‘Where are you from?’
JENIN — I live in an apartment building adjoining the Arab American University - Jenin (AAUJ) on a hill surrounded by farmland and quiet villages. As I write, the wind outside my leaky windows has been howling for hours, adding to the desolation of the campus. The protracted semester, beset by student and faculty unrest, has finally...Lobbying our way to the Promised Land
As Arab Americans across the country eulogize Senator Barak Obama's enlightened foreign policy positions and vociferously campaign for his nomination, we should understand that a president can only do so much. This is largely due to the fact that a monarchy-wary nation imposed formidable checks on the presidential powers of the executive...Dissolve the Palestinian Authority
AMMAN — The Annapolis peace process seems to be moving in slow gear, and on the ground Israelis and Palestinians are back to the routine of daily clashes, rockets, assassinations and threats of more to come. Few people seem to have any idea about how to get out of this stalemate and move towards a permanent, comprehensive, fair...Kilpatrick must resign
There's simply no question that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should resign his post as mayor of the city of Detroit. Kilpatrick's public philandering, as bad as it is, is no surprise. But public officials are expected, are elected, to uphold the law and to set high moral standards. We expect our public officials to be...A hole in the wall
As the massacres against unarmed Palestinians continued under the policy of ethnic cleansing which has been utilized by the global Zionist movement since the beginning of its occupation of Palestine, two important studies concerning the preparations for the war on Iraq were released in the West. The first study, "Flimsy...Where’s the American Jewish condemnation?
For years now, I have heard demands that we Americans of Palestinian descent condemn various military actions taken by Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. And we do so, because innocents should never pay for the sins of their military forces and government. But I'd like to know if the American Jewish community will ever...The sad, unfortunate State of the Union
The State of the Union address is officially a big deal. And it is always accorded an appropriate measure of attention by the television networks, members of Congress and the American people. But some State of the Union addresses are more equal than others. When George Bush addressed Congress in 2005, he did so as the most powerful man...Mike Gravel is right choice for Arabs, Muslims
As the Michigan Co-Director of the Mike Gravel for President campaign, I am writing to take issue with William Fisher's article, "American Muslim voters left out in the cold," and his statement, "Among candidates, the single exception appears to be Democrat Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman and former mayor of Cleveland. He has...Power to the Palestinians!
The people of Palestine have done it again, taking their own fate in their hands after being let down by their own "moderate" political leadership and, indeed, the entire international community in their struggle for freedom. Early this morning they simply blew up the wall separating Gaza from Egypt, breaking a siege imposed on them by...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...What’s wrong with the Arab World?
The quick deterioration of political, social, and economic order in most countries in the Arab world reflects a range of underlying tensions, problems and failures that have manifested themselves for almost a century, and most of them are self-made Arab failures. Every regime of the Arab world has proved a failure. Not one has been able...How to win the GWOT
BEIRUT — I do not spend much time mingling with officers in the United States armed forces, but when I do, usually at a conference or international gathering, or reading texts on the web, I always come away from the experience more heartened than threatened. Presumably, so does President George W. Bush, who spends much of his time...Vote this week in Michigan’s Primary
Vote this week in Michigan's Primary Kucinich for Democrats, Paul for Republicans There's a lot of confusion about Michigan's primary election to be held this week on Tuesday, January 15, instead of the usual early February race. It's pretty much agreed that moving the state primary forward was a mistake. The Democratic National...Maybe there was a confrontation
I'm no military expert, but I'm pretty sure that five small speedboats armed with machine guns, rocket launchers and "white boxes" are no match for a Navy cruiser, destroyer and frigate, especially when it's between Iran and America. I mean, the last thing that the American nuclear superpower would be afraid of is an oil-producing......
Free at last, free at last
Twenty years of government harassment comes to an end For the last 20 years, the U.S. government has accused me of being a terrorist. Along with six other Palestinians and a Kenyan, we were dubbed the "Los Angeles Eight" by the media. Our case even made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. On Oct. 30, 2007 — 20 grueling years after the...Tips to prevent identity theft in 2008
If you're like most people, you have at least one New Year's Resolution you have committed to keep in 2008 to improve your quality of life. Lose weight. Go to the gym. Stop smoking. Allow me to offer one additional resolution that can help you stay true to all of those others: Resolve to protect yourself against the nation's...Obama shakes up Democratic Party
Des Moines — Iowans shocked the foundation of the Democratic Party Thursday night when Illinois Senator Barack Obama placed first in the Iowa caucuses among the Democratic candidates. I had traveled with friends to Iowa to experience the last minute campaigning and the legendary Iowa Democratic caucus process which, by all...We need to stand up for our own
In a report published December 9 in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, a poll cited that 74% of Israeli youth believe Arabs are less intelligent and that they are violent. Two thirds of Israelis believe that Arabs are "not clean," and half of them would not accept to live in a building where an Arab lives, nor would they allow an Arab to......
Happy holidays to all
This issue of The Arab American News brings us to the close of 23 years of publishing. As we have for the past few years, 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 2007. We very much look forward to the coming year, to...A Jewish Israel needs a wholesome, healed Palestine
One of the most complex and confounding elements that emerged during the run-up to the Annapolis meeting was the demand by several senior Israelis, and its parallel rejection by Palestinian officials, that the Palestinians recognize Israel as "a Jewish state" as a precondition for the start of talks. Israel's demand that the Arabs......
Stop the murder in Gaza
Everyone must act now to stop this collective punishment. It is the only ethical, just and humane thing to do. The siege must stop. Now. People are dying in Gaza. Patients die in their hospital beds because they are denied permits to access life-saving treatments abroad. Patients with such permits die at the Erez crossing because the...Bush: It’s a goat even if it flies!
What did President Bush read in his oval office on Monday Dec. 3, 2007? He read a report compiled by sixteen American intelligence agencies concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, contradicting a previous assessment that Tehran was working on, even close to, building a nuclear weapon. This report......