The Arab American News
Author's Posts
The Islamophobic movement – what it is and what needs to be done about it
As we bid farewell to 2007, it's important to look back on three separate events that, taken together are significant, but went largely unreported. A video surfaced on the Internet, showing two masked Russian neo-Nazis with two hostages, one from Tajikistan and the other from Dagestan. With a swastika flag waving in the background,...How children learn religion can make or break their lives, their societies
Is it possible to critique systems of religious education without shocking sensibilities or touching sacred cultural symbols? The way children learn about their religion can lay the foundation of their abilities in critical thinking. When children are made to think that their religion is the only perfect faith, their biased...A bankrupt Mideast policy
The presidency of the United States of America is a position of immense power, even when the office is tarnished and debased, as it has been by its present occupant. George W. Bush’s recent Middle East tour was a unique opportunity — very probably his last — to restore his country's prestige and his own reputation by making a decisive...Kazemi case reopened
The Iranian Supreme Court has now ordered a reopening of the case of Zahra Kazemi. In July, 2003, Kazemi, a photojournalist with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship, was arrested in Teheran while taking pictures of a student demonstration outside Evin Prison. She was put in that very same prison herself, and she died as a...Abu Dhabi funds translations
The push is on to translate important Western and other non-Arab works into Arabic. Egyptian Karim Nagy initiated a non-profit agency, Kalima, to undertake this work, and the Abu Dhabi government's Authority for Culture and Heritage is supplying the bulk of the funding. Publishers are on board, with Beirut being a prime...Canadians wary of U.S.
A poll of 1000 Canadians carried out by the firm Strategic Counsel from December 6 to 9 found that Canadians prefer a somewhat arms-length relationship with the United States. When asked what they saw as the major factor influencing Canadian foreign policy, the largest percentage, 25%, said that it is the relationship with the...ADC to distribute scholarship awards
DEARBORN — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Michiganchapter has announced its scholarship award winners and other honorees to be recognized at its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Awards Dinner. Winners were chosen from among Arab and Chaldean high school students from throughout the region who submitted...Canada shifts toward Israel
During his current visit to the Middle East, Canada's Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier was asked about Israel's expansion of construction at Har Homa, in the West Bank near Jerusalem. While he said that expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is "contrary to the peace process," he pointedly refused to comment on Har...Marygrove College honors MLK, Jr. with week-long celebration
DETROIT — From January 16-22, Marygrove College will honor the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The theme for the 2008 Martin Luther King Week Celebration is: one community, one society, one humanity. All activities planned for the week are intended to communicate his messages of unity to the campus and the...Macomb County to observe MLK Day with annual dinner
STERLING HEIGHTS — The 21st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration of Macomb County will take place on Monday evening, January 21, 2008 at the Best Western (Sterling Inn) in Sterling Heights (34911 Van Dyke). The theme for the 2008 MLK Celebration is "Where Do We Go from Here?"—a question first asked by Dr. King in his...Muslim Canadian MP accused of illegal spending
Canadian MP Wajid Khan finds himself without a party. As a Liberal, he raised eyebrows when he took an assignment from Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to report back on visits to the Middle East. He then crossed the floor to join the Conservatives, and his report on the Middle East, which he and Harper had promised...Danish cartoons on trial
Ezra Levant, former publisher of Canada's Western Standard, was defiant before going into a meeting with an officer of the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission. To mark the occasion, he reproduced the notorious Danish cartoons on his personal website. It was for printing these when they originally appeared in...Sharia investments paying off
This year, conventional banks and other financial institutions are bad news for investors because of the sub-prime debacle. By contrast, sharia-compliant instruments have been soaring. Funds operated by Amana, Azzad Asset Management, and Dow Jones Islamic Fund have all done very well indeed. Amana Income Fund, for...UAE cleanup
Remember the days before the push to recycle? Everything went to the dump. Well, when Canadian Samer Kamal went to visit his mother in Sarjah, one of the United Arab Emirates, he felt he was back in time to those days. He was struck by the amount of waste just going to. . . well, waste. Kamal heads up Tactical...School Board selects officers for 2008
DEARBORN — The Dearborn Board of Education began the new year with a brief organizational meeting prior to the start of their January 14 regular Board meeting. The Board selected new officers to serve for the 2008 year. Veteran Board member Sharon Dulmage was selected to be president as Pam Adams steps down and resumes her role as a......
Canada fast-tracks family reunification for Iraqis
Last month Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced a program to expedite admission of Iraqis with family members in Canada. The paper work for those wishing to come to Canada will be handled by the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration office in Damascus. Many refugees fleeing Iraq have managed to make...Openings available in Model Arab League program
WASHINGTON — The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations has announced it Model Arab League program for 2008. Model Arab League is an educational activity similar to Model United Nations, but more limited and targeted in its focus and scope. It deals solely with the 22 Arab countries, not the 192 member-countries in the United Nations....Awakened to a new danger in Iraq
Credited with reducing violence, forces have actually sown new conflict BAGHDAD (IPS) — The newly formed "Awakening" forces set up by the U.S. military are bringing new conflict among people here. For months now the U.S. military has been actively building what it calls "Awakening" forces and "Concerned Local Citizens" in an effort to...
Gaza strike hardens Hamas position
January 19th, 20080 In an interview, key Hamas strategist Mahmoud Zahar discusses how his movement has been preparing for a potentially imminent Israeli assault on Gaza. Gaza City — Mahmoud Zahar, the Hamas leader widely seen as the strategic mind behind the Islamist movement's successful takeover of the Gaza Strip last summer, struck a defiant tone when......
The planting of the Hormuz tale
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Senior Pentagon officials, evidently reflecting a broader administration policy decision, used an off-the-record Pentagon briefing to turn the Jan. 6 U.S.-Iranian incident in the Strait of Hormuz into a sensational story demonstrating Iran's military aggressiveness, a reconstruction of the events following the incident...Attack on U.S. vehicle in Beirut kills 4
As Bush tours Mideast, was this a message? BEIRUT — An explosion targeted a U.S. Embassy vehicle Tuesday in northern Beirut, killing four Lebanese and injuring a local embassy employee, American and Lebanese officials said. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said two embassy employees — including......
New York activists take on Israeli settlement builder
A network of pro-Palestinian organizations in New York is working hard to expose Israeli businessman Lev Leviev's sponsorship of Israeli settlement construction. The groups have engaged in creative protests and organized boycotts and pressured those linked with Leviev. Their boycott campaign is gaining strong momentum. Leviev...Dearborn High graduate stars in drama at local theater
DEARBORN — It's not often that a young actor receives the opportunity to work with theater professionals, yet 18-year-old Sean O'Reilly is now appearing in a drama being produced at Meadowbrook Theater. The Dearborn High School graduate is starring in "Rabbit Hole," David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize winning play, which is coming......