A Libyan American perspective of the war in Libya
I was born and raised in the United States of America, I had seldom thought about where my father and his family came from until the war broke out in Libya a few months ago. But now, it seems as if my days are centered on the conflict. I find myself watching YouTube videos, reading blogs and having discussions about the war to oust the...
27 years of defining and defending our community
September 3rd, 20110 This week marks the 27th anniversary of The Arab American News. It has been a very long roller coaster ride — the ups when we were able to make the community's mark on policy formation or public discourse, the downs when we couldn't make payroll or pay the printer. The news itself has been difficult to bear, even as we have been able...Obama administration’s immigration announcement not an amnesty program
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would put guidelines in place across all immigration agencies to ensure that its enforcement priorities are focused on removing persons who are most dangerous to the country. In a letter to Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and other senators who had requested that DHS...Holding our hands out for the children
Often we do things because we think they are the right thing to do. However, when thinking is replaced by knowing, that's when our perspectives on life can change forever. I thought I understood why I had been serving the renowned and respected Al-Mabarrat organization for almost 4 years—to help and serve orphans....DOJ should reverse immigration appeals board ruling
When a criminal suspect is placed under arrest, no interrogation can begin until police recite the famous "Miranda" warnings required by the Supreme Court: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have a right to have an attorney present. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be...Wrong time to stop cash assistance
Legislation which closes 12,600 public assistance cases, affecting 25,000 children, is making its way through the Michigan House and Senate. Gilda Jacobs, a former state legislator and the current Director of the Michigan League for Human Services (an independent human services "watch dog" agency in Lansing) reminds us that...Michigan House Bill 4769 discriminatory
Michigan House Bill 4769, "The Restriction of the Application of Foreign Laws," was recently introduced by a number of Republican state representatives, led by State Representative Dave Agema. Even though the word shari'a is omitted, the language of this bill is a replica of other anti-shari'a bills that have been introduced and in...
Michigan’s immigrants key to its past and future
August 21st, 20110 In the last several months, we've put Michigan on a path toward economic recovery after a dismal 10 years, including an eight-year recession dubbed "the winter that never ends." Michigan Governor Rick SnyderBut spring did arrive. We balanced the state budget in late May, the quickest we've finalized a budget in 30 years. We...Commentary crossed line from perspective to stereotype
To The Editor:It is not unusual to find harsh criticism of Israeli government policies published in The Arab American News. But Mazin Qumsiyeh's piece in the August 13th issue crossed the line into blatant stereotyping of Jews and should have been edited or excluded from the paper. Ancient anti-Semitic canards of Jewish...With debts soaring, global uprising begins
Watching the tragic events unfolding around the world, from starvation in Somalia to rioting in London, we Palestinians are not feeling vindicated but merely sad and angry. For a long time many of us said that the increasing chasm between the rich and the poor (the haves and the have nots) has grown to obscene levels. The...Congress: It’s still occupied territory
That twenty per cent of the House of Representatives will be spending its summer recess holiday on tours of Israel at the expense of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) does not seem to have made the mainstream news. The tours, one consisting of 26 Democratic congressmen headed by House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer of...Preserving the Wealth in your home: Medicaid planning
Many seniors in our community mistakenly believe that their home, which they have worked so hard to pay off, will be protected when they pass away, simply because they have placed it in a will. However, Michigan Medicaid laws allow the state to go back after your homestead when you die to reimburse the state for benefits that...We welcome the AAJA
It is with respect and excitement that The Arab American News welcomes the Asian American Journalists Association to Detroit for their annual convention this week. We welcome as well the more than 500 national and international journalists who are coming to experience the convention and to see for themselves what is going on in the heart...DOJ right on Alabama’s anti-immigrant law
On Monday, the Department of Justice filed suit against the state of Alabama to block the implementation of HB 56, which is set to take effect September 1. HB 56 is similar to but far more punitive than Arizona's SB 1070. The law includes provisions that require local school districts to check and report on the immigration status of all...
Ramadan Mubarak to all
August 5th, 20110 Once again it is time to wish our readers a blessed Ramadan. The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, Ramadan is the month during which the Prophet Muhammad received the revelations from Allah which became the Qur'an. Ramadan is a time to fast from dawn to sundown, as well as to refrain from smoking, sexual relations, immoral......
How will Ramadan affect the Arab revolutions?
July 29th, 20110 The Islamic holy month of Ramadan coincides this year with a variety of ongoing uprisings in the Arab world. As a result, Ramadan is likely to be especially eventful and politically significant. The Islamic holiday is highly likely to increase opportunities for popular activism, especially by sectarian and Islamist factions....Obama’s handling of the Arab Spring and Israel leaves much to be desired
These are not the best of times for Americans, especially their leaders, including President Barack Obama, and Congress, considering the bad state of the economy (the federal debt) and foreign policy, particularly towards the Arab world.Many are pointing fingers at Obama, or as one headline pointed out, "The too-quiet president." An......
Boycott the state, not just the settlements
July 23rd, 20110 Recent legislation passed in the Israeli Knesset, which many people call the "Anti-BDS" bill, has raised a number of questions about a rising tide of "fascism" in Israel. This language is not only used by Palestinian critics, who have long borne the brunt of Israel's undemocratic policies. Now, many Israeli and American Jewish writers...Special Tribunal for Lebanon: Another frame-up?
Here we go again. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a United Nations-backed body investigating the killing of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005, has accused four people of his murder. They all belong to Hizbullah, the militant Lebanese Shiite movement that Israel and the United States define as terrorist. But they are probably...
A time to mourn, a time to ask why
July 16th, 20110 Hassan Mustafa Zeidan. Dead this week at 23 years of age. Not of illness, or natural disaster, or accidental injury.He died, instead, from what looks to be an intentionally inflicted gunshot wound from a fellow basketball player, ostensibly over an argument of some sort. What courtside disagreement could have been so important that...How the PA sold out Palestinian unity
If you happen to be a Palestinian government employee, chances are you will receive only half your usual salary this month. The other half will only be available when international donors find it in their hearts to make up for the huge shortage of funds currently facing the Palestinian Authority (PA). President Obama meets with President......
STL hoping for civil strife in Lebanon
Last Saturday, Hizbullah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, spoke about the indictment of four party members in the assassination six years ago of Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister. I think merit and credibility should be given to Nasrallah's argument that the court is a sham and is highly politicized. Hizbullah has presented...Yemen continues to inspire against great odds
The Yemeni people are unrelenting in their demands for democracy. Millions continue to stage rallies across their country in a display of will that is proving the most robust out of all the Arab revolutions. The Yemenis face great challenges, however, including the political vacillation of their country's opposition, and the U.S.'s......
New peace flotilla to Gaza: A voyage of audacious hope
ATHENS, Greece — Later this week, I will be on board a ship named The Audacity of Hope, bound for Gaza along with 50 other Americans. Part of an international flotilla of about 10 vessels from a variety of countries, my fellow passengers and I will be unarmed. Our only cargo is thousands of letters to the people of Gaza from...Threats to Arab spring are both domestic and international
In the Arab Spring there is a steady turbulence: dynastic regimes, patriarchal order, fanatic movements and self-serving foreign intervention. Over the last century, the entire nation-building process has been dysfunctional. Rulers legitimize people, not the reverse; religion trumps human rights; reactionary political movements......