In the interest of justice
The phrase, “justice delayed is justice denied,” is well known and has been repeated many times by judges and others in the legal profession. This phrase carries significance with regards to the events that have taken place, surrounding Wayne County and the current investigation by the federal government.For the record, anyone...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...
ADC turned its back on the community and its mission
October 11th, 20130 According to its own mission statement, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) "is a civil rights organization, committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage."However, the current leadership of the organization has turned its back on many Arab American women, who...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...
Celebrating our twenty-ninth anniversary, quietly
September 13th, 20130 It is our 29th anniversary. Although the occasion is worth celebrating, talk of war has overshadowed anything else. September 7, 1984, marks the birth-date of The Arab American News. On this day, the first word was written in the first story that would go into the first edition of a publication that would make history in this...Obama has no authority to attack Syria
Despite his own recent statements to the contrary, President Barack Obama has no legal authority to assault the government of Syria, even as “a warning shot.” Neither the United States Constitution, nor the War Powers Act of 1973 gives him such authority in the absence of an emergency that allows Congress no time to react.Obama...
Not another immoral, illegal war in our name
September 6th, 20130 Without a doubt, the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq will be remembered as shameful and devastating events in our nation’s history. One would have hoped that the worldwide criticism of the U.S. for entering these wars would prevent the same mistakes from happening again. However, that is clearly not the case, as the U.S. government......
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...U.S. air strikes on Syria will not serve U.S. or Arab interests
The media continue to beat war drums for a new war in the Middle East: Washington is about to launch an air and sea strike on Syria. The White House is convinced that the Syrian government is responsible for the use of chemical weapons on the opposition and that it is time for the U.S. to respond militarily. The intervention is intended......
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...Garage ordinance is a safety issue, not an Arab issue
Controversy over the City of Dearborn’s newly proposed garage ordinance is growing, as the measure could be approved at the next City Council meeting Sep. 10. Many Arab Americans plan on attending the meeting and voicing their opposition to the ordinance. The Arab American News, however, would urge these residents not to take that...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......
Helen Thomas stayed true to herself until the end
A few months ago, I was out to lunch with a friend, who asked about my most memorable moment as a reporter. Without thinking, I immediately responded that I was lucky enough to have interviewed, twice, legendary White House Correspondent Helen Thomas, an icon in American journalism. I’ll never forget those two unique...How Congress overlooked NSA spying
Complaints have been heard that members of Congress are not sufficiently informed by the Executive Branch to conduct proper oversight of secret programs, such as those National Security Agency’s collection activities that are the subject of much controversy. The complaints are misplaced.A bigger factor is the chronic attention deficit......
General Dempsey warns on Syrian war, again
General Martin Dempsey is at it again. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is traveling throughout the Middle East, seemingly making it clear that he doesn’t want any part of the war in Syria. In a letter to members of Congress, Dempsey had earlier warned that all of the options open to the United States in the Syrian civil war...The Arab turmoil: Where do we stand?
Seasons come and go, yet Arab countries remain in ongoing turmoil. They called it an ‘Arab Spring,’ but even if that ‘spring’ had ever existed in the shape and form that the media portrayed it to be, it never really lasted. It has now morphed into something far more complex.But it is not an ‘Islamic winter’ either; a......