Palestinian Christians — A current exodus
A recent CBS '60 Minutes' segment by Bob Simon exposed an important aspect of Israel’s occupation: the exodus of Christian Palestinians. The timing of this provocative story could not be worse for Israel. In recent years, the focus of tension in the Middle East has shifted from Palestine to Iran. But the television report...Symptoms of a war that must end
“You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can’t bomb the world to peace.” This memorable quote from Michael Franti is fitting for the now decade-long war in Afghanistan. The façade of "progress" in Afghanistan is falling apart. A few days ago, The Los Angeles Times published pictures of U.S. soldiers posing with the...Vietnam, Afghanistan, and The Pentagon’s memory failure
Wars of Attrition: Green zones of the mind, guerrillas, and a technical knockout in AfghanistanRecently, after insurgents unleashed sophisticated, synchronized attacks across Afghanistan involving dozens of fighters armed with suicide vests, rocket-propelled grenades, and small arms, as well as car bombs, the Pentagon was quick to...
Chances of Assad falling highly exaggerated
April 27th, 20120 For the past year, I've been intrigued listening to expert after expert tells us that Bashar Assad is going down and his ouster is just a matter of time. He has been called a "dead man walking" by the U.S. State Department. Israel's defense minister has insisted that Assad will fall in a matter of weeks. Just last month, President...Jones, BAMN mirror images of each other
On April 7, Terry Jones, the Qur'an-burning pastor from Florida, stood in front of the Islamic Center of America to condemn Islamic religious law (shari'a) and the alleged Muslim effort to sabotage the Constitution. He renounced the Christian churches for criticizing him. As a professor who teaches about Religion and Politics, I was...
It’s official: There is a Muslim exemption to the First Amendment
April 20th, 20120 David Stone and members of his Hutaree anti-government militia amassed a huge arsenal of weapons, including the ingredients for explosives, and allegedly plotted to kill a police officer and bomb his funeral. A federal judge in Michigan said they were just venting and exercising their First Amendment rights.Tarek Mehanna, a 29-year-old...What’s really happening in Syria?
The Holy Triumvirate — the United States, NATO, and the European Union — or an approved segment thereof, can usually get what they want. A woman wearing a Syrian national flag bearing images of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad around her neck, takes part in a rally to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the Baath...We must demand boycott, divestment and sanctions at the University of Michigan
As we write this piece, more than 5,300 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails. Zero Israelis are imprisoned in Palestinian jails. A total of 24,813 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel since 1967. Zero Israeli homes have been demolished by Palestinians since then. Some 172 Jewish-only settlements and 101 “outposts”...Israel-Iran matters get worse in verse
A lyrical attack by Germany’s acclaimed novelist and essayist Günter Grass in which he labeled Israel’s alleged atomic arsenal and looming preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear installations a threat to world peace has triggered fury and controversy amongst Israelis. In his 66-line poem entitled ‘What Must Be Said’ and...Hana Shalabi: The bravest form of nonviolence
No sooner had Khader Adnan ended his 66-day life-threatening hunger strike than new urgent concerns are being voiced for Hana Shalabi, another West Bank hunger striker now without food for more than 24 days. Both strikes were directed by Palestinian activists against the abusive use of administrative detention by Israeli West Bank...How dangerous Is Iran?
According to the doctrine of pre-emptive war, Iran can be attacked based on its alleged desire to develop nuclear weapons, just as Iraq was attacked in 2003. In fact, Congress is currently debating whether a nuclear capability alone (which Brazil, Japan, and many other countries enjoy) could justify the ‘preventive’ attack.I believe...NO to AIPAC, NO to Israel and NO to war
Those who hoped President Obama might bring a new approach to foreign policy have been repeatedly disappointed. On Sunday, Obama had a chance to partially redeem himself. He failed. Speaking at the conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), he declared, “I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from...Michigan company steps in where banks fail small businesses
Bankers aren't lending. The federal government passed stimulus packages for small business, which small businesses never saw nor could access. In this economic blunder, the small business owners and entrepreneurs, who are the backbone of the economy and account for 70 percent of the new jobs, have been hit the hardest.Ned Homfeld, an...Anthony Shadid: A man for others
New York Times' reporter, Anthony Shadid died unexpectedly this week. With his passing we lose America's finest reporter on Arab World issues — at the time when Americans need his work more than ever. The importance of Shadid’s writings to Americans and Arabs cannot be overstated. His reporting was unique, reflecting both his...
It’s time to support Ficano, new executive team
February 24th, 20120 Dwelling on past mistakes only hurts Wayne County Robert FicanoNow that the start of a new year is upon us it is time to take a different approach to our County of Wayne. It is indeed all of our county, in many ways the anchor of much of our state. Home of GM, Ford, the Tigers, the Lions, downtown Detroit, Metro Airport and almost......
Hunger strike renews urgency: Demand boycott of Israel now
Khader Adnan’s life was just saved. He paid a terrible price for his freedom. He paid with a health-shattering two months on hunger strike. Shackled, starving, and surrounded by Israeli soldiers, he defeated them all. The Palestinian people are often shackled, often starving, and always surrounded by Israeli soldiers.Yet they just...
Israel will not strike Iran in the near future
February 22nd, 20120 Israel will not strike Iran without securing Washington’s approval. The Obama administration expects the sanctions on the Islamic Republic to work. As the U.S. economy starts to improve and the troops return home the last thing Americans want is a new war.The mood in Israel is different from that of the U.S. Iran’s suspect......
BDS: Power of the people at work
The issue is not about hummus, chocolate bars or Dead Sea vacations. It is about civil society taking full responsibility for its own action (or lack of). The issue is not exactly about Israeli products either, but rather about how even a seemingly innocent decision like buying Israeli dates may enable the continued subjugation of the...Landmark home loan settlement presents new opportunities for struggling homeowners
DETROIT — For those who will never be able to repay their existing home loan, today’s loan modification programs are nothing short of a golden opportunity. While the concept of modifying a loan is legally legitimate in its purpose, the inability of homeowners to seek the correct assistance has left millions “underwater.” Prior to...Israel vying for war: Attacking Iran will not repeat history
On April 10, 2002, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons, “Saddam Hussein's regime is…developing weapons of mass destruction, and we cannot leave him doing so unchecked.” A year later, Blair, enthusiastically joined a U.S.-led coalition that launched an illegal war against Iraq. Their hunt for...White House gets it wrong on Palestine…again
A report in Ha’aretz last week confirmed that former diplomat Dennis Ross has continued to serve the Obama Administration, despite his resignation last November. This news is troubling for a number of reasons. Ross has been involved in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations for well over a decade, advising the past three......
Syria is used to the slings and arrows of friends and enemies
February 2nd, 20120 Bashar al-Assad is clinging to power despite the slow growth of a civil war. But if the regime should survive, what sort of country will it rule?The violence grows worse. The Arab League throws up its hands in despair. Madame Clinton may huff and puff at the United Nations. But the Syrian regime and the stalwarts of the old Baath party...Egypt one year on: Stark message for Arab revolutionaries
Egypt's military council, backed by Islamist and secular political parties, has upstaged the 25 January celebrations of the anniversary of the protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak even before the party gets underway. The military pre-empted plans by the revolutionary youth and militant soccer fan groups whose mass protests......
Who wants war with Iran?
January 26th, 20120 On Sept. 21, 1976, as his car rounded Sheridan Circle on Embassy Row, former Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier was assassinated by a car bomb. Ronni Moffitt, a 25-year-old American woman who worked with Letelier at the leftist Institute for Policy Studies, died with him. What we do know is that "Bibi" Netanyahu is desperate to have the...
“We the people,” not “We the corporation.”
January 26th, 20120 The editor of The Hill, a newspaper exclusively covering Congress, said that Congress was not going to do very much in 2012, except for "the big bill" which is extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment compensation, which expire in late February. That two month extension will likely reignite the fight between Democrats and......