DEARBORN — Arab Americans watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Tuesday with as much pride and awe as the rest of the country, but seemingly with a little extra anticipation and apprehension.

Palestinian rights activist Hasan Newash applauds as a group watches President Barack Obama take the oath of office in Dearborn on Tuesday. Businessman Ali Fawaz stands in the background.

With intense hopes that Obama will undo much of the foreign and domestic policies that the previous administration implemented, Arab Americans in the Detroit area and in Washington D.C. witnessed history with lingering images of the 23-day war in Gaza on their minds.
In Dearborn, a group of business and activism leaders gathered at the Lebanese American Heritage Club during the inauguration to reflect and speak to local media.

In a traditional, symbolic gesture, as they watched George W. Bush leave the ceremony, the group together lifted two clay vases and smashed them into the ground, cheering as they shattered.

Local businessman Ali Jawad said the act expresses good riddance to bad luck.

Arab American community activists prepare to smash clay vases onto the floor at the Lebanese American Heritage Club in Dearborn on Tuesday, in a gesture of ‘good riddance’ to bad luck, as they watched George W. Bush officially leave office at the end of Barack Obama’s inaugural ceremony. PHOTOS: Carlos Osorio/AP

“With everything going on in this county, we wanted to kick the bad luck away and bring good luck,” said Jawad, a Republican.
“We wish [Obama] the best of luck from the international to the domestic. We’re all hurting.”

Imad Hamad, Regional Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, had harsher words.

“It was paying good riddance to a nightmare and welcoming a new beginning,” he said.

The Iraq war, the passage of the Patriot Act, a lack of effort in addressing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the decline of the economy and other perceived failures of the Bush administration left a majority of Arab Americans exasperated and angry over the past eight years.

Don Unis, a 70-year-old Dearborn activist, former fire captain and patriarchal figure in the local Arab American community, said hearing the president’s uncommon name in the presidential oath made him feel “wonderful.”

“Coming from an experience of struggle that all Arab Americans have had,” Unis said, “to see an African American elected to the presidency — it’s a down payment on the fulfillment of the promise of America. A promise that, for many years, I wasn’t sure if it was true or not.”

The Arab American Institute held an inaugural celebration Monday in Washington D.C. at the Fairmont hotel, where high-profile Arab American political and entertainment figures expressed their excitement.

Queen Noor of Jordan told the gathering that Obama represents “a new hope and possibility of renewal and activism, and hard, hard work together.”

She said she believes Obama will work genuinely toward long-term solutions to problems both in the U.S. and in the Middle East.

Osama Siblani, president of the Arab American Political Action Committee and publisher of The Arab American News, said Obama’s direct appeal to the Muslim world during his speech Tuesday was encouraging.

“Obama’s speech was very good and I was very relieved,” he said. “This is an end of the Bush Doctrine, a new direction for America. We supported George Bush eight years ago, hoping that he’d make change. Obama did not use the same rhetoric as George W. Bush. Obama is reaching out to the world, to spread freedom, justice, equality.”

Unis also praised the speech, in which Obama said “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”

“I thought that was wonderful,” said Unis. “He said ‘we are friends to all countries.’ He said ‘we extend our hand to you.’ …Just a little respect, that’s all we ever ask for.”

Unis said Tuesday he was excited that Obama might close Guantanamo Bay Prison and name Arab American former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as his special envoy to the Middle East. Both measures became official on Thursday as Obama signed orders to close Guantanamo within a year, and announced the special envoy appointment of Mitchell, who was a peace broker on Northern Ireland for former President Bill Clinton.

“We’ll find out soon enough if [Obama] is the man that we all hope he is,” said Unis, who still can’t bring himself to be totally optimistic about the new administration.

“We’ve been so disappointed so many times that you arrive at a point where you don’t believe that anything is going to change.

“My gut tells me that things aren’t going to change, but God, I hope I’m wrong.”