The Arab American News
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Islamic art discussed
The Canadian Islamic Congress has been successful in having cities across the country declare October as Islamic History Month. Crowning the effort was a similar declaration by the House of Commons. Some 80 events in celebration have been held across Canada. In one event in Ottawa, Dr. Zijad Delic showed a film about the...Lebanon to U.N.: Israel violating resolution
Lebanon has accused Israel of nearly 300 encroachments into Lebanese air space since the end of the Second Lebanon War, in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, Army Radio reported on Thursday. In a letter to the United Nations, Beirut alleges that the Israel Air Force has performed 290 sorties into Lebanese...Few candidates attend leadership meet
DEARBORN — The importance of the Arab American voice was the recurring topic during day one of the Arab American Institute (AAI)'s National Leadership Conference, on Friday, October 25. The issue was reinforced by several key leaders throughout the many panels, forums and discussions that took place throughout the day. At the...
Republican maverick calls for Iran talks
November 2nd, 20070 WASHINGTON (IPS) — Amid growing contention among Democratic presidential contenders about U.S. policy toward Iran, a senior Republican lawmaker has appealed to President George W. Bush to pursue "direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks" with Tehran. The appeal, which was sent to Bush by Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel two weeks...Arar gets his day in U.S. Congress via satellite
Maher Arar testified before a joint hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives foreign affairs and judiciary committees on October 18, in spite of the fact that he is not allowed into the country. Videoconferencing to the rescue. The hearing dealt with extraordinary rendition. Participating members of the House fell over one another...Cleaning out the Pipes
DETROIT — On October 8th, Daniel Pipes, author and founder of the Middle East Forum and Campus Watch, spoke at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the threat from radical Islam. Pipes, an advisor to Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani and a columnist for...Islamic, African American art museums team up in New Orleans
It seems like an unlikely collaboration: an exhibit of 75 paintings by more than 10 Muslim artists from five different countries, co-sponsored by Southern University at New Orleans; the New Orleans African American Museum of Art, Culture and History; and the International Museum of Muslim Cultures, Jackson, Miss. But according to the...
AAPAC celebrates 10 years of political work
October 28th, 20070 DEARBORN — After a decade of fighting to amplify the voices of Arab Americans on a local and national level, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) is preparing for its 10th Annual Banquet on Nov. 2 at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center on Miller Rd in Dearborn. AAPAC has endorsed and opposed election candidates and ballot...Bush risks falling off Turkish-Kurd tightrope
WASHINGTON (IPS) —- Spurred by the deployment of at least 100,000 troops along Turkey's border with Iraq, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is pressing its closest clients in Iraqi Kurdistan to crack down hard against the Kurdish Turkish Workers' Party (PKK), which Washington considers a terrorist organization. Given...Respected Bint Jebail mayor dies of cancer
BINT JEBAIL — Dr. Ali Bazzi, mayor of this southern Lebanon village which has thousands of former residents living in Dearborn, died of cancer in a local hospital here on Saturday, October 20. He was 65 years old. Dr. Bazzi was a medical physician, having graduated from medical school in the former Soviet Union with a specialty in...Workshop tackles misrepresentations of Islam, Arab culture
DEARBORN — With her dark good looks, Arab family structure and independent spirit, actress and comedienne Kathy Najimy — of theatre, movie and activist fame — has always been different. "At school other kids brought toys or hobbies in to show and tell," she quipped, in an address to a diversity conference here this week. "I brought in...Festival promises first rate films
Morocco, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria without leaving Dearborn? Or better yet, without leaving the Arab American National Museum? The museum is sponsoring the third annual Arab film festival, a series of first-rate films from the Arab world. These films feature a range of different countries and narratives highlighting all...Iraqis speak out against Biden amendment
Washington — Leaders of a newly-established umbrella organization called Iraqi Voices for Peace have spoken out forcefully against an amendment sponsored by U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and approved by the Senate expressing support for the "soft partitioning" of Iraq along religious and sectarian lines. They are urging that the Biden...U.S. balks at Harkat request
The American government has refused a request by Mohamed Harkat's lawyer to interview Abu Zubaydah, a Guantanamo prisoner alleged to be a ranking member of al-Qaeda, whose allegations about Harkat have played a role in Harkat's precarious position. He is currently in virtual house arrest under strict bail conditions and threatened with...Men mistreated in Syria demand openness
When Justice Dennis O'Connor issued his report on the case of the mistreatment of Maher Arar in Syria, he also noted the existence of other cases that appeared to have some resemblance to that one, cases involving Ahmad El-Maati, Abdullah Almalki, and Muayyed Nureddin. In his report, O'Connor called for a separate inquiry into these......
Montreal imam deported
Montreal Imam Saïd Jaziri, founder of Montreal's Al Qods Mosque, was deported from Canada on October 22. His resident status was cancelled in 2006 on grounds that he failed to reveal a criminal record from France when he applied for refugee status in 1997. At the same time, his Canadian wife was admitted to hospital, eight months...Canadian Conservatives introduce anti-terror bill
Currently, there are five Muslim men in Canada subject to strict controls under anti-terrorism legislation which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional. One, Hassan Almrei, is still held in prison. All are resisting deportation, claiming serious mistreatment if returned to their countries. The court gave the government till...New case for war in Mideast
The Middle East peace conference proposed by the Bush administration is clearly a smokescreen, aimed at concealing the true intentions of U.S. foreign policy in the region. In the predictable process of rewarding "moderate" allies and chastising "extremist" foes, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will most likely receive the...Critical clarity from humanitarians
Karen Abuzayd, commissioner-general of the United Nations' agency that provides aid and services to Palestinian refugees, and Alvaro de Soto, the recently retired UN diplomat from Peru, offer critical clarity with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. BEIRUT — It is very refreshing when law, international responsibility, and human......
Arabs should seize the peace initiative
In the aftermath of Secretary of State Rice's fourth recent visit to the region to prepare for a Middle East peace conference, only the meeting's proposed location has been decided. The situation looks quite bleak, with little to show for the efforts made to date. Early in her visit, Rice made an effort to tamp down expectations about...Government’s fear-mongering didn’t work
A prosecution that is likely to go down in the record books as one of the great abuses of the American legal process ended with a mistrial this week in Dallas, Texas. The politicized case against the Holy Land Foundation (HLF), an American charity providing aid to needy families in Palestine, alleged material support for a terrorist......
On the eve of destruction, Bush owes world an explanation
Don't worry, the White House is telling us. The world's most powerful leader was simply making a rhetorical point. At a White House press conference last week, just in case you haven't heard, President Bush informed the American people that he had told world leaders "if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought...Israel threatens Gaza with blackout
JERUSALEM — Israel unveiled a new tactic this week aimed at deterring Palestinians from firing rockets out of the Gaza Strip. It will cut off Gaza's electricity bit by bit as a pressure tactic every time rockets hit Israeli territory. Israel provides more than half of Gaza's electricity, and any power cutoff is sure to make life more......