The Arab American News
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Canadian Islamic Congress stubs its toe
With Maclean's, the simplest description would be that it is more or less the Canadian Time, though, while over the decades Time has become somewhat less right wing, Maclean's has moved in the other direction. On October 20, Maclean's carried an excerpt from a book by Mark Steyn in which he argues that, as the title puts it, "The...Carter documentary makes you care about Mideast
Even before anyone realized that Jimmy Carter's book "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid" would stir up controversy and a lively but sometimes vicious debate, filmmaker Jonathan Demme decided to follow the former president during his book tour. Demme has produced a powerful documentary, "Jimmy Carter: A Man from Plains," now...
Palestinian mural finally inaugurated
December 2nd, 20070 SAN FRANCISCO � After a two and a half year battle with campus administration, San Francisco State University became the first school to showcase a Palestinian cultural mural honoring Dr. Edward Said. But the General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS), the group that spearheaded the mural, says achieving it was no easy task. "Let's...‘Lions For Lambs’ hits note of realism
"Do you want to win the war on terror?" It's the central question of our times, one in which the answer not only reveals an individual political point of view, but also, if answered collectively, will determine the course of events in this so-called war. That's what lies at the heart of Robert Redford's new film, "Lions For Lambs,"...When the roadmap is a one way street
Israel's strategy for permanent occupation One may well think that the struggle inside the Jewish community of Israel is between those of the political right, who want to maintain the settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank so as to "redeem" the Greater Land of Israel as a Jewish country, and those of the left who seek a...A Muslim belongs in the Cabinet
LAS VEGAS � Mitt Romney tells good jokes. I had the chance to hear a few of them this month at a political fundraiser in Las Vegas, where the Republican presidential contender gave his audience a few good chuckles before going into his domestic and foreign policy agenda. His platform seemed sound enough analytically � until he...Longshot candidate from Texas gains on GOP leaders
They were a lonely band of rebels until just a few weeks ago, backing the darkest of dark horse presidential candidates. But with Republican Rep. Ron Paul's fundraising on the rise � $4.2 million raised on the internet in one day this month � and his poll numbers jumping, the Texas congressman might no longer be a "who?" but a...Advertisers boycott Savage show
SAN FRANCISCO �The newly-formed Hate Hurts America Community and Interfaith Coalition (HHA) this week announced that Wal-Mart and AT&T have joined a growing list of advertisers that have stopped advertising or refuse to place their ads on Michael Savage's "Savage Nation" program. HHA, a group of religious and civic organizations...U.S. senators, panel seek closure of Saudi Islamic school
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia � Twelve U.S. senators and a federal commission want to shut it down, and its most virulent critics have dubbed it "Terror High." The teachers, administrators and about 900 students at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Fairfax County have heard the allegations for years � after the Sept. 11 attacks and then a few years...Activists remember day of Palestinian solidarity
The e-mail notice from the group in Boston began, "the photo-op which was the Annapolis peace conference is over." Pro-Palestine activists did not forget the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Held on November 29th of every year, the day commemorates the 1947 partition of Palestine by the United...Detentions escalate in Diwaniyah
DIWANIYAH (IPS) � Detentions have become commonplace in Iraq, but now more than ever before people are being detained after being accused of membership in "militias supported by Iran." "Hundreds of our men were detained and accused of being militiamen supported by Iran," Mahmood Allawi, a 50-year-old lawyer from Diwaniyah,...Israel’s Syrian air strike was aimed at Iran
Until late October, the accepted explanation for the Sept. 6 Israeli air strike in Syria, constructed in a series of press leaks from U.S. officials, was that it was prompted by dramatic satellite intelligence that Syria was building a nuclear facility with help from North Korea. But new satellite evidence has discredited that narrative,...Palestinians protest the Annapolis summit
We do not recognize those who hold talks in Annapolis; they do not represent the Palestinian people," said Ismail Haniyeh, the dismissed Palestinian Prime Minister, in response to the Washington-sponsored Palestinian-Israeli summit in Annapolis this week. The streets of Palestine bore witness that it isn't only the Hamas leader who...
‘Our Arab American Story’ profiles in a good way
December 2nd, 20070 DEARBORN � OK Arab Americans, get your hankies ready. After centuries of cultural isolation, decades of political ostracization and six years of post-9/11 social hysteria, our real story is about to be told. And when you watch Visionalist Entertainment Productions' documentary, "Our Arab American Story," the tears are gonna...
What happened in Annapolis?
December 2nd, 20070 BEIRUT � The Middle East peace gathering at Annapolis, Maryland, Tuesday was full of lofty rhetoric, some intriguing new promises, a few bold commitments and a tantalizing cast of characters � alongside plenty of rehashed old rhetoric, rigid positions and regurgitated failed diplomatic mechanisms. It left us with as many questions as......
The U.S. narrative for Lebanon
December 2nd, 20070 Even if France were tempted to play guardian again for the Christians in Lebanon � with the approval of the American Empire, instead of the Ottoman Empire this time � the official Arab and international order could not directly imprint itself on Lebanon in a way favorable to the opposition, not even the Christian opposition, which makes...Religious leaders join battle against domestic violence
DEARBORN � Women's activists have marked November 25 as a day against violence since 1981. On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The date comes from the brutal assassination in 1960 of the three......
Christians and Muslims coexist in Gaza
GAZA CITY (IPS) � As Sunday dawns in Gaza City the traditional Islamic call to prayer mingles melodically with church bells. Side by side, mosque and church doors swing open, welcoming the faithful. Greetings are eagerly exchanged. The October kidnapping and murder of Rami Ayyad, the manager of Gaza's only Christian bookstore, sent...Sister Cities seeks peace with Muslim world
WASHINGTON � As leaders and diplomats from a host of countries gathered in Annapolis, Md. this week for a summit discussing the Middle East's rocky journey toward peace, Sister Cities International released a new report that highlights steps U.S. communities are taking to build peace with the Muslim world. "Formal...Two angels on a mission
A friend handed me a leaflet and said I should really check this event out. It had a big title: Anna Baltzer in Detroit. Noted Jewish American author-lecturer-photographer presents her compelling witness of life in Occupied Palestine. There was a photo of the cover of a book titled "Witness In Palestine: A Jewish American...He believes giving back is an obligation
For Russell J. Ebeid, giving back to the community is more than an obligation; it is an opportunity to fulfill his passions through his generosity. After years of faithful giving, Russell recently made the decision to grant a $500,000 endowed gift to the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan (CFSEM). "I am at the stage......
2007 Golden Cedar Awards presented for leadership
Gala celebrates contributions of Lebanese Americans DETROIT � The Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce held its Second Annual Night of a Hundred Stars Spectacular this week at the historic Hotel St. Regis in the New Center area of downtown Detroit. Pegged as "Celebrating Leadership in North America," the gala honored Governor John H....The thought police are coming
A month ago, the House of Representatives passed legislation that targets Americans with radical ideologies for research. The bill has received little media attention and has almost unanimous support in the House. However, civil liberties groups see the bill as a threat to the constitutionally protected freedoms of expression, privacy......
American Muslims for Palestine holds second annual meeting
The Second Annual Convention of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was held in Chicago November 22-25, 2007. The theme of the convention was "After 60 years of Al Nakaba, to Al Quds We Shall Return and We Will Return." The convention was attended by approximately one thousand Muslims from all over the country including from...A minute of anger for Palestinians
The Jerusalem meeting in Istanbul was touching, inspiring, saddening and encouraging. It was extremely touching when we began to see people from Al-Quds and from Palestine whom we only usually see on television screens being arrested by Israeli occupation forces and on their way to the prisons which house thousands of Palestinians......