We need to safeguard the ‘public’ in public office
April 16th, 20170 For the last few years, I've been keeping a file of clippings about the erosion of transparency and candor in government. I'm sorry to report that it's getting rather full. This is not a good thing. Public officials should feel strongly obliged to do their business in an open and upfront manner. When you hold public office, the...
How Israel understands the Arab Peace Initiative
April 8th, 20171 Once more, the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 is taking center stage. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas insisted during his speech before the recently concluded Arab League Summit in Jordan that the initiative is the only solution on the table; asserting that it will not be changed or even tweaked. But why is this...
Who benefits from the horrific chemical attacks in Syria?
April 8th, 20170 The deadliest chemical attack in Syria in years killed dozens of people in the rebel-held northern Idlib province on Tuesday morning, including children, and sickened scores more. The alleged "chemical airstrikes" are said to have taken place in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, about 50km south of the city of Idlib. Predictably, the...
Hubbard’s statue has no place under the Dearborn sun
April 8th, 20172 Former Mayor Orville Hubbard's statue stood in front of the Dearborn City Hall on Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road from 1989-2015. After much community debate, the sale of the building and national events like the Charleston massacre in 2015, the statue was removed and placed into storage. Many said it was for good reason. Hubbard...
The next phase in the war on BDS: Why Israel detained Omar Barghouti
March 31st, 20170 The Israeli state has violated international law more than any other country, yet has rarely, if ever, been held accountable for its crimes and misconduct. Israel's successful public relation campaigns through the ever-willing Western media partners, coupled with the relentless work and pressure carried out by its powerful backers in...
DHS secretary should apologize for shutting out community leaders
March 31st, 20170 In a meeting Wednesday at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials arranged to meet with Arab and Muslim community activists and leaders under the pretext that those communities would be represented and heard. The subtext that unfolded throughout the course of the contentious...
Sanctuary cities and DOJ funding: The hypocrisy of Jeff Sessions
March 31st, 20170 In a surprise White House appearance on March 27, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his intent to make America's cities less safe and more vulnerable to crime unless he gets his way. He didn't say it quite like that, of course. In fact, he asserted the opposite, accusing so-called "sanctuary cities" of "mak our nation less safe...
CAIR-OK releases report showing dramatic increase in Anti-Muslim hate incidents
March 30th, 20170 OKLAHOMA CITY-The Council for American Islamic Relations in Oklahoma released its 2016 Civil Rights report Thursday showing a dramatic increase in complaints regarding vandalism and property damage to Islamic centers. A similar report showed an increase in hate crime-related incidents that involved violence. A few key findings of...
Using Hollywood celebrities to validate Islam
March 24th, 20170 When Terry Holdbrooks Jr., converted to Islam in 2003, he was inundated with death threats and labeled a "race traitor." If a religious conversion ever deserves to be admired, Holdbrooks' conversion does; not because Islam has "won" yet another convert, but because the new convert was assigned the very rule of subjugating his Muslim...
Khalaf should be commended for UN’s Israel apartheid report
March 24th, 20170 The trepidation journalists, officials, and workers of non governmental organizations (NGOs) have to operate under in reporting on Palestine and Palestinians under occupation is not a phenomenon limited to the United States. Worldwide, Israel's hegemonic hold on an international political narrative leaves officials tasked with defending...
Hispanics shouldn’t over-interpret Trump’s election
March 24th, 20170 It's safe to say that Donald Trump doesn't have many fans in the Hispanic community. The real estate mogul rose to power spewing rhetoric that was openly hostile to Latinos. He's promised to deport more undocumented immigrants and build a wall along the nation's southern border. And who can forget his smear of Mexican immigrants as...
U.S. and Israeli codependent relationship not just about money
March 17th, 20170 "We must look back 25 years to realize how far Israel has fallen in world support," wrote famed Jewish scholar and Harvard sociologist Nathan Glazer in 1976. In the last 40 years since Glazer wrote his piece, which was uncovered and transmitted by Philip Weiss, Israel's global support has fallen much further. The country that once...
Muslim Ban 2.0: An equally appalling sequel
March 17th, 20170 Trump's doctrine propels the U.S. into a perpetual war waged against the very fabric of a diverse America. If Donald Trump should learn one thing, it's that sequels to bad movies are usually, if not always, equally as abysmal. The blocking of the president's latest executive order by two federal judges— Derrick K. Watson of Hawaii...
Ambassador David Friedman: A diplomatic oxymoron
March 17th, 20170 American ambassadors are stationed in nearly 200 countries across the globe, each of which has a unique relationship with the United States. Depending on the diplomatic conditions and challenges present, an ambassador's responsibilities and functions can vary widely from country to country. At the most fundamental level, however, all...
Only the Israeli dead matter: Israel’s failure at investigating its bloody wars
March 10th, 20170 At a glance, Israel appears a true democracy. Take a closer look and that facade of democracy will soon dissipate, turning into something else entirely. Tuesday, February 28 was one of those moments. The chain of events was as follows: An official Israeli state comptroller issued another report on the Israeli government's handling......
What happened to the Arab identity?
March 10th, 20170 Being an American doesn't mean that one should surrender his or her identity and culture. Let us be proud Arab Americans. The Arab Spring somewhat rectified Nasser-era nostalgia that pined for a strong pan-Arab identity that complemented, rather than contradicted, the rich diversity of Arab speaking peoples. The strong sense of...
America is not innocent: If we bomb you, we ban you
March 10th, 20170 In a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday, Feb. 5, President Trump defended Russian President Vladimir Putin when host Bill O’Reilly asked him why he respects him so much if he’s a killer. "There are a lot of killers," Trump replied. "Got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country's so innocent?" No, our country......
America’s greatness was on display everywhere— except the White House
March 10th, 20170 On Friday, Jan. 27, President Trump signed an executive order banning entry from seven predominantly Muslim countries— Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen— for 90 days, which seamlessly led to waves of protests and condemnations across the country. Former President Obama, federal workers, politicians, leaders of...
Descendants of slaves, forerunners of justice: American Muslims must stop apologizing
March 6th, 20170 I had recently been asked to give a talk about "being an American Muslim in the United States." Although wary of the uses and abuses of the term, I obliged. Islam is a religion propelled by values, not race. Nor, theoretically, by blind tribal allegiances, I explained. The "American Muslim" identity which has been under constant...
Sterling Heights settlement an opportunity for reconciliation
March 6th, 20170 At the nation's heart is a civil rights struggle that refuses to die. It manifests among varying communities at different times, yet conjures the distinct tones of ignorance and fear that has set the American story apart. While that story regrettably holds true in defining Arab and Muslim American experiences, we can be proud of...
The right to bear arms should not impede others’ right to live in peace
February 27th, 20170 On Sunday, February 19, five armed demonstrators were spotted walking down Schaefer Road towards Warren Ave. in Dearborn's heavily populated Arab and Muslim part of the city, allegedly in support of open carry gun laws. The incident occurred less than three weeks after two armed fanatics, from communities nowhere near Dearborn, walked......
Trump’s actions have roots in American political discourse
February 11th, 20170 Donald Trump’s executive orders were no doubt an overt assault on the character and integrity of not only the Arab and Muslim community, but also of the rich framework of immigrants of diverse backgrounds and nationalities that construct the backbone of this nation. His measures against Arabs and Muslims, however, did not occur in...
Courts schooled Trump about America’s greatness
February 11th, 20170 It has been a mere three weeks since real estate mogul Donald Trump took the oath of office as the U.S. president, and the country has already suffered the detrimental effects of poorly-implemented policy. On Friday, Jan. 27, our president exposed seemingly shrouded, but wide-spread insensible and xenophobic sentiments among the powerful......
Trump disregards boundaries, bullies neighbors during first week
January 29th, 20170 President Trump's inauguration— connoting hostility, invoking fear and uncompromising in its rhetoric— paled in comparison to President Obama's in size, strength and substance. Yet, it paved the way for Trump to carry out more austere executive actions in six days than Obama had in passing reasonable and —at times – relatively...
Can the media hold politicians accountable?
January 21st, 20170 If you watched Donald Trump’s recent press conference, you may have overlooked a telling and worrisome moment. A CNN reporter tried to ask the president-elect about the extent of his ties to Russian officials. “No! Not you. No! Your organization is terrible,” responded Mr. Trump, and moved on to the next question. The fact......
