The Arab American News
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Clinton’s rivals tread carefully in N.H.
Washington — As some of this city's chattering classes had it, the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire Wednesday night was supposed to be a Hillary Clinton takedown. Senator Clinton had pulled so far ahead in the polls, the theory went, that her rivals would have to go negative to start to narrow the gap. But on the stage...Bush’s fake sheik whacked
Did you see George all choked up? In his surreal TV talk two weeks ago, he got all emotional over the killing by Al Qaeda of Sheik Abu Risha, the leader of the new Sunni alliance with the U.S. against the insurgents in Anbar Province, Iraq. Bush shook Abu Risha’s hand two weeks prior to that for the cameras. Bush can shake his hand...Making Ahmadinejad public enemy No. 1
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly has become a media circus. But the controversy does not stem from the reasons usually cited. The media has focused on debating whether he should be allowed to speak at Columbia University on Monday, or whether his request to visit...Abizaid: World could abide nuclear Iran
Every effort should be made to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, but failing that, the world could live with a nuclear-armed regime in Tehran, a recently retired commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East said this week. John Abizaid, the retired Army general who headed Central Command for nearly four years, said he was...New naturalization test to debut in October 2008
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) this week announced the 100 questions and answers that comprise the civics component of the new naturalization test. USCIS will administer this new test to citizenship applicants beginning in October 2008. Earlier this year, more than 6,000 citizenship applicants...Islamic banks in Canada?
The Canadian Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions is considering two proposals to open sharia-compliant banks. Such institutions would neither give nor charge interest and would not engage in speculative transactions. As well, they would not be involved in transactions having to do with pork products, alcohol,...Copts arrested in Egypt
The Toronto-based Middle East Christians Association (MECA), a Copt organization, reports that three of its members in Egypt have been arrested. Founder Nader Fawzy says that the charges against the three — Adel Fawzi, Peter Ezzat Mounir, and Adeeb Ramses—are not exactly known, but it appears that they may be accused of insulting Islam...Canadian interview shuts down Iranian paper
When Iran's most important liberal newspaper Sharg ran an interview with Iranian-Canadian Saghi Ghaharaman, it did not foresee the consequences. The Tehran government shut the paper down. Why? According to Alireza Malekian, an official with the government's "culture" ministry, the punishment was for "an interview with a...Arab-Canadian released from Israeli jail
Jamal Akkal, a Canadian citizen born in Gaza, returned home to Windsor on August 30, having been released from an Israeli prison where he spent close to four years. Akkal was convicted of plotting with Hamas to shoot prominent Jews in North America. While he refused to be interviewed by the Windsor Star on his arrival, he previously...Gaza youth killed by IDF bulldozer
GAZA — A 17-year-old Palestinian was crushed to death by an IDF bulldozer in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinians sources reported. The youth was transferred to al-Aqsa hospital in the Strip, and hospital officials reported many signs of trampling on his body. Palestinians reported that IDF choppers participated in the...First cholera case confirmed in Baghdad
Baghdad — The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed the first cholera case in Baghdad, raising fears the disease is spreading. A 25-year-old woman from western Baghdad was found to have cholera after she turned up at the hospital with a severe case of diarrhea, said Dr. Naeema al-Gasseer, the WHO's representative in...UNICEF urges Egypt to stop female circumcision
GENEVA—The UN children's fund this week called for pressure to be maintained to stop female circumcision in Egypt, where more than three quarters of 15- to 17-year-old girls are subjected to the practice. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) acknowledged progress by authorities in the country, which has...Khadr case back on
On September 24, the U.S. Court of Military Review, set up for appeals on Guantanamo cases tried by military courts, reversed the military court decision throwing out charges against Omar Khadr. The lower court had ruled that it could not deal with the charge of his being an "enemy combatant" because it had been established to try people...Art expert to lecture on 12th century Muslim-Christian cooperation
Hashim TawilOn Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007, local artist and art expert will present a lecture entitled "Arab-Norman monuments in Sicily: Manifestation of Muslim-Christian cultural partnership in the 12th Century," at the Eugene A. Forfa Auditorium, ASCC Building at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Michigan. Twelfth...Disappointing architecture, stunning Islamic arts
Many reviewers have hailed the Institute of Contemporary Art's (ICA) new $51 million building on the Boston Harbor waterfront as all but a divine gift to architecture. Writing in The Boston Globe, Robert Campbell called the building "the most inventive, most interesting piece of local architecture since the Hancock Tower of a generation......
There may be movement on the Jewish community front
Believe it or not, there seems to be some movement, slight and certainly not earth-shaking, within the American Jewish community and outside it vis-a-vis the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But whether this will bring about more rational thinking in the United States and help in paving the way for a final settlement to this chronic...The unstated message from Petraeus and Crocker
After weeks of leaks and media preparation, after staging the event and using very vague and manipulative language hiding the facts rather than elucidating them, the reports of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker came down to this: the United States is in Iraq to stay as long as the oil reserves in Iraq are expected to last —...Maliki blasts Blackwater firm for other attacks
BAGHDAD — Blackwater security guards who protect top U.S. diplomats in Iraq have been involved in at least seven serious attacks, some of which resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said Wednesday. Maliki didn't detail the incidents, which he said add to the case against the North...Iran: Petrol rationing is bumpy ride
TEHRAN (IPS) — Two months after the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began rationing petrol to "vaccinate" itself against possible sanctions, critics say the plan has failed to cut down gasoline consumption. Instead it has hurt the agriculture, tourism, transportation and other sectors of the economy. Rationing did push......
The Palestinian Mandela
The division of the Palestinian territories into a "Hamastan" in the Gaza Strip and a "Fatahland" in the West Bank is a disaster. A disaster for the Palestinians, a disaster for peace, and therefore also a disaster for Israelis. The Israeli political and military leadership are happy about the split, according to the doctrine "What's...Neocons tie North Korea to Israeli strike on Syria
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Nearly two weeks have passed since Israeli warplanes conducted a mysterious raid against an as yet unidentified target in northeast Syria. Details of the incident have been slow to come, as officials from both countries have remained tight-lipped. In the absence of a clear picture of what happened in the early hours......
Gunpowder dialogue in Lebanon
The explosion of September 19 targets the Christian community in Lebanon. The Christians of this country have become a demographic minority over the last few decades as a result of higher emigration and smaller families. They have emerged from a devastating 15-year civil war with less political power but with determination to retain...Army wants more Arab Americans to serve their country
September 22nd, 20070 DEARBORN — Arab Americans are playing an important role both in training U.S. armed forces who are going in to Iraq and actually serving on the ground there, but more of them are needed to join the effort. That is one reason Brigadier General Anthony A. (Tony) Cucolo III, Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Army, visited Detroit last......