Rise of right wing extremist groups cause for alarm
April 4th, 20100 The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) recently documented 34 militia groups in Michigan - a staggering number when one considers that a year earlier the SPLC found only 42 militias in the entire country. As citizen militias formed across the country during the 1990s, few states were closer to the heart of the antigovernment...Goodbye, Khalil!
AlHajal on assignment in Washington in 2009 The Arab American News reporter/editor Khalil AlHajal has accepted a position at The Flint Journal covering Flint schools and will begin work at his new job next week. AlHajal began his career at The Arab American News in December 2006 and is a graduate of the University of...
Palestinians should now declare their independence
March 19th, 20100 This week the Obama administration – which gives Israel $3bn a year, more than they dole out to any other nation on earth – made a meek and craven request for Israelis to simply have a pause in seizing even more land, and to sit down with the Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with a big concrete slap: the...Welcome to Israel, Joe!
When he visited the Middle East, then Senator Barack Obama had a rude awakening. He was on the ritual visit for American presidential candidates to Israel, which usually consists of touring sites of significance to Jews and declaring support for the state of Israel. This is important for American politicians who pay homage to an...Letter to the Editor: Is Harvard happy with Kramer representation?
To the editor: There was an article published in The Arab American News on March 6 about Martin Kramer of Harvard University - (Harvard fellow calls for genocidal measure to curb Palestinian births). Kramer suggested at a conference that the United Nations halt all pro natal subsidies to the Palestinian territories in order to curb the...Gaza’s youth not ‘superfluous’
"To cut down on gang-related crimes, policies could be put in place to curb the African-American population growth in places like Harlem and Compton. The government could consider cutting off welfare benefits for families in these urban areas to discourage births of blacks and cut down the supply of 'superfluous young men' who have...Helping Michigan’s job providers now
Michigan can again be a state with a thriving economy and abundant jobs if we reform government so it works with job providers rather than against them. There is no time to waste. Bouchard As governor, I will make one of the largest economic policy changes in decades. The majority of my focus will be on businesses already...
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...
The Tea Party movement frightens me
February 20th, 20100 Last weekend, when Washington was being hit by its worst-ever snow storm, the Tea Party Movement was holding its first national meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. With nothing else to do, and unable to travel, I watched parts of their convention on television and became quite concerned by what I saw and heard. After reviewing two sets of...NY Times’ Ethan Bronner should be reassigned
The fact that the son of The New York Times' Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner is serving in the Israeli military has highlighted an issue that should have been in the spotlight long ago. Ali Abunimah makes some important points about the NYT’s coverage of the Middle East on the Mondoweiss site. Although the paper has a Palestinian...
Peaceful Palestinian resistance paying off
February 13th, 20100 For many, the idea of Palestinian resistance is synonymous with terrorism, conjuring up images of suicide bombings and rockets. This is a distortion shaped by the media and our politicians. Beyond the headlines, Palestinian resistance has always included nonviolent tactics. Today, in rural villages from Bilin and Jayyous to Nilin...54 members of Congress tell Obama: Lift Gaza seige
Last week, 54 members of the House of Representatives, led by Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Congressman Jim McDermott from Washington state, signed a letter to President Obama asking his administration to lift the blockade on Gaza. In the letter, the Representatives said "the unabated suffering of Gazan civilians highlights...One year on: We should have known
As the first year of the Obama presidency comes to a close, it's worth noting an article that appeared in the progressive news website, AlterNet, on Dec. 24, by Clancy Sigal, that sums up the mood of progressives: "My personal breaking point, after months of jaw-dropping astonishment at Obama's betrayals, was his refusal almost alone of...
Negotiating is a process of give and take
January 23rd, 20100 The Dearborn Federation of Teachers Local 681 (DFT) is the union that represents the teaching staff in the Dearborn Public Schools (DPS). It is important to understand that to be a member of the DFT, and a teacher employed by DPS, a person must possess a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and pass a state certification......
He said, she said…
During the last few months we have heard a lot of "he said, she said" types of comments in the local papers, blog sites, and at Board of Education meetings. I thought that perhaps searching for a different type of "he said, she said" comment might help us navigate the difficult change that we face in the weeks ahead. Personally, I could...Rebuild Michigan’s economy through opportunities for our skilled trades
Within Michigan's unemployment rate, which has been among the nation's highest for years, is another disturbing statistic: one-third of our construction industry is jobless. Bouchard: "Now more than ever, we need people to deepen their investment and commitment to this great state. Under my plan, they can do so without being...A view of Muslims in America
After the "Sweatshirt Scandal" at Edsel Ford led by 15 juniors at the high school, Debbie Schlussel, a well-known blogger/lawyer, had the audacity to categorize all Muslims as supporters of homicide bombings and plane hijackings. The sweatshirts featured a Class of 2011-themed design on the back with each digit in the number 11...Letters to the editor: Dearborn School Board meetings heat up over contract negotiations
Contract negotiations should not be in the press To the editor: It is unbelievable that a member of the Board of Education would discuss contract negotiations in the press. ("Weathering the storm at schools," by Aimee Blackburn, The Arab American News, December 12-18, 2009). The step increases Ms. Blackburn refers to have not been......
Dearborn students need us
January 16th, 20100 As the budget crisis in Dearborn schools deepens, as tempers flare and public debates intensify, we must remind ourselves how important it is to stop the bickering and the finger pointing and focus on working together as one city to find a viable solution to this crisis. After all, it is about our kids and our future. Dearborn schools...
New TSA guidelines are ethnic profiling at its worst
January 9th, 20100 The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directives will require citizens from 14 countries, all Arab or Muslim countries with the exception of Cuba, to go through enhanced security screening. Such screening can include full pat-downs, scans, delays, and anything associated with secondary screening - an extra search of the......
Muslims misunderstood Swiss vote
To the editor: I would like to respond to the article by Ali Moossavi (Minaret ban indicates evolving fascism, 24 December). Mr. Moossavi has completely failed to understand the reasons for the Swiss vote in favor of a ban on the construction of minarets. A protestor carries a sign in Switzerland. The call for a referendum was...
Season’s Greetings
December 24th, 20090 As is our practice, we have combined the final two issues of the year to give our staff a much-needed break and to facilitate the observance of all the year-end holidays of 2009. We at The Arab American News wish all of our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. While 2009 was a special year for the......
