Tolerance, not terrorism, should cancel Burn a Qur’an Day
September 12th, 20100 Nine years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, we can see just how effectively this country has fought the so-called Global War on Terror. As we go to press, the threat of terrorist attacks from the burning of a book has forced the cancellation of Burn a Qur'an Day, one idiot's way of observing the ninth anniversary of...
On our 26th anniversary, we renew our commitments
September 4th, 20100 Last year The Arab American News quietly celebrated its 25th anniversary. We felt the usual hoopla would be inappropriate given the dire economic circumstances most of the country's citizens found themselves in. But the issues of our publication during that period were still filled with heartfelt congratulatory messages. This showed us...CNN has lost the right to demand “free speech”
The firing of Octavia Nasr last week was truly a sad day for democracy, free speech and America. It was alarming and absolutely nauseating, and it spoke to the power of the pro-Israeli lobby in the U.S. It's reprehensible that CNN would fire a 20-year employee for expressing some respect for Grand Ayatollah Sayed Mohamed Hussein...Israel will not last for more than 30 years
In the last couple of years I have come to realize that the two-state solution is not likely to happen, at least anytime in the next 100 years. I'm not a political scientist, and indeed no expert on the conflict, but I do think that demographic realities dictate that unless the Palestinian people are given a homeland, a democratic Jewish...
Funny or not, South Park writers have rights
May 2nd, 20100 When the network Comedy Central altered an episode of South Park without consulting the writers because the previous night's show had elicited warnings from an alleged Muslim extremist group, we think they made a mistake. We also think it's time for all Muslims to recognize this: The restrictions and prohibitions in Islam are for...Time to stand up for Detroit, ourselves
Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans should be commended for the time and attention he has given to our community in the wake of recent crimes which claimed the lives of three Arab American business owners in Detroit.Evans met privately with community leaders this week and then addressed concerns at an open forum. We look forward to...Goodbye, Khalil!
AlHajal on assignment in Washington in 2009 The Arab American News reporter/editor Khalil AlHajal has accepted a position at The Flint Journal covering Flint schools and will begin work at his new job next week. AlHajal began his career at The Arab American News in December 2006 and is a graduate of the University of...
Communities suffering effects of climate change want U.S. to act now
February 27th, 20100 U.S. public concern about climate change has waned. The climate change summit in Copenhagen – largely viewed as a failure – did little to elevate concern over the issue among the public. Climate change is foremost among the concerns of ethnic communities, however. It is our responsibility, as the media that serve them, to call for...54 members of Congress tell Obama: Lift Gaza seige
Last week, 54 members of the House of Representatives, led by Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Congressman Jim McDermott from Washington state, signed a letter to President Obama asking his administration to lift the blockade on Gaza. In the letter, the Representatives said "the unabated suffering of Gazan civilians highlights...
New TSA guidelines are ethnic profiling at its worst
January 9th, 20100 The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directives will require citizens from 14 countries, all Arab or Muslim countries with the exception of Cuba, to go through enhanced security screening. Such screening can include full pat-downs, scans, delays, and anything associated with secondary screening - an extra search of the...
Season’s Greetings
December 24th, 20090 As is our practice, 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 2009. We at The Arab American News wish all of our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. While 2009 was a special year for the...
Best Buy’s commitment to diversity must be rewarded
December 5th, 20090 Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is a specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Canada, Mexico, and China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada it operates under both the Best Buy and Future Shop...
Don’t let Department of Energy subsidize illegal settlements
December 5th, 20090 The day before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it is awarding Motorola Israel with $900,000 for a joint energy management system with SmartSynch Inc. This contract is intended to develop energy saving technologies, but amounts to subsidizing Israel's settlement industry. Aside from energy management...
Our endorsements for 2009
November 3rd, 20090 The municipal elections being held Tuesday, November 3, provide an unprecedented opportunity for Arab Americans, particularly in Dearborn. While the election is important because it decides who will be making the decisions that affect our everyday lives — running the city, running the schools, protecting and maintaining neighborhoods...
Turning 25
September 12th, 20090 The Arab American News was founded 25 years ago, as of this past week. The newspaper's purpose was two-fold. We wanted to provide a source for objective, comprehensive news and subjective views on a region of the world not covered by mainstream media. We also wanted to help shape the identity of a vibrant, evolving Arab American......
9/11: We will never forget
Eight years have passed since that fateful day in 2001 when foreign terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York, causing the deaths of almost 3000 innocent Americans. Daily we remember that horrific event. Daily we pray for all those families touched so tragically by those reprehensible attacks. Daily we search for ever more...
Get out and vote!
July 31st, 20090 Voters go to the polls next Tuesday, August 4, for the city of Dearborn's primary election. Twenty five candidates will vie for 14 spots on the ballot in the November 3 general election, when seven of them will be voted in to seats on the city council. An unprecedented eight candidates are of Arab descent in the city council primary.......
Court should not ban niqab
May 2nd, 20090 The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, with the support of a diverse group of religious, ethnic and domestic violence organizations, submitted a comment this week to the Michigan Supreme Court asking the court to change a proposed court rule that would effectively close the courthouse doors to Muslim women who wear a niqab, a...
Time to end U.S.-Israel free trade agreement
May 2nd, 20090 A legal filing to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) calls for suspension of the US-Israel Free Trade Area. We agree it's high time this drain on U.S. jobs and income is stopped. The "Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974" filing includes previously unreleased...Israeli nuclear arsenal prohibits U.S. aid
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) are heavily lobbying Congress for $2.775 billion in military aid to Israel. However credible reports from the U.S. Army and a former president confirm the existence of an Israeli nuclear weapons arsenal. This could prohibit U.S. taxpayer funded...Changing the rules of war
The extent of Israel's brutality against Palestinian civilians in its 22-day pounding of the Gaza Strip is gradually surfacing. Israeli soldiers are testifying to lax rules of engagement tantamount to a license to kill. One soldier commented: "That's what is so nice, supposedly, about Gaza: You see a person on a road, walking along a......
Justifying censorship at Edsel Ford High
March 7th, 20090 When Deanna Suleiman, copy editor of Edsel Ford High's school newspaper, The Bolt, used her free speech right to express dissatisfaction with American and Israeli policies toward the Palestinians, she had no idea what trouble she was about to cause. Deanna and her colleagues at The Bolt had excitedly prepared and posted the...
Hassan or Grant — no religion excuses domestic violence
February 21st, 20090 Muzzammil Hassan, 44, allegedly beheaded his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37, last week and surrendered to police. Hassan was later charged with the second-degree murder of his wife, whose body was found at the office of Bridges TV, their television station in Orchard Park, near Buffalo, New York. Muzzammil Hassan and his late wife......
State Senator Martha Scott: LOVE IS NOT ABUSE
Senator Scott: Dating violence is at epidemic proportions, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths. I hope you can do your part by becoming a MADE member and help me protect our youth. Join the MADE coalition by signing the petition at www.loveisnotabuse.com/made. The majority of this country sees Valentine's Day as an...
Let us have the audacity of hope
January 24th, 20090 If the president's actions mirror his words, change is indeed upon us. President Barack Hussein Obama devoted about half of his inaugural speech this week to domestic issues, half to America's place in the......
