Building momentum across Hamtramck Public Schools
October 6th, 20210 As superintendent, it is my honor to personally greet our children as they return to school each fall. This year is just as exciting to me—if not more so—as we are once more welcoming students back in person. Teachers, administrators and students alike have been eager to start school together again, and it’s a joy to experience...
The untold story of why Palestinians are divided
October 3rd, 20210 The political division in Palestinian society is deep-rooted and must not be reduced to convenient claims about the “Hamas-Fatah split”, elections, the Oslo accords and subsequent disagreements. The division is linked to events that preceded all of these, and not even the death or incapacitation of the octogenarian Mahmoud Abbas will...
From the “iron wall” to the “villa in the jungle”: Palestinians demolish Israel’s security myths
September 19th, 20210 Twenty-five years before Israel was established on the ruins of historic Palestine, a Russian Jewish Zionist leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, argued that a Jewish state in Palestine could only survive if it exists “behind an iron wall” of defense. Jabotinsky was speaking figuratively. However, future Zionist leaders, who embraced...
Hashtag “untie_our_hands”: How many more Palestinians must die for Israel’s “security”?
September 12th, 20210 A large Israeli army campaign is taking social media by storm. The unstated aim of what is known as the “#Untie_Our_Hands” initiative is the desire to kill, with no accountability, more Palestinian protesters at the Gaza fence. The campaign was motivated by the killing of an Israeli sniper, Barel Hadaria Shmueli, who was reportedly...
Muslim Americans 20 years later
September 10th, 20210 — This article by Abdul El-Sayed originally appeared in the newsletter The Incision. It has been edited for style. Subscribe to The Incision here: incision.substack.com Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on that fateful day. We...
On propaganda and failed narratives: New understanding of Afghanistan is a must
September 6th, 20210 For 20 years, two dominant narratives have shaped our view of the illegal U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and neither one of these narratives would readily accept the use of such terms as “illegal”, “invasion” and “occupation.” The framing of the U.S. “military intervention” in Afghanistan, starting on...
Ending U.S. support for Israeli racism
September 4th, 20210 Israel and its Zionist supporters do not hesitate to peddle propaganda claiming that it is “the Middle East’s sole democracy.” According to them, Israel is a unique sanctuary of democracy, freedom and pluralism that protects its citizens’ rights. But this is an outright lie. Democracy in Israel only applies to Jewish Israelis,...
“Blood for blood”: On Jenin and Israel’s fear of an armed Palestinian rebellion
August 27th, 20210 The killing of four young Palestinians by Israeli occupation soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, on Aug. 16, is a consequential event, the repercussions of which are sure to be felt in the coming weeks and months. The four Palestinians — Saleh Mohammed Ammar, 19, Raed Ziad Abu Seif, 21, Nour Jarrar, 19 and...
War-hawking talking heads: Why do we keep hearing from the bums who got us into this mess in the first place?
August 27th, 20210 — This article by Abdul El-Sayed originally appeared in the newsletter The Incision. It has been edited for style. Subscribe to The Incision here: incision.substack.com Back in June, well before any of us knew the sordid 20-year American adventure in Afghanistan would come to a crashing end just a few months later, I was asked to...
HPS superintendent: Prepare your child for back-to-school success
August 24th, 20210 Waving summer goodbye is bittersweet, but the new school year is right around the corner and your schools are eager to welcome students back. You may find your family is already in back-to-school-mode, or maybe your children are trying to make summer last as long as possible. Either way, preparing for the school year can be simple. As...
The quiet rebellion: Why U.S. Jews turning against Israel is good for Palestinians
August 20th, 20210 A unique but critical conversation on Israel and Palestine is taking place outside the traditional discourse of Israeli colonialism and the Palestinian quest for liberation. It is an awkward and difficult — but overdue — discussion concerning American Jews’ relation to Israel and their commitment to its Zionist ideology. For...
Afghanistan: Contours of a catastrophe
August 17th, 20210 — This article by Abdul El-Sayed originally appeared in the newsletter The Incision. It has been edited for style. Subscribe to The Incision here: incision.substack.com On Sunday, our wayward 20-year war effort in Afghanistan suffered its final death blow. The Taliban rode the U.S.-manufactured Humvees captured from Afghan...
U.S. foreign policy adrift: Why Washington is no longer calling the shots
August 11th, 20210 Jonah Goldberg and Michael Ledeen have much in common. They are both writers and also cheerleaders for military interventions and, often, for frivolous wars. Writing in the conservative rag, The National Review, months before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Goldberg paraphrased a statement which he attributed to Ledeen with reference...
Detroit voters should vote YES on Proposal P on August 3
August 1st, 20210 - Hayg Oshagan is a professor at Wayne State University, co-chair of the Detroit City Council Immigration Task Force and the director of New Michigan Media On Tuesday, August 3, Detroiters will have the opportunity to vote YES on Proposal P. Prop P is the set of revisions that are being proposed to the Detroit City Charter. The...
“New form” of ice cream “terrorism”: How Ben & Jerry’s has exposed Israel’s anti-BDS strategy
July 29th, 20210 Ben & Jerry’s decision to suspend its operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank is an event that is proving critical to Palestinian efforts, which ultimately aim at holding Israel accountable for its military occupation, apartheid and war crimes. By responding to the Palestinian call for boycotting apartheid Israel, the......
Dearborn voters should vote YES on Proposal A
July 28th, 20210 – Hassan F. Abdallah is a candidate for the Dearborn City Charter Commission, a Corporate and Regulatory Compliance Officer and community activist. On Tuesday, August 3, Dearborn voters will be faced with making several key decisions that will shape the future of the city for many years to come. Voters will be electing a new City...
The little talked about COVID-19 “variants”: Vaccine mismanagement will have dire repercussions
July 28th, 20210 Do you remember the United Nations Millennium Development Goals? If not, you are not alone. These ambitious goals, which included the eradication of “extreme poverty and hunger”, to “combating lethal diseases” and “reducing child mortality worldwide”, proved to be yet another empty gesture which, unsurprisingly,......
Lebanon: The accusations against Major General Abbas Ibrahim are malicious and politically motivated
July 25th, 20210 By Osama Siblani / Publisher One of the most unfortunate aspects of Lebanon’s continuing crisis is the way criminal investigations into major violent acts are handled. This has been the case since Lebanon was founded last century. Most of these investigations either did not occur at all, were done unprofessionally or were derailed by...
Progress or war: On Islamophobia and Europe’s demographic shifts
July 22nd, 20210 Europe’s identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Once more, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent's identity debate. Of course, anti-Muslim sentiments are...
Attainable housing critical to growing economic opportunity
July 20th, 20211 — The following article was contributed by Michele Wildman, senior vice president at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). When it comes to economic development, topics around jobs and private investment often dominate the conversation – and there is no doubt they are a crucial driver of growth and talent...
Family separation Law: Israel’s demographic war on Palestine intensifies
July 15th, 20210 When the Israeli Knesset (parliament) failed to renew what is commonly referred to as the Family Reunification Law, news reports and analyses misrepresented the story altogether. The even split of 59 MKs voting in favor of the law and 59 against it gave the erroneous impression that Israeli lawmakers are equally divided over the right of......
First person: Dearborn’s devastating flood exposes mistrust, deep divides
July 9th, 20210 Bilal Baydoun is a Michigan-based policy advisor and writer. He previously served as a lead policy and communications advisor in the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Ali Abazeed is a public health advisor with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services based in Washington D.C. The authors were born and raised in East...
The people vs. Mahmoud Abbas: Are the Palestinian Authority’s days numbered?
July 8th, 20210 “The Palestinian Authority’s days are numbered.” This assertion has been oft repeated recently, especially after the torture to death on June 24 of a popular Palestinian activist, Nizar Banat, 42, at the hands of PA security goons in Hebron (Al-Khalil). The killing — or “assassination” as some Palestinian rights groups......
Farewell to Donald Rumsfeld, dreary war criminal
July 2nd, 20210 At 2:40 p.m. on September 11, 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued orders to one of his underlings. Among Rumsfeld’s thoughts: Best info fast. Good enough judge whether good enough hit SH @ same time not only UBL And: Near term target needs – – go massive – sweep it all up – Things related &...
On “conflict”, “peace” and “genocide”: Time for new language on Palestine and Israel
June 20th, 20211 On May 25, famous American actor Mark Ruffalo tweeted an apology for suggesting that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza. “I have reflected and wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide,’” Ruffalo wrote, adding, “It’s not accurate, it’s......
