The United Nations is a useless, toothless organization
I used to think the U.N., both in principle and in practice, was the closest thing we'd have to a world government, coming together to tackle the challenges faced by all humanity. Now I feel that the U.N. is an utterly useless organization when it comes to protecting human rights and enforcing security. U.S. President Barack...
Justifying censorship at Edsel Ford High
March 7th, 20090 When Deanna Suleiman, copy editor of Edsel Ford High's school newspaper, The Bolt, used her free speech right to express dissatisfaction with American and Israeli policies toward the Palestinians, she had no idea what trouble she was about to cause. Deanna and her colleagues at The Bolt had excitedly prepared and posted the...In response to censorship at Edsel Ford
To the editor: I am writing in response to your paper picking up the story regarding Edsel Ford High School and their pulling of Deanna Suleiman's OP-ED piece regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict from the school's website. Regardless of whether or not people liked the content of the article — the paper, the school, and the author...FBI losing partnership with Arab, Muslim communities
The revelation this week that the FBI used paid informants and agents provocateur in U.S. mosques who have participated in law enforcement outreach efforts undermines the decade-long relationship that Arab Americans and American Muslims have built with law enforcement. This news sends a devastating message to community leaders and imams...
Hassan or Grant — no religion excuses domestic violence
February 21st, 20090 Muzzammil Hassan, 44, allegedly beheaded his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37, last week and surrendered to police. Hassan was later charged with the second-degree murder of his wife, whose body was found at the office of Bridges TV, their television station in Orchard Park, near Buffalo, New York. Muzzammil Hassan and his late wife...Why we must boycott Starbucks
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against apartheid Israel is gaining momentum around the world. The boycott of Starbucks is Michigan's modest contribution to the worldwide movement. Here are a few other examples: • South African dock workers refused to unload Israeli ships (Feb. 3rd 2009) • Church of...Please, no more charades
James AbourezkAbe Foxman, head of the "Anti-Defamation League," claims that George Mitchell is too fair to be a broker between Israel and the Palestinians. I guess that Foxman, in denouncing the choice of Mitchell for Middle East negotiator, shows that he is accustomed to such impartial mediators as Dennis Ross, who, when he...
The horror of Gaza witnessed
February 7th, 20090 A Palestinian girl carries her sister in front of a destroyed house in Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, February 4, 2009. Thousands of Palestinians are living in tented camps after Israel's three-week assault on the Gaza Strip, hoping for a swift end to Israel's blockade so they can rebuild their homes. Reuters Over the...State Senator Martha Scott: LOVE IS NOT ABUSE
Senator Scott: Dating violence is at epidemic proportions, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths. I hope you can do your part by becoming a MADE member and help me protect our youth. Join the MADE coalition by signing the petition at www.loveisnotabuse.com/made. The majority of this country sees Valentine's Day as an...
After Gaza genocide, what next?
January 30th, 20090 Palestinian students study at the yard of al-Fadilah Islamic school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip January 26, 2009. The school was destroyed in an Israeli air strike during Israel's 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa The recent tentative ceasefire may have halted Israel's military thrashing of...
Let us have the audacity of hope
January 24th, 20090 If the president's actions mirror his words, change is indeed upon us. President Barack Hussein Obama devoted about half of his inaugural speech this week to domestic issues, half to America's place in the...Not to remain silent
I write simply not to remain silent in the face of U.S. and Israeli aggression against the Palestinian population in general, and the Gaza population in particular. A Palestinian woman sits amongst the ruins of her destroyed house in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip January 20, 2009. Israel planned to complete a troop pullout...Video: UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza
...Children of Gaza, run to the angels
Loay Soboh, a 10-year-old Palestinian boy, waves at Shifa hospital in Gaza before his transfer to Saudi Arabia for treatment January 12, 2009. According to doctors, Soboh lost his eyes in an Israeli air strike. REUTERS/Ismail Zaydah Ironically, it was in Palestine, 20 years ago, that I concluded that there is no God. For how...
Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza, chemical weapons, deaths of women and children all supported by U.S.
January 9th, 20091 Since Israel began its war on Gaza 14 days ago, more than 800 Palestinians – about half of them women and children – have been killed. Some 3,200 Gazans – about half of them women and children – have been wounded. Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" marks an escalation of Israel's two-year blockade of the Gaza......
The Arab American News silver anniversary approaches
This issue of The Arab American News brings us to the close of 24 years of publishing. As we have for the past few years, we have combined the final two issues of the year to give our staff a much-needed break and to facilitate the observance of all the year-end holidays of 2008. We very much look forward to the coming year, to...
The shoe heard round the world
December 20th, 20080 Donated shoes labeled with names of Iraqis who died during the war in Iraq are displayed during a protest in front of the White House in Washington December 17, 2008. REUTERS/Molly Riley It's not surprising that since the George W. Bush shoe-dodging incident the U.S. media has been recalling the infamous "shoeing" of the......
Defeat for U.S. in Iraq?
Residents gather at the site of bomb attacks in Baghdad's Nahdha neighborhood December 17, 2008. Twin blasts killed 18 people and wounded 53 in central Baghdad on Wednesday as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an unannounced visit to Iraq, police said. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani On November 27, the Iraqi parliament voted by...End, don’t mend, the Transportation Security Administration
NEW YORK — Sometime in 2010, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will stop swiping airline passengers' bottled water and cups of coffee at security checkpoints. Instead, the agency will once again permit us to carry liquids and gels aboard planes. It's not that the TSA has finally realized mouthwash and moisturizer...
Situation in Gaza desperate, contact your elected officials
December 13th, 20080 A Palestinian boy waves a Palestinian flag as a boat carrying international activists arrives at Gaza's seaport December 9, 2008. A boat carrying international activists docked in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after sailing from Cyprus. REUTERS/Ismail Zaydah Washington — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)...Will Palestinians hit Hillary’s glass ceiling?
It is difficult to recall a U.S. secretary of state who embodied the ideals of the position: the promotion of dialogue and privileging of diplomacy. Unfortunately, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's nominee, Hillary Clinton, is not likely to restore these ideals to the office. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) announces......
My Palestinian wife
December 5th, 20080 Every now and then, the rumor arises that I have a Palestinian wife. Some of my kin were highly amused by a debate on that subject that was being conducted by letters to the editor in their local paper recently. Apparently, it does not occur to anyone simply to ask me. As a matter of fact, I don't have a wife. I'm a widower, and the...End counterproductive racial profiling
Racial or ethnic profiling is nothing new. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Arabs and Muslims in America are often the targets of ethnic profiling, despite the argument that racial and ethnic profiling runs contrary to American values. Counterterrorism strategists argue that targeting particular ethnicities or......
Berry responds: “I simply exercised my right”
November 29th, 20080 Prior to the November 2008 general election, 31 members of the local American Arab community and I created a document in support of our choice for 19th District judge, Candyce Abbatt. In that document, we stated, without naming names, that the political organization, of which the publisher of this newspaper also serves as president, does...James Zogby and the politics of perception
James Zogby isn't just an Arab American with an opinion. He is the president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a well known writer, and an esteemed leader within the Arab American community. Many non-Arab Americans highly regard his analysis and look to his articles as a resource to understand the Middle East. U.S. Rep. Rahm......
