False ‘victories’: Is the PA using the ‘State of Palestine’ to remain in power?
January 26th, 20190 The "State of Palestine" has officially been handed the chairmanship of the G-77, the United Nations' largest block. This is particularly significant considering the relentless Israeli-American plotting to torpedo the Palestinian push for greater international recognition and legitimacy. It is now conclusive that the main mission for...
Bahia Amawi and the strangest loyalty oath Americans are forced to take
December 21st, 20181 Bahia Amawi works as children's speech pathologist for the Pflugerville Independent School District in Texas. Or, rather, she used to work as a children's speech pathologist for the district. After nine years, Glenn Greenwald reports at The Intercept, the district's administration declined to renew her contract because she refused to...
Among my biggest disappointments in politics
December 14th, 20180 The other day, a friend asked what surprised me most about politics. This may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about the question. My response was off-the-cuff but heartfelt. The biggest surprise is also among my biggest disappointments with American political life: The ongoing effort by politicians to suppress...
From Central America to Syria: The conspiracy against refugees
December 10th, 20180 Watching the ongoing debate between U.S. liberal and right-wing pundits in U.S. mainstream media, one rarely gets the impression that Washington is responsible for the unfolding crisis in Central America. In fact, no other country is as accountable as the United States for the Central American bedlam and resulting refugee...
Netanyahu’s predicament: The era of easy wars is over
December 3rd, 20180 When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his army to carry out a limited operation in the besieged Gaza Strip on November 12, he certainly did not anticipate that his military adventure would destabilize his government and threaten the very survival of his right-wing coalition. But it did, far more than the multiple...
The struggle to advocate for Palestinians has never been easy
November 24th, 20180 It has never been easy for Arab Americans to advocate for Palestinian rights; and while we have made real progress, the challenges continue to grow. I learned early on that this was not ever going to be a fair fight. In their relentless effort to silence our voice, supporters of Israel waged a relentless campaign to delegitimize...
The real midterm elections wave wasn’t blue, it was Muslim
November 22nd, 20180 The Muslims are no longer coming—they are here! Well, in reality Muslims have been in America and contributing to it even before the nation was formed, since approximately 15 percent of the slaves from Africa were Muslim. But now Muslim Americans are “here” in a whole new way as a record number won their elections on Nov. 6....
Five reasons why Trump’s Iran sanctions will fail
November 4th, 20180 The next round of economic sanctions on Iran, which will start going into effect on Nov.4, will mainly target the country’s oil and gas industries. These sanctions were eased after the 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, but are being phased back in following...
It’s a new era, but China’s balancing act will fail in the Middle East
November 3rd, 20180 Although ties between Washington and Tel Aviv are stronger than ever, Israeli leaders are aware of a vastly changing political landscape. The U.S.' own political turmoil and the global power realignment — which is on full display in the Middle East — indicate that a new era is, indeed, in the making. Unsurprisingly, this new era...
Tree of Life synagogue: Resisting the temptation to close the tent
November 2nd, 20180 Saturday was to be a day of celebration at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill Neighborhood. According to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, a baby boy was to be welcomed into the covenant of Abraham. Tradition holds that the night before a baby boy’s ritual circumcision, members of the community study and...
The U.N. ‘sheriff’: Nikki Haley elevated Israel, damaged U.S. standing
October 22nd, 20180 The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, has made her post a “more glamorous” position than her predecessors — as President Trump described Haley’s 2-year term at the U.N., following her resignation announcement. We may never know the nature of Haley’s purported “glamour” at the U.N., but we certainly know that,...
It’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
October 19th, 20180 October is spooky enough with its ghouls and goblins. National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is here to remind us how to stay safe and secure from real (and maybe even scarier) threats — malware and scammers. Help us celebrate by joining a Twitter chat we’ll be participating in on October 18 at 3 p.m. EST. In this chat, you’ll...
Will Khashoggi disappearance bring down Saudi’s crown prince?
October 19th, 20180 Saudi Arabia and especially its young crown prince – who has been variously portrayed as naïve, venal and blood-thirsty – appear to have vastly misjudged the reaction to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who opposed the new heir’s unchecked efforts to reshape the kingdom and the entire Middle East region with...
How Khashoggi’s disappearance could affect Middle East politics
October 16th, 20180 The disappearance and possible murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has cast a long shadow over Saudi Arabia’s global image. If the Saudi government did in fact kill or kidnap him, the crime would have significant implications for Middle East politics. Turkish authorities believe he has been killed and his body, possibly...
That single line of blood: Nassir al-Mosabeh and Mohammed al-Durrah
October 16th, 20180 As the frail body of 12-year-old Nassir Al-Mosabeh fell to the ground on Friday, September 28, history was repeating itself in a most tragic way. Little Nassir was not just another number, a “martyr” to be exalted by equally poor refugees in Gaza, or vilified by Israel and its tireless hasbara machine. He was much more than......
What does it mean to be an American?
October 16th, 20180 What does it actually mean to be an American? Tell me. In the press of day-to-day events and amid the ongoing tumult of politics, we don’t think about this much. Yet it’s a crucial question, one that each generation in this country is called upon to answer for itself. Despite our differences, there are some traits that I think we...
End of hegemony: U.N. must reflect changing world order
October 7th, 20180 There is a rational explanation of why India and Brazil, two countries with vast populations and large and growing economies, are not permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC). The Council — made up of five permanent and 10 rotating members — was designed to reflect a world order that was birthed from the horrific...
Sleep research shows how homework is harmful for students
October 7th, 20180 "More than 70 percent of high school students average less than eight hours of sleep," according to an October 1 research letter in JAMA Pediatrics ("Dose-Dependent Associations Between Sleep Duration and Unsafe Behaviors Among U.S. High School Students."), “falling short of the 8 to 10 hours that adolescents need for optimal health....
Manufacturing Day offers pathway to the future for Wayne County youth
October 5th, 20180 One of the most important things we as adults can do for our youth is to provide them the opportunity to do at least as well as we have done, and preferably better. Every parent wants that for their child. It’s the promise we all wish we could make. The opportunity to obtain meaningful and productive employment is central to that......
Why Americans give $4 billion of their money each year to prosperous Israel?
October 5th, 20181 From presidents Truman to Trump, U.S. administrations have never actually been an “honest broker” of peace between Palestinians and Israelis, regardless of all the rhetoric and official positions. On the contrary, the U.S. has provided tremendous diplomatic, economic and military support to Israel ever since its creation in...
Preventing Palestine: A must read history of failed peace-making
October 1st, 20180 Seth Anziska’s Preventing Palestine: A Political History From Camp David to Oslo is a deeply insightful and profoundly disturbing book that traces the tortuous path of Middle East peace-making during the past four decades. It was quite painful to read. Having been a close observer and sometimes participant in many of the......
What it means to live in polarized times, divided country
September 29th, 20180 We live in a divided country. And I don’t just mean politically. Our economy is creating winners and losers, with no clear way up the ladder for millions of Americans. The last few decades have produced great inequality of wealth and with it, unequal access to the levers of power. We’re split along regional lines. We’re divided...
YallaPunk: A response to racism
September 24th, 20180 By Marrim Akashi PHILADELPHIA — Rana Fayez’s inaugural YallaPunk festival hit Philadelphia this past month and it has been revolutionary, to say the least. Self-described as “A direct response to negative depictions of populations of Middle Eastern and North African descent in mainstream media”, this is not another effort......
