Thanks to all who made parade possible
To the editor: On behalf of the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council, thank you to all the generous sponsors, supporters, participants, volunteers, and spectators for their part in creating the 87th Annual Dearborn Memorial Day Parade. Everyone who saw it was moved. It was especially...The right of others to disagree
Among the things I remember from my mother, may she rest in peace, is a meaningful story attributed to the Prophet Abraham. The story goes as follows: Abraham never liked to eat except with guests, to the extent that he would frequent popular places with the hopes of finding a fellow patron with whom...Unrecognized challenges to Arab Spring: Tolerance and gender equality
The Middle East spring will take time to blossom and widen its scope. Nation-building reformers must pay increased attention to two important barriers to democracy: Overextended clerical power and tolerance for gender inequality. Initially, public protest achieved rapid results by ousting the head...
We want dessert: Save Esper Library!
June 11th, 20110 Tears rolled down her cheeks as I read the local newspaper, "And Esper library is scheduled to permanently close by 2013." Zalzala's daugher stands with poster supporting Esper Library."Why, Mama?" my 8 year old sniffled. She snatched the local paper from my hands to reread the Dearborn city...
Darkness descends on the Muslims of Murfreesboro
June 4th, 20110 So, it turns out Islam is a religion. Imagine that. Granted, this would be considered self-evident by most of us, but it has been a matter of great controversy in the Tennessee town of Murfreesboro, where 17 people went to court last year to prevent a group of Muslims from building a mosque. On...Arab nations: New governments, same story
The first wave of Arab revolutions is entering its second phase. Along with dismantling the structures of political despotism, they have embarked on the arduous journey toward genuine change and democratization. On the opposite side, the U.S. is seeking to recover from the initial state of disarray...
A third way on Syria is still possible
June 4th, 20110 Beirut — In yet another incredibly dangerous turn in the Middle East, "liberal interventionists" are once again joining forces with "hawkish" neoconservative voices to advocate for the collapse of the Syrian regime — sooner rather than later. Supporters of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad...Congress to Palestinians: Drop dead
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets members of Congress after addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on May 24, 2011.If anyone had any doubt about whether the Palestinians would declare a state in September, they can't have them now. On...The sacred and the secular — promoting Muslim democracy
CHICAGO (IPS) — The presence of religion in public space challenges our ideas about the roles of faith in our lives and politics. Over the last centuries, proponents of secularisation have claimed that as societies modernise, the role of religion in public and private life diminishes. For them,...
Can Obama walk the walk?
May 20th, 20110 President Obama's historic speech this week at the State Department on the political changes sweeping through the Middle East and North Africa made it very clear that facilitating the Arab World's transition to freedom and democracy is a priority concern for the United States. Saying so, and simultaneously releasing...Watch what Obama does, not what he says
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following response to President Obama's speech at the State Department regarding the so-called Arab Spring: "We all want to be supportive of our President as he attempts to broaden America's positive role in the Middle East and North Africa. But...Dearborn demands pools, and a blue sky
Have you ever had an argument with someone over the color of the sky? It's green, they claim. With no tornado in sight on a beautiful summer day, you know the sky is actually blue. Of course, in MI our sky is usually more grey than blue, but that's not the point! You...
Bin Laden’s death should unite all Americans
May 13th, 20110 The recent death of Osama bin Laden brought celebrations to the streets at Ground Zero in New York, the White House and, closer to home, Dearborn. Barbara L. McQuadThe 9-11 attacks that bin Laden masterminded killed thousands of Americans and changed so much about our way of life. Ten years...
Ethnic cleansing of Palestinians or democratic Israel at work?
May 13th, 20110 It happened on the day after Independence Day, when Israel was immersed in praise of itself and its democracy almost ad nauseam, and on the eve of (virtually outlawed ) Nakba Day, when the Palestinian people mark the "catastrophe" — the anniversary of the creation of Israel. My colleague Akiva Eldar published what we have always known...ADC stands with the ‘Irvine 11’
Members of the 'Irvine 11' stand at a recent hearing. Each student faces up to six months in jail for protesting the speech of Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren peacefully.Washington, D.C. — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) expresses support for the eleven students from the University of California (UC) Irvine and......
DREAM Act should become law in 2011
May 13th, 20110 This week, Senators Richard Durbin, Harry Reid, and Robert Menendez re-introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Last fall, the DREAM Act passed the House of Representatives, and garnered the support of a majority in the Senate, but was ultimately defeated when...Bin Laden death brings relief for all, lessons for American policy makers
The death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan was a historic event for America, for American Muslims and for the world. American Muslims were the first community to thank President Obama for fulfilling his promise, bringing the leader of al-Qaeda to justice. In addition to the pain and......
Obama is right to not release bin Laden photos
President Obama made a wise decision in choosing not to make public photos of bin Laden's body. His reasons are pragmatic and compelling. DNA tests and other evidence showed conclusively that the dead man was Osama bin Laden. Releasing the gruesome photos wouldn't satisfy the professional Obama...As a Holocaust survivor, AIPAC does not speak for me
At the end of one of my first journeys to the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2004, I endured a shocking experience at Ben-Gurion Airport. I never imagined that Israeli security forces would abuse a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor, but they held me for five hours, and strip-searched and cavity-searched...Palestinian unity and the new Middle East
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to the Hamas-Fatah deal in Cairo was both swift and predictable. "The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both," he said, in a televised speech shortly after the...
Dearborn rejects extremism, nation should follow lead
April 22nd, 20110 History was truly made here in Metropolitan Detroit this week. As "Pastor" Terry Jones flew into town from Gainesville, Florida to demonstrate in front of the Islamic Center of America, an unprecedented show of interfaith unity and solidarity closed in around the Muslim community. The various interfaith events held to......
Will a Palestinian autumn follow an ‘Arab spring’?
With much of the Arab world experiencing uprisings in recent months, there has been one resounding question among Palestinians: why not us? It is a sad irony that the Palestinians, under Israeli occupation for nearly 44 years, watch from the sidelines as other Arabs shake off their repressive shackles by pouring into the streets...
Looming storm threatens ‘Arab Spring’
April 18th, 20110 A very dangerous situation is developing in the Arab World. It behooves everyone who is truly concerned with the future of the Middle East to look past the 'Arab Spring' or the 'Arab revolution' and understand the mighty storm gathering in the region. Fears of the regional Persian giant Iran are guiding U.S. foreign policy much......
An open letter to Terry Jones
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Dear Pastor Terry Jones, This letter might come too late, but I still need to say...
Goldstone: An act of negligence
April 8th, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } In the wake of a monumental victory in the human rights community to move the Goldstone Report out of the......
