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...Economy alone fails to explain Turkey’s success
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) shakes hands with his ruling AK Party parliamentarians during a swearing-in ceremony in the Turkish Parliament in Ankara June 28, 2011. Erdogan faced a turbulent start of his third term as the main opposition party and Kurds said they will boycott parliament's swearing-in on Tuesday to protest...A framework for lasting immigration reform
This week Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Harry Reid (D-NV), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and John Kerry (D-MA) introduced the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011," a bill that seeks to fix a system that has been broken for...Top ten things Anthony Weiner has said that are worse than sexting
The real scandal surrounding Anthony Weiner is that he is bigoted against Palestinians and has misused his position in Congress to support punitive policies against them. Americans appear to be bored by policy, titillated by private peccadilloes. But it is the policies that are important. Mahatma...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......
