves — cut off from Israel to the west by the Green Line and separated from the West Bank proper to the east by the barrier — have been ruined socially and economically, with their education disrupted and their livelihoods destroyed or seriously damaged. Some have died or...Gravel only Democrat to campaign in Michigan
DEARBORN — Progressive U.S. presidential candidate Mike Gravel spoke to students at the University of Michigan–Dearborn Thursday, as the only Democratic candidate willing to campaign in Michigan. The former senator from Alaska later had lunch at the New Yasmeen Bakery with members of the Arab Student Union. "I think it's very stupid what...Jewish Voice for Peace speaks out
Those around the world who expected little more than cursory speeches from the Annapolis meeting this past week were not disappointed. Annapolis delivered those speeches, a few photo-ops and, something that was not as sure a result, a re-starting of discussions between Israel and the Palestinians. But the outcomes were also deeply...What it’s really all about
When Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinians, responded to Ehud Olmert's statement, "We won't hold negotiations on our existence as a Jewish state," he made an error. Erekat declared that the Palestinians wouldn't accept a Jewish state, because "No state in the world connects its national identity to a religious identity."...Bush in a zero-sum Iranian game of his own making
Bush's woefully misguided invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, carried out under false pretences, has not only drained the United States treasury, but reduced Washington's standing in the Middle East in a way not yet fully grasped by most commentators. Whereas Washington once played off Tehran against Baghdad, while involved in a...Shadid appointed first ‘writer-in-residence’ fellow at AUB’s Issam Fares Institute
BEIRUT — The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) announced today that award-winning Washington Post correspondent Anthony Shadid has been appointed as its first resident fellow for the 2007-08 academic year. He is also the first "writer-in-residence" at IFI, a...Political split deepens over nuclear spying
TEHRAN (IPS) — Charges of spying for Britain persisting against former nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian appear to have intensified rifts within the alliance of conservatives and hardliners that made Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iran's president more than two years ago. Mousavian, who was a deputy of the Supreme National Security Council and a...
Iran leader claims win in nuke faceoff
December 9th, 20070 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called the dramatic U.S. turnaround in a new intelligence review a victory for Iran's nuclear program, suggesting it shows the success of his hard-line stance rejecting compromise. But his more moderate opponents at home are hoping the assessment's conclusion that Tehran shelved its effort......
Ex-principal of Arabic Khalil Gibran school loses round in court
According to a report in the New York Daily News, a federal judge this week shot down a last-minute attempt by the former principal of a Brooklyn Arabic-language school to keep the city from selecting her successor. Debbie Almontaser wanted the judge to delay the selection of a new principal for the Khalil Gibran International...Ann Arbor doctor ‘not guilty’ for protest involvement
ANN ARBOR — Catherine Wilkerson, a doctor in Ann Arbor, was among a small group of protestors at a talk on Iran sponsored by a pro-Israel group at the University of Michigan. She was not aware that this event last November would lead to criminal charges against her for fulfilling the responsibilities of her profession. Her......
Darkness surrounds spotlight on peace talks
NEW YORK (IPS) — In the aftermath of the Annapolis peace conference, foreign policy analysts and human rights advocates are finding considerable irony in Israel's Arab neighbors pressing for freedom for Palestinians while their own citizens continue to carry a heavy burden of unrelenting political repression. Most of those representing...
Will army commander take control of Lebanon?
December 9th, 20070 BEIRUT (IPS) — As the constitutional clock ticks away the last few hours of Emile Lahoud's presidential term, Lebanon faces its worst political deadlock since the end of the civil war. Five parliamentary sessions to elect Lahoud's successor have already been postponed since Sep. 24, with the danger of civil strife looming over the...Arab American faces deportation after Afghanistan service
A highly decorated Arab American sergeant in the U.S. army, who is currently serving as a paratrooper in Afghanistan, faces deportation on his return to the United States because of an irregularity in his immigration papers. Sgt Hicham Benkabbou has been served with an order to stand trial for deportation as soon as he arrives...Civic, political integration of American Muslims
America is known as a "melting pot," with many cultures, religions, ethnicities and races integrating into the mainstream American culture. Muslims have been a relatively new addition to the immigrant population. Their integration had just begun to progress when it came to an abrupt standstill with the events of September 11, 2001.......
Israeli avoids UK arrest threat
LONDON — An Israeli minister has canceled a visit to the U.K. over concerns he could be arrested on war crimes charges. The foreign ministry said an "extreme leftist" organization was likely to file a legal complaint against Public Security Minister Avi Dichter. He was the domestic intelligence agency chief in 2002 when Israel bombed a...White House invokes secrecy in Abramoff lawsuits
Washington - The Bush administration is laying out a new secrecy defense in an effort to end a court battle about the White House visits of now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The administration agreed last year to produce all responsive records about the visits "without redactions or claims of exemption," according to a court order.......
Bush announces Middle East visit
WASHINGTON — U.S. President George Bush will visit the Middle East in January, the White House has said. The announcement comes a week after Bush hosted talks at which Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged to seek a peace deal before the end of 2008. Iran will also be a key issue, after U.S. intelligence said on Monday that the country...
Community reacts to ‘Our Arab American Story’
December 8th, 20070 Documentary premieres at gala event; gets mixed reviews Since the premiere of the documentary "Our Arab American Story," shown in Novi last week, producer Keith Famie said he's gotten mostly positive feedback from those who watched it. The film was shown at the Rock Financial Showplace during "Flavors of the Arab World," a......