In praise of self-delusions: The State of the Union, Obama-style
There is no question that President Barrack Obama is a gifted orator. He rose to fame as the junior senator from Illinois, and was propelled to the White House, at least partly because of his skills as a speaker. In his five years as president, he has often used that skill when addressing the public.Yet his pretty words delivered in a...2014: The best year to become a citizen
Every year, millions of immigrants celebrate the New Year with their own traditions. For our family, it is a ham, kielbasa, horseradish, stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut and pierogis, which are a traditional Polish dishes. And each year, like billions of people around the world, we look forward to the new year with a list of hopes, dreams and...Congress must not cede its war power to Israel
The American people should know that pending right now in Congress is a bipartisan bill that would virtually commit the United States to go to war against Iran if Israel attacks the Islamic Republic. “The bill outsources any decision about resort to military action to the government of Israel,” Columbia University Iran expert Gary...How Saudi-Israeli tandem goads Obama
One of the most influential Saudi Arabian princes, Turki al-Faisal — the former Saudi intelligence chief who clearly reflects the Saudi royal government’s view — recently criticized President Barack Obama for weakness in the Middle East. The Israeli government is similarly disenchanted with Obama’s regional performance.Prince...
Thirty years of commitment to chasing and reporting the truth
December 27th, 20130 Another year in the history of our community has passed. The past twelve months were filled with success, headache and heartbreak. Our community witnessed the election of qualified individuals to office, withstood the emergence of controversies and attacks, and endured the loss of some beloved members.As the Arab American News seals its...Sanctions against Iran harm innocent people, peace
What are President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry up to with Iran? First they boasted of a historic interim agreement with Iran regarding its civilian nuclear program — an agreement which demonstrates that the Islamic Republic won’t be making nuclear weapons — something it has shown no inclination to do anyway. Then...Academic boycott of Israel should open dialogue
On Dec. 15, the members of the American Studies Association (ASA) voted 66% in favor of endorsing the ASA National Council resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions in protest of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.The council applied standards predicated on evidence of institutional discrimination and made a gesture of...The deadly pawns of Saudi Arabia
Donors in Saudi Arabia have notoriously played a pivotal role in creating and maintaining Sunni jihadist groups over the past 30 years. But, for all the supposed determination of the United States and its allies since 9/11 to fight “the war on terror,” they have showed astonishing restraint when it comes to pressuring Saudi Arabia...Impossible dialogue
Chances are dim that elections will be held in Yemen next February. Yet without elections, the push for reforms and change that were inspired by the Yemeni revolution would become devoid of any real value. Yemenis might find themselves back on the street, repeating the original demands that echoed in the country’s many impoverished...The plot thickens: Gaza is flooded with sewage and conspiracies
The latest punishment of Gaza may seem like another familiar plot to humiliate the strip to the satisfaction of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, and the military-controlled Egyptian government. But something far more sinister is brewing.This time, the collective punishment of Gaza arrives in the form of raw sewage that is...Attack against pilgrims calls for renewed intrafaith cooperation
News that Michigan Muslims were attacked at Hajj recently, due to sectarianism, increases the need for American Muslim leaders and activists to cultivate a spirit of constructive engagement among the followers of Islam, especially in America.I personally know some of the Shia Muslims who were reportedly beaten, choked, threatened with...The sectarian war at hand: Redrawing the Middle East again
The warm waters of the Gulf look quiet from where I am sitting, but such tranquility hardly reflects the conflicts this region continues to generate. The euphoria of the so-called Arab Spring is long gone, but what remains is a region that is rich with resources and burdened with easily manipulated history that is in a state of reckless...Israeli-Saudi alliance slips into view
In a previous article titled “The Saudi-Israeli Superpower,” I described an emerging odd-couple alliance between those two traditional enemies. The story was met with skepticism in some quarters. But, increasingly, this secret alliance is going public.On Oct. 2, Israel’s Channel 2 TV news reported that senior Israeli security...Israel, the Six-Day War and self-defense
In a recent article, published by The Arab American News, Attorney Kassem Dakhlallah argues that Israel legitimately resorted to self-defense by preemptively striking the air forces of Egypt, Jordan and Syria in the June 1967 war. This is as an astoundingly flawed reading of the existing historical facts. Many folks continue to...Congressional “mad dogs” render the powerful powerless
SHUTDOWN – blared the Washington Post headline. None of the powers-that-be could stop a small faction of Republicans in the House of Representatives from shutting down many federal government operations starting on October 1.Suddenly the powerful Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce are powerless, along with two hundred......
People’s history of Gaza and Egypt: The bond cannot be broken
Egypt’s new ruler, General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, may not realize that the bond between Egypt, Palestine and especially Gaza is beyond historic, and simply cannot be severed with border restrictions, albeit they have caused immense suffering for many Palestinians.Gaza is being ‘collectively punished,’ and is now facing economic...Netanyahu’s UN speech: Sounds like a sociopath?
Iranian missiles will hit New York in “three to four years.” A nuclear Iran is like “50 North Koreas.”This could be the sound of a deranged, dangerous sociopath, or this could be the sound of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu addressing the UN General Assembly. Compare for yourself. Last week we had......
New York Times fiction: On Obama’s letter to Rouhani
Mark Landler is a White House correspondent for The New York Times. Under the title “Through Diplomacy, Obama Finds a Pen Pal in Iran,” Landler wrote of President Barack Obama’s deep “belief in the power of the written word,” and of his “frustrating private correspondence with the leaders of Iran.” (NYT, Sept. 19)What is...Fellow humans are not “abeed”
I was prompted to write this after a recent Facebook discussion, which I weighed in on, when the term “abeed” (slaves) was used in a thread, in reference to a news story about an African American woman, who flashed an Arab American businessman in Detroit, during a verbal dispute. What was disturbing about the initial thread, before...Arab Americans roots run deep in Detroit
An excerpt of this original piece first aired on the BBC World Service program, The Fifth Floor, on September 13, 2013. The program provides an insider's view on the heart of the World Service, looking at the stories that enrich and add color to the understanding of world reporting. This piece takes the reader on a journey to...Hypocrisy and high treason: Why we should stay out of Syria
As I write this, President Obama and the militant wing of the U.S. Congress have been temporarily deflected from a war with Syria by events beyond their control — in this case, the actions of Vladimir Putin. But we must have no illusions. They will be back, stronger than ever, if given the slightest opening. Assad......
Twelve years later, Arabs remain victims of 9/11 tragedy
When the planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, I was a young boy in Beirut, watching the tragedy unfold with a mix of fear and compassion for the victims. At that point in time, I did not have a full comprehension of international politics. I did not consider the motives or affects of the terrorist...The politics of death: Human lives devalued in the Middle East
How many Egyptians have been killed since the January 2011 revolt? My pursuit for exact figures has proven to be futile. Various sources suggest all sorts of numbers, some scrambled in such a way as to make a political point. It is as if the life of the ordinary Egyptian doesn’t matter on its own, as an absolute value that must be......
Decline and fall: The second stage is anger
Not too long ago, I predicted that if I live to the average American male lifespan of 76 — I’m 46 now — I’ll have outlived the United States as we know it.At the time, I feared I was being over-optimistic, but lately I’m leaning the other way and thinking that my timetable may have been unduly timid. The United States may be...Challenging internal bigotry on the anniversary of the March on Washington
The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., should be a time of reflection for all with regard to the status of race relations in America. Our country has progressed in the area of overt racism; not just pertaining to African-Americans, but all people of color; yet we, as a society, have......