Raqqa for Aleppo: The U.S.-Russian agreement hinges on the details
September 9th, 20160 Internal affairs in Russia and the United States are changing the balance of power and the shape of a future solution in Syria. In the United States, the presidential campaign is witnessing vicious attacks between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with ISIS (and by extension the Syrian crisis) as one of the most important issues to...
Syrian refugees are not subjects for a social media gallery
September 2nd, 20160 The Italian "activist" was keen on that photo, as if her social media activism career was dependent on it. As if the misery of the poor Syrian child was not palpable enough in his dejected face and his rash-infested skin, she wanted to define a point of absolute misery for a perfect Instagram photo. So she handed him a bucket filled...Social media’s challenge to democracy
I've been involved in politics for the better part of a lifetime, and have spoken at a lot of public meetings over the years. There's one question, I think, that I've heard more than any other: "If I want to be an informed citizen, which sources of information should I consult?" For many years, I had a set answer for this. Read one or...Has Turkey overplayed its hand in Syria?
Turkey is back in the game in Syria. Turkish tanks and special forces last week joined anti-Assad rebels to capture the border town of Jarabulus from ISIS. It was the first significant Turkish ground operation in Syria since the beginning of the war in 2011. The immediate target was ISIS, but a more important Turkish objective is to...Does Muslim Always Mean Islamic?
What is Muslim versus what is Islamic concerns the question of normative Islam. Due to the difficulty of discerning Islam from its political developments, some have thrown in the towel and declared, "Islam is as Islam does." It is easy to see why some observers draw that conclusion: Islam – through its twin sources of Quran...Israel’s War on NGOs takes a worrying turn
You deserve to see your loved ones suffer and die. But, maybe, you would be hurt before them," was part of a threatening message received by a staff member at Al-Mezan, a Gaza-based human rights group. The photo attached to the email was of the exterior of the activist's home. The gist of the message: "We are coming for...The Obama Doctrine is ravaging the Middle East
Everyone seems to have a theory on how to obliterate ISIS. However, two points are rarely raised: one, concerning the origins of the group and the second, on whether there are genuine intentions to defeat it, in the first place. We must boldly address the first to unravel the enigma behind the rise and growth of Daesh – otherwise,...How factionalism in Palestine is killing prospects for freedom
Palestinian demonstrators in Ramallah calling for political unity, 2015 - Photo by AFP.As Palestinians in the Occupied Territories begin preparations for local elections, which are scheduled for October, division and factionalism are rearing their ugly heads. Palestinian political platforms and social media are abuzz with...How soon we forget
Aimee Schoelles, former Dearborn School Board presidentWatching from a distance, it’s quite disheartening the things that have been said over the past few months in Dearborn. An organization and a man are being viciously attacked for asking legitimate questions during a highly contested election. Instead of answering these...Courts reaffirm the right to vote against Jim Crow approach
Last week, a panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rebuked the North Carolina legislature for acting with "discriminatory intent" in passing restrictions on the right to vote that "target African Americans with almost surgical precision." The decision came as we approach the 51st anniversary of the Voting...By attacking Captain Khan’s family, Trump sinks to new low
In 2004, Army Captain Humayun Khan was in the middle of a tour of duty in Iraq. While his unit was guarding the gates of their base, Captain Khan noticed a suspicious vehicle approaching their checkpoint. He immediately took control of the situation and ordered his fellow servicemembers to stay back. Captain Khan, however, moved...Next steps for Arab – Black solidarity
A mural featuring Trayvon Martin in Detroit.Since the tragic and senseless death of Trayvon Martin, we've participated in many events designed to bring together the Detroit area's Arab American and African American communities for the common goal of understanding and coalition building. These meetings occur on the backdrop of...
By attacking Captain Khan’s family, Trump sinks to new low
August 4th, 20160 Captain Khan's parents speaking at the DNCIn 2004, Army Captain Humayun Khan was in the middle of a tour of duty in Iraq. While his unit was guarding the gates of their base, Captain Khan noticed a suspicious vehicle approaching their checkpoint. He immediately took control of the situation and ordered his fellow servicemembers to...Farewell to Yarmouk: A Palestinian Refugee’s Journey from Izmir to Greece
The refugee camp of Yarmouk was ever present in his being, pulling him in and out of an abyss of persistent fears that urged him to never return. But what was this refugee without Yarmouk, his first haven, his last earth? How could any other spot in this unwelcoming universe ever be a 'home' when he had learned that only Palestine,...
9/11: 28 Pages Later
July 21st, 20160 In December of 2002, Congress released its report on the "Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001." Part of that report, anyway: 28 pages remained classified until July 15, 2016, when they were finally presented to the public with significant redactions. Why the......
Where the election stands
The next few weeks in politics are a little like the All-Star break in baseball. With the Republican and Democratic national conventions upon us, it's a good time to step back and assess this year's election. Which carries bad news for both parties. The Republicans face a steep electoral challenge. If Hillary Clinton carries Florida...
The numbers in Obama’s drone death report don’t add up
July 7th, 20160 More than three years after President Obama pledged to be transparent about the United States' lethal drone program, his administration has finally come forward with an accounting of the numbers of civilian deaths that resulted from drone strikes between Jan. 20, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2015. But the numbers only cover airstrikes......
What Clinton should learn from Brexit
July 1st, 20160 President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton.BREXIT — the stunning British vote to leave the European Union — is a clear and dramatic rebuke of the country's political and economic elites. A majority voted to leave, even though the heads of the United Kingdom's two major parties, more than a thousand corporate and bank...Cheating taxpayers for political advantages
Politicians who limit the effectiveness of government agencies for short-term political advantages cheat taxpayers and short-change the government. I first met Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), a brash young Republican, at a gathering of EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center), which challenges invasions of privacy by big...
How Israel uses water as a weapon of war
June 24th, 20160 Entire communities in the West Bank either have no access to water or have had their water supply reduced almost by half. This alarming development has been taking place for weeks, since Israel's national water company, Mekorot, decided to cut off or significantly reduce the supply to Jenin, Salfit and many villages around Nablus,...
Trump is assailing the Constitution, not simply Muslims
June 23rd, 20160 "Religious freedom is not an issue for conservatives or progressives, deists or agnostics, Christians or Muslims. This is an American issue."GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has ratcheted up his politics of fear campaign strategy by exploiting the recent mass shooting in Orlando. This was no surprise to American Muslims and other......
Gaza: Resistance Through Poetry
June 17th, 20160 Muin Bseiso“(At dawn) … I will resist ... (Since) upon the wall there is still a white sheet … And my fingers are yet to (completely) dissolve.” This is a translated verse from Muin Bseiso's "Three Walls of the Torture Chamber." He has been one of Gaza's most influential intellectual and renowned poets. After Israel...
Detroit businesses should join Project Green Light
June 17th, 20160 Mayor Duggan and city leaders announcing new businesses joining Project Green Light, May 23.Detroit is a city for the future. Despite the remaining challenges, there is a financial and political willpower to turn the city around. Arab American business owners have no choice than to adapt and contribute to this turnaround or be left out......
What’s allowed when dealing with Israel?
June 10th, 20160 Activists rally against Israel.That "terrorism" is a malleable term of propaganda, with no fixed meaning or consistent application, is now quite well-established. Still, its recent application to a spate of violence targeting Israel's occupying soldiers in the West Bank is so manipulative and extreme that it's...
Muhammad Ali: A profile in moral courage
June 10th, 20160 "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong — no Viet Cong ever called me nigger." With those pointed words, Muhammad Ali explained his opposition to the war in Vietnam and justified his refusal to submit himself to the draft. He declared himself a conscientious objector. After declining three times to step forward for induction......
