The Arab American News
Author's Posts
Opposition grows against Egypt-Gaza barrier
CAIRO (IPS) — Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip. Officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the Gaza Strip. Egyptian police take up...Haaretz: Hamas leader’s son ‘was Israeli spy’
(BBC) – The son of a jailed Hamas leader who converted to Christianity and moved to California has gone public to say that he spied for Israel. Speaking before the release of a book about his life, Mosab Hassan Yousef made the assertion in an interview for Israel's Haaretz newspaper. Mosab Hassan Yousef A former deputy...James Baker Institute urges greater U.S. presence in peace process
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The United States needs to take on a more aggressive presence in peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, according to a major report published earlier this month by the James Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. James Baker Baker, who served as President George H....
Locals to participate in Iraqi election
February 27th, 20100 Iraqi Americans will have the oppurtunity to vote locally in Iraqi parliamentary elections beginning March 5. The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission has been preparing polling stations throughout the world to allow expatriates to vote. In Iraq, elections are to be held March 7. Iraqis living outside the country can...
Mideast Christians face uncertain future
February 27th, 20100 Christians in the Arab world who played an important role in developing pan-Arab movements in the 1950s and enriched its culture have serious concerns about their future in the Middle East. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have left and many Christian communities were uprooted. The reasons behind the mass exodus differ from one...Christmas day crotch bomber tied to FBI, Israel
The Christmas Day "terrorist" is the latest in a series of staged incidents meant to make the "Clash of Civilizations" appear plausible and "the war on terrorism" rational. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab The storyline does not hold together. Not even a little bit. As usual, the source of this media-fueled fear campaign...
Israeli women soldiers break the silence
February 27th, 20100 What's it like to be a woman serving in the Israeli occupation force in the West Bank? Is a woman's experience as an occupier any different than a man's? Yes indeed, say some women who have just broken their silence and offered a glimpse into the grim reality of the occupation. Female Israeli soldiers make up their face in...
Communities suffering effects of climate change want U.S. to act now
February 27th, 20100 U.S. public concern about climate change has waned. The climate change summit in Copenhagen – largely viewed as a failure – did little to elevate concern over the issue among the public. Climate change is foremost among the concerns of ethnic communities, however. It is our responsibility, as the media that serve them, to call for...The new freedom agenda: Will push meet pull again?
In his June 2009 Cairo speech to the Muslim world, President Obama paid lip service to the need for greater Middle East democracy. But since then he has done very little concretely to back this up in terms of quiet pressure for democratic change on the part of allies like Egypt, Jordan or Morocco. Indeed, the administration's ramping up...Sharing Jerusalem: Key to wider peace
Jerusalem is not just a city in historic Palestine or Biblical Israel. This city arguably holds all the knots of the conflict between Arabs and Israelis. Jerusalem invokes issues of identity, history, demography, borders, refugees, settlements and security. A Palestinian man smokes a cigarette beside Israeli soldiers after...
Ask an Arab!
February 27th, 20100 NPR features comedians Maysoon Zayid and Dean Obeidallah as they open up and answer questions from passers-by about magic carpets and plural marriage.Check out the full story with video here. ...Unfulfilled promises: Guantanamo and torture
Last April we polled across the Arab World asking what Arabs thought was the most positive early action President Obama had taken to improve U.S.-Arab relations. High up on the list (barely topped by the decision to leave Iraq) was the president's pledge to close Guantanamo and ban torture. That this issue would out-poll Obama's early...Dollars for death, pennies for life
When the U.S. military began a major offensive in southern Afghanistan over the weekend, the killing of children and other civilians was predictable. Lofty rhetoric aside, such deaths come with the territory of war and occupation. Haitians line up during food distribution at the Cite Soleil neighborhood in Port-au-Prince...Spring is around the corner, so keep healthy the remainder of winter
In many areas of the country, the snow and wintry conditions will linger into spring. And yes, the risk of contracting colds, especially those "change-of-season" colds, will arise. When cold weather hits, you prepare your house by checking the furnace and making sure your car has the proper fluids. "Winterization" applies to your car,...Don’t let aches and pains slow you down
We all know the feeling that comes with the first great day of spring. When the sun is shining, the air smells sweet and fresh and the temperatures are warm, we all feel the urge to get outside and throw off the confinement of the winter months. Whether you're an avid athlete, a dedicated gardener or someone who's been meaning to get......
Director of Oscar-nominated movie visits UM-Dearborn
Most movie directors are perfectionists by nature, so it's no surprise that Robert Kenner had a few regrets about scenes that didn't make it into his critically-acclaimed documentary "Food, Inc." UM-Dearborn Provost Catherine A. Davy, L, helped bring Robert Kenner, the director of the critically acclaimed movie Food, Inc., to...UM-D Student government approves divestment resolution
The University of Michigan—Dearborn's student government body passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for investigation into ethical implications of University investments in companies that do business in Israel. Yusif Barakat, who was displaced from his Palestinian home as a child after Israel was established in the 1940s,...Dingell to seek re-election
DEARBORN — U.S. Rep. John Dingell announced this week that he will seek re-election. U.S. Rep. John Dingell poses with Arab American leaders in 2009. "Congressman Dingell cited Michigan's economic woes and the need to fight to protect the interests of working families as the key factors in his decision," his campaign...Darany to run for state representative
DEARBORN — City Councilman George Darany announced this week he will run for state representative. Dearborn City Councilman George Darany He will try to replace Rep. Gino Polidori, D-Dearborn, who will have exhausted term limits and will not be on the ballot. Polidori currently represents the 15th District, which includes all......
Judge Hultgren to seek fourth term
DEARBORN — Judge William Hultgren last week announced he will run for a fourth term in 19th District Court. Dearborn Judge William Hultgren Hultgren served as Dearborn city attorney for 17 years before being elected to his first six-year term as judge in 1992. He ran unopposed in 1998 and 2004. Hultgren's campaign said that...Stand up and be counted
With more than $400 billion in federal grants at stake, the importance of local residents filling out the upcoming 2010 census forms is as clear as day. And with just ten questions to fill out on the census forms, which will be sent out on March 15 and take only about ten minutes to complete, standing up and being counted in 2010......
Al Sultan serves mouth-watering dishes
GARDEN CITY – While the restaurant business has changed dramatically in recent years, the success of Al Sultan Restaurant in Garden City since its opening in 1997 is proof that things like attentive customer service, quality food and good value never go out of style. The restaurant, which rests on the first block of Garden City...
Film producers seeking Arab American actors for ‘Detroit Unleaded’
February 21st, 20100 A film production company is seeking Arab American actors for the upcoming full-length film "Detroit Unleaded." Local filmmaker Rola Nashef premiered the original short-film version of Detroit Unleaded in 2007. The film garnered international attention and was screened at 23 festivals, winning three awards for "Best Short Film"......