Obama’s call for peace is insincere
On Tuesday, July 8, President Obama published an op-ed in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, with the misleading headline: "Peace is the only path to true security for Israel and the Palestinians."Obama urged all sides to act "with reasonableness and restraint, not vengeance and retribution."As I've said time and again, neither I nor...Letter to the editor: Complacency or solidarity: Where do we stand?
The Presbyterian Church of the USA convened its General Assembly in Detroit last month and made history. The Church voted to divest more than $20 million from three U.S. corporations that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The divestment recommendations came from the Church’s own official committee responsible for...Israelis excel at vengeance, not Palestinians
Shock and anger have engulfed Israeli and Palestinian societies since they learned last week of the barbarous murder of children from their communities. Hours after three Israeli teenagers’ bodies were located, long after their abduction, a Palestinian youth, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was kidnapped, beaten and burned to death, apparently as...Our phones should be protected from Customs and Border Protection agents, too
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week that police officers cannot search the cell phones of suspects they arrest, without a warrant.Prior to the ruling, the police could search everything carried by the arrested suspect. But as Chief Justice John Roberts noted, "modern cell phones, as a category,...Why Bush and Blair should be prosecuted for war crimes
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently stated that air strikes and drones should be used once again on Iraq to stem recent gains by extremists in that country. Blair is oblivious of the responsibility he shares with former U.S. president George W. Bush on account of one of the most serious breaches of international law...
Stalling immigration reform is politically motivated racism
June 26th, 20140 Comprehensive immigration reform benefits the economy, strengthens our bond as a nation and — most importantly— eases the suffering of millions who live on U.S. soil and aspire to be Americans.A bipartisan immigration reform bill that would give the country's more than 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship passed...Kerry’s Cairo remarks further downgrade human rights in U.S. policy
On Sunday, June 22, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke in Cairo following his meetings with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry and Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.Although bilateral ties had been strained by the military removal of the former elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and by the widespread violations of...Hillary’s haughty hyperbole!
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets people as she signs copies of her book "Hard Choices" at a Costco store in Arlington, Virginia June 14. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review section featured a one page interview with Hillary Clinton, author of the just released Hard Choices,...Dealing with the onslaught of radical Islam in Iraq
It is not easy to find an immediate solution to the onslaught of radical Islam. A regional approach must be found; Washington can help, but not much. As long as Saudi Arabia and Iran are working as adversaries it will be hard to resolve the crises in the extremely vulnerable Arab states.The relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will...
Iraq’s crisis and Bush’s ‘accomplished mission’
June 19th, 20140 Eleven years ago, then-president George W. Bush stood atop the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to announce the end of major combat operations in Iraq. A banner behind him infamously proclaimed "Mission Accomplished." The United States had invaded Iraq against the advice of all voices of reason around the world.America has lost...“Those people” and subtle racism
Living in Dearborn, the capital of Arab America, one hardly experiences racism on a daily basis. But after eight years in the city, it finally happened. I heard a racist statement directed against me.At 6:30 a.m. last Thursday, I drove my car to a nearby abandoned gas station and parked it there. I don't have access to a driveway, so on...
Crain’s “American Dreamers” highlights Arab immigrants’ contributions to our region
June 13th, 20140 Here’s something that immediately stood out to us in the “American Dreamers” list complied by Crain's Detroit Business: About one third of the successful immigrants on it are Arab Americans. The list features 38 immigrants, 11 of whom are Arabs. We take great pride in our community's visible presence. This is noteworthy...
We strongly urge the community to participate in ‘Flag Day’
June 11th, 20140 “Flag Day” has traditionally been a time to commemorate the adoption of the “Stars and Stripes” as the U.S. banner. Towns across the nation will raise the American flag on government buildings, residential properties and businesses. We feel that our community should partake in these traditions as well, but not because a...Anti-Muslim protesters’ visit to Dearborn an opportunity to show the positives
The Qur'an-burning "pastor" is coming back to Dearborn on June 14. He will be here to display the same old hatred, racism and xenophobia he has passionately upheld since he rose to infamy for burning the Qur'an in 2010.This time, the Florida-based pastor is bringing a gang of motorcyclists with him. They plan on protesting against...Saving ADC Michigan from Collapse in 2013?
I read with dismay in The Arab American News' issue number 1476 a question your reporter Ali Harb posed in an interview with ADC Michigan Director Fatina Abdrabboh, to which she answered with even more disturbing and misleading content. "How did you deal with ADC-Michigan staff who are close to your predecessor?" Harb asked......
Stop the mass school killings
I sold Grit newspapers when I was 9- years-old. It was always a great day when I had sold my last Grit for the week. The profit was five cents per paper. Some weeks I made as much as two dollars! I lived in a very rural area, so bicycling up and down the road and knocking on doors took time and was a workout. However, it was...The pope’s visit to the two walls
The trip by Pope Francis to the Holy Land, billed in advance as solely religious, made some eye-catching intrusions into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Comments minimizing the significance of this aspect of the trip were quick to follow.Palestinian legislation Hanan Ashrawi seemed to go out of her way to pooh-pooh the coming prayer......
Naturalization – Do it for your family
It’s hard to imagine that we as individuals can do anything about the broken immigration system that is tearing many of our families apart. But we can.There is one step that, if taken together, could have the power to protect our families and move our communities forward. More than eight million immigrants in the United...The Arab American News exhibit at the Newseum in Washington an achievement for the entire community
Since its inception, The Arab American News has been telling the stories of the community. Now, the Newseum, a museum for media outlets in Washington D.C., is telling our story. For three decades, we have been trying to provide Arab Americans with their own platform to voice their opinions and raise their concerns. The...Law corner: GM censored its employees to hide deadly ignition switch defect
Last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) fined General Motors (GM) a record $35 million for GM’s handling of an ignition switch defect affecting more than 2.5 million of its vehicles. This amount is the largest-ever fine against an automaker imposed by the DOT. It is also the maximum fine allowed by law....A nation disintegrates: Libya on the brink of civil war
A view of damage caused by Sunday's clashes in Tripoli. Heavily armed gunmen stormed Libya's parliament, demanding its suspension and claiming loyalty to a renegade army general who has vowed to purge the country of Islamist militants. Smoke rose over parliament after gunmen attacked and then withdrew, and gunfire erupted across......
State environmental chief’s reckless decision puts the health of residents at greater risk
Residents in Dearborn’s South End and neighboring communities, including southwest Detroit, will suffer the consequences of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Air Quality Division (AQD) Chief Vinson Hellwig’s recent reckless decision to approve a revised emissions permit that allows one of the state’s largest...Climate change and corporate welfare
It’s been a pretty bad couple of weeks on the climate front. Two separate teams of climate scientists warn that the collapse of the western Antarctic ice sheet has already begun and is now too late to stop. The six glaciers already in retreat are enough, by themselves, to add four feet to global sea levels. Although total collapse......
Dearborn needs more Arab police officers
May 16th, 20140 Over the past weeks, questionable conduct by Dearborn police officers has shed light on the dire need for hiring more Arab Americans into the police department, so that it reflects the population of the city. In March, the police executed a search warrant at the wrong house, where they entered the home of an Arab family at 2 a.m.,...Michigan’s economy showing signs of improvement
Michigan’s economy is beginning to show signs of strength. Although our unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the nation, it is inching downward. These are good signs, but we must be aware of potential shortfalls if we want our state to keep moving forward.One roadblock to Michigan’s recovery is our single-industry,......