National Arab American Times Newspaper

Boycott against Lowes misses real goal

2011-12-12T09:30:00.001-08:00

Boycott against Lowes misses real goal
By Ray Hanania – There’s nothing like emotion to bring Arabs and Muslims together, even when they don’t agree.

When TLC announced that it was broadcasting a new show called “All-American Muslim,” the Muslim community expressed anger and criticism.

All of the people in the new reality show about Muslims in Detroitland, where one of the largest Arab populations resides, were Arabs; there were no non-Arab Muslims.

That provoked a barrage of criticism beginning with one Pakistani who noted the majority of Muslims in the World are non-Arab.

Arab Muslims also were angry with the show, with many complaining that the idea of an Arab seeking to open a dance studio or a liquor establishment was offensive.

Of course, I don’t see too many Muslims complaining about the dirth of liquor stores operated by Muslims not just in Detroit but across America, and even in the Middle East.

Now, TLC’s “All-American Muslim” is involved in a new controversy that may trump the anger from Muslims and Arabs against the portrayals in the show.

A fanatic Christian group in Florida called “The Florida Family Association” announced it was protesting the show because the show, they said, sought to impose Islam on Americans and to justify Sharia law.

The group targeted all of the advertisers on TLC, more than 50 and almost all of them announced they were removing their ads from broadcasting during the TLC program. They said the majority agreed to reconsider advertising and that 20 had withdrawn their Ads.

Some of those advertisers include the biggest names in American commerce, many of them patronized by Muslims and Arabs: Amway, Anheuser Busch Inbev, Bank of America (Cash Rewards), Campbell’s Soup, Dell computers, The Gap, General Motors (Chevy Runs Deep), Good Year, Home Depot, Honda North America, HTC Phones, Ikea, JC Penney, JP Morgan Chase (Chase Sapphire), Lowe’s, McDonald’s, Nationwide Insurance, Nintendo (Mariokartz.com), Old Navy, Petsmart, Pier One, Radio Shack, Sears , Signet (Kay Jewelers), Sonic Drive-ins, Subaru, T-Mobil, Toyota (Camry), Volkswagen, Wal-Mart and Whirlpool (Maytag).

During the past two Friday morning broadcasts of Detroit’s Radio Baladi (WNZK AM 690), one of the largest American Arab and Muslim radio shows in the country, callers complained about the show that it portrayed Arabs and Muslims inaccurately.

Suddenly, the response from the Muslim and Arab community has changed.

Now, faced with the protests from the rightwing religious fanatics, Arabs and non-Arab Muslims are beginning to rally around the show.

And I think that’s something they should have done from the start.

Nationally, Arabs and Muslims across the country have begun targeting Lowes, ignoring all of the other advertisers who agreed to either remove their advertisements or to prevent their Ads from appearing during the show.

The fact is “All-American Muslim” is the perfect way to help show the true side of American Arabs and Muslims. That Arabs and Muslims are no different than any other people. We have very religious people and we have very secular people and much more in-between. We’re no different than they (Americans) are.

Except in one respect. It doesn’t seem that Arabs and Muslims appreciate the nuances and subtleties of effective communications. We have never understood the American media or the power of communications. We’re stayed away from it and only in the past decade has there been a slow but steady trickle of American Arabs and Muslims who have tried to engage the media.

And the “media” doesn’t just include the biased anti-Arab and anti-Muslim newspapers, radio shows and TV shows. It includes the public relations spin of communications strategists by influence peddlers in this country. It includes movies and TV shows and especially sitcoms. And, the bias includes reality TV.

It’s amazing to me that many Arabs and Muslims will tolerate the sale of alcohol and foul-mouthed comedy when it is in mainstream American public venues such as by nearby liquor stores or on Cable TV. But when someone slaps a label on it and says it represents Muslims or Arabs, the internal battle begins. We become our own worst enemies.

The truth is that instead of blasting Lowes for removing its advertising, we should be sitting with Lowes and demanding that they fund more programs like “All-American Muslim.” If they don’t like it because it is “too controversial,” then fund programs that are more mainstream.

When does Lowes advertise in Arab newspapers or on Arab radio shows. All-American Muslim is about the ONLY Arab and Muslim program we have on TV, outside of some scattered comedy flashes on Cable TV.

We should be proactive and we shouldn’t react with our emotions, as we too often do.

We should be holding the media responsible. I mean, why do we get angry with Lowes and say nothing when a major American newspaper that we subscribe to trashes Arabs and Muslim causes like Palestine or the injustice of the War in Iraq, or the war crimes against the people of other Muslim countries?

Before American Arabs and Muslims can prevent biased actions like those of Lowes, we need to insure that we have our own act together.

We can’t expect others to respect us as Arabs and Muslims if in fact we don’t respect ourselves.

(Ray Hanania is the co-host of Radio Baladi which broadcasts on WNZK AM 690 every Friday morning in Detroit at 8 am, and the host of Radio Chicagoland which broadcasts on WSBC AM 1240 every Sunday morning from 8 am until 11 am. Visitwww.RadioBaladi.com for more information.)

Ikhras loves the Syrian Dictatorship: Just read their "Twits"

2011-12-09T04:38:00.001-08:00

Ikhras haters Thabit al-Arabi and Qassem Lufti, who have a life-long difficulty with the English language, moderation and accuracy, have laid out (or lied out) a long list of reasons why they think Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad shouldn't be attacked and that the pro-Democracy protesters should be blamed and criticized.

But they know that their support for the Syrian government, which has murdered more than 4,000 innocent civilians including hundreds of children, is not an easy one to argue. It makes them look like hypocrites as they assault and slander an array of people including. Their targets include star comedians Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid (who host the annual New York Arab Comedy Festival), and writers Hussein Ibish, Ray Hanania and Mona eltahawy. These are but a few of the scores of people that Ikhras brutalizes in their online verbal assaults as if they were the Syrian military police attacking civilians seeking freedom in Homs. (I can just see the Ikhras goofs cheering as new statistics surface about innocent Syrian civilians being killed by the Syrian Government that they consistently defend.)

All you have to do is read their Twitter posts, posts that Qassem and Thabet recently referred to as "Twits" in an email. Maybe that's because they are the "twits."

Hussein Ibish has penned a scathing expose of who these sad refugees from truth really are.

(Click here to read that priceless unveiling of the rotten core of Ikhas.)

Here's a direct link to Ibish's article: Click here.

But here are some of their most recent Tweets (Yes Thabet and Qassem, they're called Tweets, not Twits!) that demonstrate and prove their loyalty to the Syrian Dictatorship and why they pick and chose their words carefully to pretend as if they care about, say, the Palestinian refugees (they don't) or the people of Egypt (they don't) or ADC (which upsets them the most because ADC fights for the rights of victims of discrimination including those bullied by cowards like Qassem and Thabet and the Ikhras gaggle of online bullies).

Read how they carefully tiptoe and pretend they do not support the brutality of the Syrian regime, and then use that argument as a means of attacking others. The way they exploit the suffering of the Palestinians as a means of saying, hey, what's happening in Syria isn't that important because Bush is a liar and a murderer, too.

Their theme here is right out of the Little Red Book published by Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Baath Party dictators.

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

The show is sponsored by Royal Jordanian Airlines. Unlikely RJ would sponsor these clowns w/o involvement of Gov agencyascf.jo/index.html

2 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Can anyone provide info on this show in Amman, Jordan?ascf.jo/index.html Interested in role of US Embassy in this event.@Deanofcomedy.

2 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Interesting to contrast Western officials descriptions of Eric Honeker/Gustav Husak/Nicolae Ceaușescu w/descriptions of Qadhafi/Saddam/Assad

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Why do some ignore mass murder of 1.5 Million people by Bush & Blair in Iraq & feign humanity over crimes by Arab rulers US Gov opposes?

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Arabs must oppose Arab tyranny w/o adopting racist double standards which dehumanize an entire culture and not just a regime or ruler.

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Arabs who oppose Arab dictators shouldnt accept the West's dehumanization of Arab rulers because it includes dehumanization of Arab culture

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Those who call #Syria n President a "liar" (and lets all assume he is): Would you dare call US officials liars? Dont accept double standards

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

For those who oppose the #Syria n regime: Its in your interest to not lie. Youre better off trying to preserve your credibility.

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

It appears some people paid more attention to State Dept's characterization of the Bashar Al-Assad interview than to the interview. #Syria

4 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

Arabs deserve better than to have to choose between dictatorship and imperialism.

18 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

If you must collaborate with a foreign force, at least collaborate with Sweden or Vietnam or someone without Arab blood on their hands. #snc

18 hours ago

ikhras Ikhras اخرس

just coined a new term. Housism (n): collaboration with the oppressors as a "strategy" to end their subjugation of the oppressed.

In Killing Qaddafi: Murder or Vigilante justice?

2011-10-20T13:44:00.001-07:00

Killing Qaddafi: Murder or Vigilante justice?

By: Ali Younes

The killing of former Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi today might bring a swift end to the bloody rebellion that erupted against his rule eight months ago. News reports showed a bloody and injured Qaddafi staggering and disheveled between jubilant armed rebels’ forces. The possibility that the rebel fighters’ might have murdered Qaddafi is not something the Libyan rebel leadership should be proud of, celebrate or condone. It was later confirmed by news reports however that Qaddafi was captured alive before he was shot dead by his captors.

Rebel fighters claimed during interviews on Arab televisions that Qaddafi had old injuries possibly from the fighting, but subsequent images however showed that Qaddafi was not seriously injured before he was killed which cast suspicion at the rebels’ story.

One might find it understandable, however, that amid the fog of war and chaos order and discipline are not established especially when the war is fought by an unorganized ragtag citizen-militias. On the other hand however, others argue that the rebel leadership and NATO forces wanted Qaddafi dead so they don’t have to give him up to the International Criminal Court, ICC, for prosecution where he might embarrass them as his former comrades and partners.

It is great news, nevertheless that the Libyan people finally won the battle and got rid of one of the most ruthless and criminal dictators in the Arab World.

This win,however is marred by the apparent murder of Qaddafi which would be considered a war crime to kill a captured and unarmed combatant. This is not a defense of Qaddafi, but one should not commit murder while trying to achieve justice and at the same time claiming the moral high grounds.

Qaddafi’s brutal and bloody end, meanwhile, should inspire the rest of Arab dictators to think that clinging, to what president Obama called in his statement today ,their “iron fist” dictatorial powers and abuse their citizens will eventually spell the end of their regimes and possibly their lives as well.

Let us remember that the end of Qaddafi did not come so cheap or so easily, it cost the Libyan people a lot of blood, treasure and destruction that they need a long time to recover from decades of abuse and rebuild what this infighting had destroyed.

With the Libyan chapter is coming to a close with the end of Qaddafi and several of his sons, the rest of Arab dictators mainly Syria’s Bashaar Al Assad and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Salih will find themselves facing three options.

Option one the zinelabidine ben ali option which is step down from power and leave the country. With this option the dictator can save his and his family lives and also spare the people wanton death and destruction.

Option two is the Hosni Mubarak of Egypt option which is to resign and stand trial for killing the citizens, abuse of power, and theft of country’s resources.

Option three is the Qaddafi option which is to fight the entire population of the country with no hope of ever wining against millions of angry and abused citizens. At the end, Qaddafi’s fate should teach the Arab leaders one big lesson that is no matter how far you go in the abuse and murder of innocent people and citizens of your country, the people’s anger and patience have limits and your crimes will not go unpunished.

Ali Younes is a writer and Middle East analyst based in Washington D.C. He can be reached at: aliyounes98@gmail.com

American Republican candidates are bad news for the Arab World

2011-10-19T09:49:00.001-07:00

American Republican candidates are bad news for the Arab World

By: Ali Younes

The debate of American Republican presidential candidates that took place last night on CNN showed by a clear mile that the current crop of republican candidates is militantly anti-Arab and anti-Muslim. Their views on foreign policy such as the relations between the United States and Israel, Iran, Iraq and the issue of foreign aid spells disaster for the relations between an emerging and new Arab World and the United States.

Though the debate showed bickering and personal fighting moments between governors Mitt Romney and Rick Perry over issues of immigration, an issue that normally surfaces during economic downturns and where a social group takes the blame for the economic woes. It showed, nevertheless, a group of candidates who, with the exception of Congressman Ron Paul, have no idea what the US foreign policy should be when it comes to the issues of foreign aid or the Arab Israeli conflict. They also showed lack the basic understanding of International relations and why the US cannot pretend that other countries around the world simply don’t exist.

Of all the candidates only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney provided informed arguments on foreign policy. Paul answered host Anderson Cooper question of whether he would cut the forging aid to Israel and others, by saying that he would.

Paul argued correctly that US aid to Israel which is about $3 billion of direct military aid on top of $ 9 Billion of economic loans guaranteed by the US government, created a “dependency” on part of Israel. By cutting aid to Israel, Paul argued, Israel should be more responsible and finance its own military programs.

Paul however displayed hostility toward the Egypt as a country that is moving toward democracy and having more independence over its foreign policy in the region, as oppose to the way it was under its former president Hosni Mubarak, who blurred the lines between the US interests in the region and Egyptian interests.

Candidate Michelle Bachmann a member of Congress from Minnesota came across as militantly anti-Iran and staunchly pro-Israel when it comes to foreign policy and foreign aid. She answered the same question by saying that “we should not cut the aid to Israel, because Israel is our only ally in the region.” She also blasted the Iraqi government for “disrespecting” America by demanding that any US troops remained in Iraq after the scheduled US withdrawal later this year, should not have a legal immunity in the country.

Absent from the candidates’ one-sided pro-Israeli arguments the fact that Egypt under Hosni Mubarak did America’s bidding in the region including waging a war against another Arab country and was on the side of Israel when it comes to the Israeli-Palestine issues. This is on top of American military bases that cover the landscape in several Arab countries allied with the United States in the Gulf. Texas governor Rick Perry spoke bluntly against the Palestinian application to the UN for statehood, condemning them for not going through the “proper channels” that is negotiating with Israel.

Other candidates did not fare any better when it comes to Israel. Herman Cain a former CEO of a Pizza chain, Newt Gingrich former speaker of the House were as militant in their support of Israel as Bachmann was.

Such comments from the republican candidates are not very promising for an Arab world that is in the middle of shedding its dictators and moving over toward empowering its citizens and hold its leaders more accountable for their actions.

Washington Post Pulitzer prize- winning columnist, Walter Pincus, wrote in the Post two days ago calling for the reduction of the US aid to Israel. Pincus’s column which is a rarity in the mainstream American media argued that if the Israeli government can react to pressure from its citizens why can’t the United States reduce its military aid to Israel in response to its own economic crises. That’s however easily said than done.

US military and economic aid to Israel is untouchable to the point that no member of congress can even change. Columnist M J Rosenberg elucidated this point yesterday in the Huffington Post saying that “aid to Israel, is a local issue for every legislator.”

Rosenberg, who was a former congressional staffer and currently a senior foreign policy fellow at Media Matters, added that “The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) would provide the list of Israel's aid requirements for the coming year and, with few if any exceptions, every letter would include the AIPAC language. Not a punctuation mark would be changed. “At the end of the process, the AIPAC wish list would become law of the land. (Woe to any Member of Congress who dared to resist the AIPAC juggernaut). He added.

With such entrenched Pro-Israeli positions and open hostility toward the Arab World the republican candidates, therefore, are bad news for the new Arab world.

Ali Younes is a writer and political analyst based in Washington D.C. He can be reached at: aliyounes98@gmail.com

Journalists’ Troubling, If Divided Vote on Thomas

2011-09-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Journalists’ Troubling, If Divided Vote on Thomas

BY CHRISTINE TATUM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 2011 09:00:00 AM
PUBLISHED AT FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

On some levels, it has been a great deal of fun to watch the Society of Professional Journalists, one of the nation's oldest and largest journalism advocacy organizations, wrestle over the fate of a lifetime achievement award it has given for more than a decade in legendary White House Correspondent Helen Thomas' name.

Earlier this week, SPJ members voted by a slim margin, 85-71, to uphold a national board decision that euphemistically "retired" the award.

Oh, the hand wringing leading to that decision. Let's just say that if the Anti-Defamation League launches another campaign calling for an SPJ member's head -- as it did for Thomas' last year
-- the organization's national office will be prepared. The staff received training in crisis communication a few months ago. And there's now a prevailing sentiment among some of these "professional journalists" that it's not smart to name awards after living people because you never know when they're going to exercise their right to free speech in ways that make some folks plain, old mad enough not to attend award dinners. And if a prominent journalist refuses the award itself? Oh. The. Horror!

On other levels, watching a bunch of journalists -- many of whom shape the nation's news and opinion -- debate Thomas' speech has been anything but amusing. Thoroughly disturbing is more like it. Take a look at how far too many SPJ members simplistically processed her remarks, and it's no wonder that Americans have - and have had for quite some time - a lopsided view of the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Consider, for example, that not one person on behalf of this esteemed association ever contacted Thomas to ask questions that would help ensure her views were debated in a full and accurate context. Instead, SPJ members read to each other passages from published reports and characterized Thomas' comments from those. Frankly, they did no research of their own. So much for the Society's ethics code, which instructs journalists to "seek truth and report it," "minimize harm" and "act independently."

The Israel lobby’s influence and wrath are very old news to just about every American editor.

Then there were the journalists who skipped straight to charges of anti-Semitism. Never mind that Thomas has said repeatedly she is a critic not of Jewish people, but of Israel's government and of Zionist politics, which are supported by millions of people who aren't Jewish. It is entirely possible to criticize Israel's government without harboring a trace of anti-Semitism - as Israelis demonstrate every day. But that critical distinction is lost - often intentionally -- on a lot of people in the United States.

Thomas' criticism of the Israel lobby's influence on American policy and commerce surely ticked off some SPJ members, but what really steamed them was her criticism of the lobby's influence on American media. Thomas has never said that influence has no place in our country; she simply wants people to be aware of it and how it potentially affects the news and opinion that shape our country's views of the Middle East. When Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas received a standing ovation in the United Nations General Assembly last week, know that many of the world leaders who jumped to their feet were reacting in part to news coverage and editorial opinions about Israel's behavior that we don't see often in the United States.

The Israel lobby's influence and wrath are very old news to just about every American editor who has handled opinion pages or dealt with the public. However, only those with backbones of steel will say so outside circles of trusted colleagues.

"... To discourage unfavorable reporting on Israel, groups in the lobby organize letter-writing campaigns, demonstrations and boycotts against news outlets whose content they consider anti-Israel," wrote John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in their 2007 book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.

The book also notes that Menachem Shalev, a former spokesman for the Israeli consulate in New York, once put it another way: "Of course a lot of self-censorship goes on. Journalists, editors and politicians are going to think twice about criticizing Israel if they know they are going to get thousands of angry calls in a matter of hours. The Jewish lobby is good at orchestrating pressure."

It is a pressure 91-year-old Helen Thomas has observed for decades - and one that was applied to her when she dared to complain about it and Israel's treatment of Palestine. One would think a journalism-advocacy group would ardently defend her right to free speech and be smart enough to make many of the same distinctions between politics and people that she does. You'd think an organization like SPJ would celebrate that this pioneer in journalism has, in many respects, prompted more Americans to scrutinize one of the world's most complex and pressing problems - and our nation's role in it.

Perhaps a journalism organization will be courageous and principled enough to give Helen Thomas the praise she deserves. Clearly, it's not this one. SPJ has sensitive members to soothe and polite, professional dinners to host.

Christine Tatum served as 2006-07 national president of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Abbas: The Long Overdue Palestinian State

2011-05-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

The Long Overdue Palestinian State

By MAHMOUD ABBAS

Ramallah, West Bank

SIXTY-THREE years ago, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was forced to leave his home in the Galilean city of Safed and flee with his family to Syria. He took up shelter in a canvas tent provided to all the arriving refugees. Though he and his family wished for decades to return to their home and homeland, they were denied that most basic of human rights. That child’s story, like that of so many other Palestinians, is mine.

This month, however, as we commemorate another year of our expulsion — which we call the nakba, or catastrophe — the Palestinian people have cause for hope: this September, at the United Nations General Assembly, we will request international recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border and that our state be admitted as a full member of the United Nations.

Many are questioning what value there is to such recognition while the Israeli occupation continues. Others have accused us of imperiling the peace process. We believe, however, that there is tremendous value for all Palestinians — those living in the homeland, in exile and under occupation.

It is important to note that the last time the question of Palestinian statehood took center stage at the General Assembly, the question posed to the international community was whether our homeland should be partitioned into two states. In November 1947, the General Assembly made its recommendation and answered in the affirmative. Shortly thereafter, Zionist forces expelled Palestinian Arabs to ensure a decisive Jewish majority in the future state of Israel, and Arab armies intervened. War and further expulsions ensued. Indeed, it was the descendants of these expelled Palestinians who were shot and wounded by Israeli forces on Sunday as they tried to symbolically exercise their right to return to their families’ homes.

Minutes after the State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, the United States granted it recognition. Our Palestinian state, however, remains a promise unfulfilled.

Palestine’s admission to the United Nations would pave the way for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not only a political one. It would also pave the way for us to pursue claims against Israel at the United Nations, human rights treaty bodies and the International Court of Justice.

Our quest for recognition as a state should not be seen as a stunt; too many of our men and women have been lost for us to engage in such political theater. We go to the United Nations now to secure the right to live free in the remaining 22 percent of our historic homeland because we have been negotiating with the State of Israel for 20 years without coming any closer to realizing a state of our own. We cannot wait indefinitely while Israel continues to send more settlers to the occupied West Bank and denies Palestinians access to most of our land and holy places, particularly in Jerusalem. Neither political pressure nor promises of rewards by the United States have stopped Israel’s settlement program.

Negotiations remain our first option, but due to their failure we are now compelled to turn to the international community to assist us in preserving the opportunity for a peaceful and just end to the conflict. Palestinian national unity is a key step in this regard. Contrary to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asserts, and can be expected to repeat this week during his visit to Washington, the choice is not between Palestinian unity or peace with Israel; it is between a two-state solution or settlement-colonies.

Despite Israel’s attempt to deny us our long-awaited membership in the community of nations, we have met all prerequisites to statehood listed in the Montevideo Convention, the 1933 treaty that sets out the rights and duties of states. The permanent population of our land is the Palestinian people, whose right to self- determination has been repeatedly recognized by the United Nations, and by the International Court of Justice in 2004. Our territory is recognized as the lands framed by the 1967 border, though it is occupied by Israel.

We have the capacity to enter into relations with other states and have embassies and missions in more than 100 countries. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union have indicated that our institutions are developed to the level where we are now prepared for statehood. Only the occupation of our land hinders us from reaching our full national potential; it does not impede United Nations recognition.

The State of Palestine intends to be a peace-loving nation, committed to human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. Once admitted to the United Nations, our state stands ready to negotiate all core issues of the conflict with Israel. A key focus of negotiations will be reaching a just solution for Palestinian refugees based on Resolution 194, which the General Assembly passed in 1948.

Palestine would be negotiating from the position of one United Nations member whose territory is militarily occupied by another, however, and not as a vanquished people ready to accept whatever terms are put in front of us.

We call on all friendly, peace-loving nations to join us in realizing our national aspirations by recognizing the State of Palestine on the 1967 border and by supporting its admission to the United Nations. Only if the international community keeps the promise it made to us six decades ago, and ensures that a just resolution for Palestinian refugees is put into effect, can there be a future of hope and dignity for our people.

Mahmoud Abbas is the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the president of the Palestinian National Authority.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/opinion/17abbas.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

Proud to have served as emcee for the 18th Anniversary Gala of Life for Relief in Dearborn

2011-05-02T05:44:00.001-07:00

I was honored to serve on Friday as the emcee for a phenomenal Gala Dinner to celebrate the 18 years of great work by Life for Relief in Dearborn on Friday night (before the NAAJA 6^th Annual Journalism Conference at the Hyatt which began Saturday). Life for Relief (www.lifeusa.org) does so much great charitable work. And while the dinner was packed with supporters, the biased and unfair mainstream American media was down the street covering the vicious hatred of Terry Jones who did his best to provoke with his hatred violence from the people of Dearborn. Terry Jones was a major story for the media but none of the mainstream media covered the Life for Relief dinner and their achievements, one of the major problems making the American news media more and more irrelevant. The mainstream media ignores the achievements of all Muslim and Arab organizations but always focuses on the negative and the conflict.

NAAJA (www.NAAJA-US.com) will help change that pattern of unprofessionalism from the media.

Please take a moment to view this YouTube video by Life for Relief’s Ayman Aburahma which detailed some of the great charitable work they do across the globe helping families, mothers, children, the elderly and everyone in need.

Life for Relief video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSGaAS74AOU

Thanks so much

Ray Hanania

www.Hanania.com

NAAJA Dearborn Journalism Conference recap

2011-04-30T21:01:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share with you the wonderful support letter that NAAJA received from the prestigious Washington Arab American Journalists Association. The letter is below. NAAJA officially recognizes Mohamad Dalbah and the WAAJ as our official Washington DC sister organization and will be working and networking with them in the future to organize a journalism conference there soon.

Our 6^th annual convention was an amazing success. Presented several 2011 NAAJA Excellence in Journalism Awards and scholarships totaling $2,000 to three students:

2011 EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS

George Hishmeh, Washington DC based syndicated columnist and journalist ... He worked at the Chicago sun times steer arriving in the us in 1968 and a few years later was hired by the Washington post ... Born in Nazareth, Palestine, George Hishmeh is an example of how American Arabs can walk through the door and in to journalism careers ... So for his years of service, NAAJA is proud to present George Hishmeh with the 2011 NAAJA excellence in journalism award

Laila Diab ... Laila Diab has been working in journalism and communications for nearly 30 years, writing stories about American Arabs in Chicago and across the nation ... She is an educator and a volunteer to help young people better understand in Chicago how they can be more successful in life. NAAJA is proud to present the 2011 excellence in journalism to Laila Diab

Delinda Hanley, editor, The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs is one of the most important American Arab magazines in the country. It is the one magazine that offers news and facts that are often Intentionally excluded from the coverage of the American Arab and Muslim community. Delinda Hanley has dedicated much of her life working for the Washington report which is celebrating 29 years in publication, working as the news editor. NAAJA is proud to present the 2011 excellence in journalism to Delinda Hanley for her dedicated to accuracy and professional journalism.

Christine Tatum, for SPJ President: The society of professional journalists is the leading professional journalism organizations in the world. It has more than 10,000 members working in print, broadcast and online media. For years, the SPJ has supported inclusion of American Arabs and one of the people who helped facilitate American Arab involvement ... Bringing true diversity to a fully un-diverse profession is Christine Tatum who as national SPJ president helped launched the Arab section of the organization in 2007-2008. Last year, her successor unilaterally shut that section down without ever contacting our group ... A pattern in the SPJ that is unfortunate and wrong ... For her leadership and dedication to diversity and for supporting the rights of American Arabs NAAJA is proud to present the 2011 excellence in journalism award to Christine Tatum.

SCHOLARSHIPS ... Presented by Rehab Amer, and NAAJA Coordinator Reima Abuarabi

1 -- Batoul Baidoun, Presented by Rehab Amer; Star International Academy, High school senior. Batoul's academic counselor is Hutham Tankersley. Batoul received a scholarship for $1,000. Batoul wrote about the role of the new media and the tragedy of Rehab Amber and the adoption of HB 4118 Sponsored by Dr. Nazer Abdel-Fattah

2 -- Fadel Nabilsi, of Central Academy, Ann Arbor, MI received a scholarship for $500. Fadel wrote about the tragedy of the family of Rehab Amber and HB 4118 the Amer act. Sponsored by Nina Sky Productions (Nina Bazzy). Fadel's instructor is Tahani Dari, who is the assessment coordinator and career adviser ...

3 -- Ali Ghandour ... His career counselor is Hutham Tankersley; He is a high school senior at Star International Academy. He received a scholarship for $500 and wrote an essay about the tragedy of Rehab Amer and the Amer Act HB 4118. Sponsored by NAAJA. The Star International Academy is headed by Nawal Hamady. There are several schools in their group

Note: Central academy Ann arbor is a part of global educational excellence ... And we thank Mohammed Issa for all the work he does at global educational excellence and for supporting this conference and our students. We also had entries from many other students and institutions including universal academy ... And also from the University of Michigan scholarships to high school seniors:

We had more than 130 students attend the conference in addition to about 100 full registration attendees and more than 50 speakers on 12 panels. The students were sponsored by Mohamed Issa (65 students) and Ziyad Brothers Importing (65 students).

Dignitaries included:

- Dearborn Mayor the Honorable Jack O'Reilly who spoke forcefully about the racism of Terry Jones and the ridiculous hate claims by bigots that Dearborn is the center of Sharia Law.

- Wayne County Executive the Honorable Robert A. Ficano congratulated NAAJA and the scholarship winners.

- U.S. Rep. the Honorable John Dingell (15th) congratulated NAAJA and the scholarship winners.

Our Keynote speakers were:

- Lawrence Pintak, author "The New Arab Journalist”

- Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Middle East & North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists

At the end of the program, I performed standup comedy, (raking Ikhras and KabobFest across the coals) to thunderous laughter.

And phenomenal Middle Eastern music was provided by the Usama Blabaki orchestra

Our emcee was Warren David. The Detroit Chapter of NAAJA including Laila alhusinni, our chapter coordinator, and NAAJA staff Sameh Alhady, Reima Abouarabi, Zena Zahr, Saira Mussani and Areej Kattan, organized the event at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn. More than 35 organizations sponsored the dinner.

RAY HANANIA

www.NAAJA-US.com

WAAJ Letter

April 29, 2011

Dear members of NAAJA

Dear Ray

It is with profound honor and pride that we at Washington Association of Arab Journalists (WAAJ) congratulate you and the NAAJA members as well as the Arab community in Dearborn for making this conference a success.

We at WAAJ consider NAAJA a sister organization that represents journalists of Arab heritage across the nation. WAAJ on the other hand is a representative of Arab and Arab –American journalists in the Washington D.C area. Our institution represents newspapers and Satellite channels that transmit from the Arab World into and outside the Arab world.

With this in mind, we at WAAJ hope and aspire that we can join forces with NAAJA to build a much bigger and stronger organization that will represent us all.

A new organization that will have NAAJA’s grass root national presence and WAAJ’s Washington and the Arab world strong presence will be the best hope to defend our members’ rights and above all present the story and the perspective of the Arab world in this country.

Ray, as a “historic figure” in the Chicago Arab press and media, you know how important for our community and its institutions to speak in one voice and to be represented by strong institutions. Therefore, my friend, let’s put our hands together and start working together.

In closing, we, again, congratulate you and Liala Hussini for your hard work and efforts to make this conference a success and our hope and goal that by next year, conference there will one big organization that represent us all, and we all will be in one conference.

Thank you so much and God Bless all of you

Yours truly

Mohammad Dalbah

President

Panel A on ethnic media representation in America

2011-04-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Suzanne Manneh of New America Media leads panel on ethnic media representation wi veteran journalist Stephene Franklin, Bridges TV president Hunaid Baliwala and radio talkshow host Ginnnah Muhammad discuss how the ethnic media can overcome challenges of bias in the mainstream American news media. Check out the twitter piture blog at www.twitpic.com/photos/rayhanania

Dearborn Arab Journalism Conference features local leaders and journalists from across country

2011-04-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ray Hanania

APRIL 28, 2011 rayhanania@comcast.net

Laila alhusinni

lealhusinni@yahoo.com

Dearborn Arab Journalism Conference features

local leaders and journalists from across country

Chicago/Detroit – Journalists from across the country will join more than 300 attendees and 120 students at a weekend-long conference to address challenges facing the nation’s American Arab and Muslim community in the decade since the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Welcoming the attendees at the 6^th Annual Conference of the National American Arab Journalists Association at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan beginning Friday April 29 are Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, and Congressmen John Conyers Jr., and John Dingell.

Keynote speakers at the Saturday Gala dinner include Mohamed Abdel Dayem of the Committee to Protect Journalists and author Lawrence Pintak (“The New Arab Journalist”). The luncheon speaker Saturday is veteran journalist and columnist George Hishmeh. Warren David president of the highly popular online media site, ArabDetroit.com, is the evening’s emcee. Middle East entertainment will be provided by the Usama Balbaki Orchestra and award winning journalist Ray Hanania, columnist for Creators Syndicate, will provide laughter offering his special brand of Palestinian American Comedy.

The evening will feature the presentation of the first annual NAAJA Journalism Scholarships to three high school students pursuing careers in journalism or communications. More than 120 students are being sponsored courtesy of several sponsors including Ziyad Brothers Importing.

Twelve panels beginning Saturday morning at 9 am in two rooms will address a wide range of issues including the pro-Democracy protests sweeping the Arab World, the struggle for freedom by Palestinians, the challenges facing American Arab newspaper publishers, techniques for using social and online media, immigration reform, healthcare issues, civil rights in the 10 years since Sept. 11, and how to tell the American Arab and Muslim story to mainstream Americans.

A panel will also discuss the growing challenges facing American Arabs in journalism reviewing the assaults on Octavia Nasr and Helen Thomas, while another will explore U.S. Policy in the Middle Eat with the State Department’s Near Affairs Director of Public Diplomacy Phil Frayne and journalists George Hishmeh and Ali Younes.

The complete program is available online at www.NAAJA-US.com.

“We are very excited to have everyone that counts in American Arab and Muslim journalism attending this conference,” said Conference Coordinator and NAAJA Detroit organizer Laila alhusinni. “Everyone and anyone who fashions themselves as a journalist and who cares about the future of American Arabs and Muslims will be at this three-day conference.”

Ms. Alhusinni, co-host of the weekly morning radio show Radio Baladi simulcast live on radio in Chicago on WJJG AM 1530 and in Detroit on WNZK AM 690, said the conference will also present four NAAJA Excellence in Journalism Awards.

“We are honored to have so many high quality professional journalists speaking at this event,” said Hanania, who is a political columnist with the Southwest News-Herald and Lawndale News in Chicago, and with the Jerusalem Post Newspaper and PalestineNote.com. Hanania is the national coordinator for NAAJA.

Panel speakers at the conference on Saturday include:

- Suzanne Manneh, New America Media

- Hunaid M. Baliwala, President, Bridges TV

- Stephen Franklin, former Chicago Tribune Middle East correspondent, reporter Detroit Free Press now director of Ethnic Media for the Chicago Community Media Workshop

- Ginnnah Muhammad, radio talkshow host

- Stephen Coats, Sabeel Media

- Weam Namu, journalist

- Brian Bowe, visiting assistant professor of journalism in Grand Valley State University's School of Communications

- Geri Alumit Zeldes, assistant professor in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University

- Ali Beydoun, Arab American Student Union, Wayne State University

- Laura Fawaz, photographer, journalism graduate, Oakland University

- Delia Habhab, Wayne State University Communications graduate

- Faiz Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief of the East West Link newspaper, and studies at Oakland University

- Peter J. Hammer, Prof. of Civil Rights, Wayne State Uni.

- Ron Scott, radio talk show host

- Imad Hamad, ADC Michigan

- Dawud Walid, Executive Director of CAIR Michigan

- Hasan Nawash, Palestine Center Dearborn

- Janice Milhem, president of Milhem Images, Inc.

- Barbara Harvey, Jewish Voice for Peace, Detroit Chapter board member

- Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire

- Gregg Krupa, editor and reporter at newspapers and magazines in New York City, Boston, Detroit and Providence, Rhode Island

- Niraj Warikoo, reporter, Detroit Free Press

- Joe Grimm is a professor of media at Michigan State University, former editor, recruiter at the Detroit Free Press

- Roop Raj, reporter Fox 2 News Mornings in Detroit

- Oralandar Brand-Williams, Detroit News reporter

- Steven N. Garmo, Esq. Attorney & Counselor at Law, Law Offices of Garmo & Associates, P.C.

- Marshal E. Hyman, Esq. Attorney specializing in Immigration and Nationality Law

- Lena Masri, Esq. immigration attorney

- Charlie Langdon, news analyst for Fox News

- Renée Ahee, APR, Facilitator and presenter, Executive Director, National Arab American Medical Association

- Ahmad Adam, President/CEO and Founder of Crescent Foods

- Dr. Raymond Hilu, internal medicine specialist at St. John Health System and a teaching physician, has confirmed his participation.

- Cindy Goodaker, executive editor of Crain’s Detroit Business, has confirmed her participation.

- Kim Koslowski, Journalist, the Detroit News

- Christine Tatum, former President of the Society of Professional Journalists

- Lloyd Weston, journalist and Wayne State University alumni

- Peter Wirth, President GW Associates, Washington DC

- Mansour Tadros, al-Mustaqbal Chicago

- Warren David, ArabDetroit.com

- Khalil Ramal, Veteran journalist and reporter covering Detroit and the Middle East

- Delinda C. Hanley, news editor, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

- Phil Frayne, Director, Office of Press and Public Diplomacy, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, US State Department

- Ali Younes, Washington DC based columnist

- George Hishmeh, award winning journalist

More than 35 organizations, businesses and journalism associations are co-sponsoring the conference.

NAAJA also hosts the new Arab American News Wire (www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com) which will pay freelance writers to write news and feature stories about American Arab and Muslim communities that will be distributed free-of-charge to American Arab and Muslim publications and media.

A limited number of registrations will be accepted at the conference.

# # #

Three Student Scholarships to be awarded at Annual Arab Journalism Confab

2011-04-13T08:27:00.001-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ray Hanania

APRIL 13, 2011 rayhanania@comcast.net

Laila alhusinni

lealhusinni@yahoo.com

Three Student Scholarships to be awarded at Annual Arab Journalism Confab

Chicago/Detroit – The National American Arab Journalists Association will present three scholarships to students in their junior or senior years in High school or who are in college at the 6^th Annual Journalism Conference in Dearborn, Michigan April 29-May 1, 2011.

Students have been asked to submit a 1,000-word essay expressing a viewpoint on one of three important topics.

A)  The “Amer Legislation” which was signed in to law in Michigan in December 2010. In response to the tragedy and by the gross injustice endured by the Amer family. Questions include “How could media have played a more vital role in covering the story from the onset?” And “What difference could this have made for the Amer family, the Arab-American community, and other families.”
B)   American Media coverage of Arab-American communities
C)   American media coverage of the Arab World, Arab foreign policy (or combined with B).

The first place award recipient will be presented with a $1,000 check. Checks of $500 each will be presented to two other student applicants based on their writing style.

The deadline to submit an application is April 21. Applications can be obtained online at www.NAAJA-US.com. Using the drop down menu at the top of the page, select Conferences and then 2011 Dearborn Conference. There is also a direct link to the NAAJA Scholarships, along with information about the annual ADC Jack Shaheen Communications Scholarship.

Titled “American Arab Journalism 10 Years since Sept. 11^th Strengthening our role in educating the American Public & the Arab World,” the 2011 NAAJA Journalism Conference will closely examine the challenges facing American Arabs in the decade since the terrorism attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And it will bring together journalists, communicators and activists from across the country.

“One of the primary goals of NAAJA is to support not only American Arabs who engage in professional journalism in mainstream media or the ethnic media, but to also support and encourage young people of Arab heritage to pursue careers in journalism, communications and related fields,” said NAAJA National Coordinator Ray Hanania.

The conference is featuring a wide range of journalists and speakers including: Phil Frayne, the Director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs . George Hishmeh, an award winning veteran journalist and former president of the Washington Arab Journalism Association, who will also offer special insights at a luncheon earlier in the day. Gala Dinner keynote speakers include Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Middle East & North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Lawrence Pintak, the author of the new book “The New Arab Journalist.”

The conference emcee this year is Warren David, president of ArabDetroit.com. The dinner will also feature a presentation on the civil rights challenges since Sept. 11.

Other speakers include Christine Tatum, former president of the Society of Professional Journalists. A complete listing of panels and speakers are available online.

More than 20 organizations and businesses and journalism associations are co-sponsoring the conference.

Registration is only $75 per person ($55 for students) and includes lunch and dinner plus full access to all panels on Saturday and the Saturday night Gala Banquet. The Hyatt is offering a special room rate of only $89 per night for conference attendees.

To register online or to get more information, please visit the official web page of NAAJA at www.NAAJA-US.com. A link to the Dearborn conference, and past conferences, will direct you to registration.

# # #

State Department official to present at Arab Journalism Conference Phil Frayne will review events sweeping the Middle East

2011-04-13T05:40:00.001-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ray Hanania

APRIL 13, 2011 rayhanania @ comcast.net

Laila alhusinni

lealhusinni@yahoo.com

State Department official to present at Arab Journalism Conference
Phil Frayne will review events sweeping the Middle East

Chicago/Detroit – U.S. State Department official Phil Frayne will join a panel discussion at the 6^th Annual National American Arab Journalism Association convention addressing changes in the Middle East and American foreign policy.

Frayne, the Director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, will join professional American Arab journalists George Hishmeh and Ali Younes during the panel which is one of 12 panels that will be presented on Saturday April 30, 2011 during the conference program.

“We’re very excited to have Mr. Frayne join our distinguished panels of speakers that will be presented in two separate conference rooms all day on Saturday during the conference,” said NAAJA National coordinator Ray Hanania.

“Mr. Frayne joins a panel of American Arab journalists who will discuss with attendees issues such as Arab world coverage of the pro-Democracy movements, the factors pushing for the change, and the challenges facing American Arab journalists seeking to educate the American public on Middle East issues.”

Mr. Hishmeh, an award winning veteran journalist and former president of the Washington Arab Journalism Association, will also offer special insights at a luncheon earlier in the day. The keynote speakers at the Gala Dinner that evening include Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Middle East & North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Lawrence Pintak, the author of the new book “The New Arab Journalist.”

The conference emcee this year is Warren David, president of ArabDetroit.com. The dinner will also feature a presentation on the civil rights challenges since Sept. 11.

Other panels will explore issues ranging from the attacks against American Arab journalists Helen Thomas and Octavia Nasr to the controversy surrounding the release of the movie Miral. A complete listing of panels are online on the official conference web site at:

www.NAAJA-US.com

Click the Conference Drop Down Menu and select 2011 Dearborn Conference at the top of the website.

“American Arab journalists are under siege,” observed alhusinni. “From Helen Thomas to Octavia Nasr, we are being targeted because of what we represent. And, what we represent is a determination to insure that the mainstream news media is fair, accurate and includes the voices of American Arabs and Muslims in their daily reporting. That doesn’t always happen.”

The conference goals are to strengthen the growing network of American Arab Journalists, NAAJA and help launch more chapter networks in other cities. Currently, NAAJA has more than 300 members – there is no fee to join – and has five chapters including in Chicago, Dearborn, Washington D.C., Oregon and Austin.

NAAJA will also recognize three students with scholarships ranging from $1,000 to two $500 awards. NAAJA is dedicated to supporting young American Arabs to help them pursue careers in journalism.

More than 20 organizations and businesses and journalism associations are co-sponsoring the conference.

# # #

NAAJA Conference to address challenges facing journalists in Middle East

2011-04-07T05:11:00.001-07:00

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ray Hanania

April 6, 2011 rayhanania@comcast.net

Laila alHusinni

lealhusinni@yahoo.com

NAAJA Conference to address challenges facing journalists in Middle East

Chicago/Detroit – Speakers will address the challenges facing journalists covering the pro-Democracy movement in the Middle East and Arab world at the annual conference of the National American Arab Journalists Association.

The conference is being held April 29 – May 1, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan. It is open to the public.

Keynote speakers include Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the Middle East & North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, Lawrence Pintak, the author of the new book “The New Arab Journalist,” and award winning journalist George Hishmeh.

The conference is being sponsored by nearly two dozen community and journalism organizations. Registration is being kept intentionally low at $75 per person for the weekend event. But a large number of students interested in journalism and communications are attending the event through local colleges and sponsorship by major corporations.

The Saturday schedule features 10 panel discussions on major issues facing American Arabs, a luncheon and dinner gala. Warren David, president of David Communications and ArabDetroit.com, the largest network of American Arabs, is the emcee. Imad Hamad, the executive Director of the Detroit and Michigan Chapters of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee will address the 10^th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 and the increase in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim discrimination.

Three students will be honored with college scholarships at the event for essays they have submitted on the importance of being American Arab.

“We are very excited to host the national journalism conference in Dearborn,””said NAAJA Detroit Coordinator Laila alhusinni, host of the morning radio show “Good Morning Michigan” and the syndicated radio show Radio Baladi which is broadcast in both Chicago an Detroit every Friday morning.

“This is just a start. We hope to strengthen the voices of American Arab and Muslim in Detroit and the region by working more closely with professional journalists. This conference will also help define how the community faces and understands challenges in the coming years.”

Entertainment at the Gala Dinner will be provided by the musical ensemble of Usama Balbaki.

For more information on the conference, visit www.NAAJA-US.com. Participants can register online. Hotel accommodations are being provided by the Hyatt Hotel in Dearborn. Hotel registrations can also be made online or by telephone at a special $89 per night rate.

end

Arab and Muslim candidates in Chicago area defeated in nearly every race where there was a contest

2011-04-06T06:14:00.001-07:00

Even though many of the candidates had the backing of local political leaders, organizations and the dominant political parties, most of the Arab and Muslim candidates who ran for office were defeated.

The only victors were those who were running in uncontested races. Only a few, non-Arab Muslims, were elected in areas where Muslims have held public office. In those cases, only one received among the highest votes of the winning candidates, while in almost every other uncontested race, the Arab and Muslim candidates received the lowest vote victories.

Click to view an overview of the elections that took place in Suburban Cook County on April 5, 2011: Click Here to view PDF.

Arab/Muslim candidates who won -- there were no Christian Arab candidates slated or backed for public office -- include:

Ahmed M. Aduib who ran and won uncontested in the race for a 6 year term on the Bridgeview Library District. Aduib had the support of incumbent Bridgeview Mayor and State Senator Steven Landek. Most offices in Bridgeview were uncontested reflecting a rare community harmony compared to other suburban communities where elections were contentious.

Nuha Hasan won a 4 year seat on the Justice Park District Board where she was also uncontested.

Those are the only success stories.

Other races showed the disconnect between mainstream American voters and American candidates of Arab and Muslim heritage. Ironically, all of the communities have large Arab and Muslim populations. But, although they do not get the support that they give non-Arab and non-Muslim candidates, Arab and Muslim voters were much like other voters and did not vote their true power. The conclusion is that in order for American Arab and Muslims to win office, Arab and Muslim voters must come out in force, more than 90 percent.

In the contested races:

Maha Hasan ran in last place for a 6 year seat on the Justice Library Board. She received nearly one-third fewer votes than the highest vote-getter in the election.

Bassam Abdallah ran in last place for a six year seat on the Orland Park Library District Board, a community where there is a large American Arab and Muslim population. Most Arabs and Muslims there, though, did not vote.

Lina Zayed lost in a bid for a four year seat on the Burbank District 111 school board. Again, Burbank has a very large Arab and Muslim population. She received less than half of the average vote cast in the election, but in her case, she was extremely active and she did not run in last place. She came in 5th place out of 7 candidates running. The top three winners received over 800 votes each.

Itedal Shalabi running for a four year seat on the North Palos School District 117 seat, lost by a large margin. The district includes Bridgeview and Palos.

Rola Othman also ran in last place in a contest for a four year seat on the Reavis High school district 220 board, also in Burbank where Arab and Muslim populations are large.

All of the candidates ran very professional and high profile races. They were organized and supported by a new political organization called Project Mobilize which helped all of the candidates combine their resources and develop excellent campaign literature and public presence. www.ProjectMobilize.org.

The key clearly is not the high quality of American Arab or Muslim candidates but rather the challenges they faced running in an atmosphere of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias that has only increased in the 10 years since the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorism attacks. All of the candidates were immensely qualified for the posts they were running for and are active in their local mainstream communities.

But the biggest problem is that most Arab and Muslim voters did not participate. Suburban off-year elections are already the lowest voter turnouts, which would give minority ethnic groups and advantage if they did turn out in force to vote. But when the minority ethnic voters act like the majority voters and do not vote, the results are predictable.

-- Ray Hanania

www.TheMediaOasis.com

Helen Thomas challenges the Teflon protection of the extremist defenders if Israel's brutality

2010-12-04T15:25:00.001-08:00

Helen Thomas speaking to a gathering at the Diversity Conference hosted by Arab Detroit (www.ArabDetroit.com). She is defiant and refuses to back down and challenges the cowardly government and media for not standing up to the pro-Israel extremists in this country.

Helen Thomas challenges the Teflon protection of the extremist defenders if Israel's brutality from Ray Hanania on Vimeo.

Video taped by Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

www.RadioBaladi.com

NAAJA Arab journalists denounce Wayne State Uni move canceling Helen Thomas award

2010-12-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ray Hanania

rghanania@gmail.com

American Arab Journalists denounce Wayne State University's cancellation

of Helen Thomas Award as a move to undermine Free Speech

Chicago, Il - The National Arab American Journalists Association Saturday denounced the decision to Wayne State University to terminate its annual Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award, calling the move a cowardly act surrendering to racist hate.

Wayne State University, which has a large American Arab student population located in the heart of the nation's largest American Arab community, took the action in the face of pressure from Pro-Israel hate organizations angry because Helen Thomas expressed an opinion criticizing the influence of Zionist American organizations on American Foreign Policy.

Thomas, the keynote speaker at a Diversity Conference hosted Dec. 3 by ArabDetroit.com and attended by more than 300 participants, criticized those who attacked her for challenging Israel's actions in Palestine. She repeated her belief that the Zionist political movement in the United States "controls" the White House, the Congress and American foreign policy.

"The topic of Zionism is irrelevant to this debate. The real issue is free speech. Is America a nation of Free Speech or has our free speech been compromised by oftentimes vicious and hateful special interest organizations," said NAAJA coordinator Ray Hanania.

"This is America and America is the nation that is supposed to be the country of Free Speech. Instead of cowering in the face of pressure and special interest lobbying groups, journalists especially and other mainstream organizations should allow an open and full public discussion of the issues, controversial or not."

Hanania said that American Arab journalists have come under intense pressure from their news organizations and from organizations across the country in the wake of Helen Thomas' public crucifixion.

Thomas denied she resigned from the Hearst media corporation and said she was "fired" for expressing her views. She called President Barack Obama and other mainstream journalists "who fear challenging Israel's influence" in this country "cowardly."

The Society of Professional Journalists this year closed down the American Arab Journalism section and blog specifically because American Arab journalists have expressed opinions that challenge the news media's failure to be objective on the issue of the Middle East. The decision by Wayne State University to cave to special-interest political pressure is a continuation of growing anti-Arab sentiment.

"Mainstream American journalism is being bullied and pressured into censoring pro-Arab and pro-Palestinian free speech. American Arabs have never said that the pro-Israel view should be silenced. We have only demanded that the mainstream American news media include our views equally and present them fairly. They have not done that. Helen Thomas is a perfect example of that lack of professionalism."

NAAJA has more than 250 members across the country working in mainstream American journalism positions and the ethnic media.

American Arab Journalists from across America will converge in Dearborn March 4 - 6, 2011 to participate in a national conference to address this and other topics. The conference is being held at the Hyatt Regency in

Dearborn. The web site is www.NAAJA-US.com.

"The voices of American Arabs will not be silenced in a country where we, too, have served our country valiantly in every war, in every military branch and in every public and government position that has been open to us. Wayne State University's actions ate shameful and undermine the very aspect that makes this country great, free speech," Hanania said.

end

Daley praises American Arabs saying they need not apologize for overseas violence

2010-11-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Daley praises American Arabs saying they need not apologize for overseas violence

By Ray Hanania

Retiring Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley told a gathering of Chicago Arabs that they need not apologize to anyone for the actions of extremists overseas during a speech celebrating American Arab heritage month.

Daley also said that he is planning three more overseas trips to the Arab World in the coming months, beginning with Casa Blanca and then to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Daley did not offer details on the trips but he praised American Arabs as equal members of America which he called “a nation of immigrants.”

About 300 American Arabs attended the reception, hosted Thursday by the Chicago Advisory Commission on Arab Affairs at the alHambra Restaurant on West Randolph Street.

“You do not need to apologize for no one. I will say it again. You do not need to apologize to no one for anything that may take place somewhere else in the world,” Daley said to applause. “That is unacceptable. Everyone is an immigrant and no one should be apologizing to anyone throughout the world. Your contributions have been very significant and are a part of the mosaic of our city.”

Daley defended the advisory council which each year hosts the Arabesque Festival, which is the only major public event celebrating Arab heritage in Chicago. The event is held every summer and attracts thousands of attendees showcasing Chicago’s rich Arab heritage and culture.

“I am always asked, why do we have an advisory council on Arab affairs? It’s very simple. We are a city of immigrants. Our past, present, and future. We welcome immigrants from all across the world and we want them to come here. And we want to make sure they feel welcome. And that is the role of the Arab Advisory commission,” Daley said.

“We are a city of immigrants and we want them to feel at home here. That is important to our city because we are all immigrants.”

Daley said he was proud of the contributions Arabs have made to the city and to the country. And he said he intended to continue to strengthen outreach to the Arab world.

“I am proud of the Arab contributions to our city in business, professions, in family life, in their religious life. All aspects of their life enriches Chicago. We are truly a global city. But being a global city means we have to not just understand the language but the customs, histories and traditions and the gifts they have given to civilizations. That is why we have established a language programs in our area high schools. Because of a global city we want to give our children the advantage of learning languages. The traditions of the Arab World are important to us as a global city,” Daley said.

“We are the first city ever to have invited the mayors of the Arab cities from the middle east to the Richard J. Daley Forum. We held that many years ago and it made a strong statement.”

Daley, who has visited several Middle East countries during his 22 years in office including recently Amman, Jordan, said he was proud of the relationship that his office has made through the Sister Cities Program. The program brings business and community leaders in Chicago together with those in selected Sister Cities. Chicago ahs three in the Middle East, Amman, Jordan, in Casa Blanca, Morocco and in Petach Tikvah in Israel, which was the target of protests by some Arab activists who attended the reception.

Daley said the Sister Cities program is about “building relationships” and creating networking opportunities for “our young people.”

“I firmly believe there will be more and more immigrants and I want to make sure they are comfortable coming to the city of Chicago in the United States of America,” Daley said.

“We must understand that this part of the world, the Middle East, and this civilization’s history. They have given so much to our world that many people have forgotten what they have given to our civilization. The contributions the Arab World has given to our civilization and many times has been forgotten in history. History doesn’t begin in the last 10 or 12 or 14 years. History goes back to their contributions in arts, in sciences.”

After the event, the Jordan Sister Cities Program hosted a musical ensemble at the alHambra Restaurant.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning columnist, radio talk show host and author of “Arabs of Chicagoland” which was published by Arcadia Publishing in 2005. He can be reached at www.RadioChicagoland.com.)

Helen Thomas is a hero slandered because of her fierce independence

2010-11-18T11:55:00.001-08:00

Helen Thomas is a hero. For more than 57 years, she has stood up to all forms of discrimination. First as a woman journalist in a man's world. Second as a fiercely objective journalist who questioned every President From Eisenhower to Obama with the same principles of justice, objectivity and balance. And Third, she is a hero because she has stood up to the onslaught of ugly name-calling from extremists in the American Jewish Community who are not happy kicking Palestinians out of Palestine, they want to kick them out of America, too.

Tonight, Thomas will receive among many honors the Dr. M.T. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. The award was established in 1999 to honor the work of journalists who have stood up to hatred, fear mongering, defamation and slander because of their work. It is presented to journalists who have shown courage in speaking and writing the truth in the face of overwhelming public anger.

It is so easy for many mainstream American journalists to remain silent, rather than to expose the hypocrisies in American society, especially after the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001. It is easy because the hatred and racism against Arabs and Muslims in America has reached an unprecedented height. Arabs and Muslims are easy prey for racists and bigots because the American public is so uneducated about truth and accuracy and they are fed a constant stream of lies from the mainstream American media.

And those Arabs and Muslims who dare to challenge the lies in the coverage of the rights of the Palestinian people are even easier to target because on top of the bigots and racists who attack Arabs and Muslims, American Jews often also join in the assaults against morality and ethics.

You can read the blog called Elder of Ziyon, an often racistly anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate site to see this hypocrisy at work. (Click here to read their most recent hateful post.)

On the one hand, the writer argues that Helen Thomas did not say that Jews should get out of the occupied territory, making the precision of the words their strongest case. And then they hypocritically violate principle, morality and even truth, arguing that Helen Thomas said that Jews should get out of Israel. The fact is Helen Thomas NEVER used the word "Jews." She was asked by a racist rabbi what Israelis should do and she said "Get the hell out of Palestine."

The most outrageous example of bigotry and racist hate comes from Morton Klein, the head of the Zionist Organization of America. His history of racism and bigotry is shameful. Klein could care less about the truth. He is more concerned with protecting a foreign country rather than defending Americans from bigotry and racism. Klein prefers to defend Israel and he hates Helen Thomas for the very reason she deserves to be honored tonight by the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC, www.ADC.org)and the National Arab American Journalists Association (www.NAAJA-US.com).

More than any other journalist, Helen Thomas was not afraid to challenge the hypocrisies and lies about Palestinians and Arabs and Muslims. She often asked the tough questions of Presidents exposing the hypocrisies of American Foreign policy that sacrificed truth and ethics for political bias towards one foreign country called Israel. And her colleagues, who rarely reported on her courageous challenges, shouted her down with their ugly silence and unprofessional and unjournalistic conduct.

NAAJA salutes Helen Thomas and American Arabs who refuse to be shouted down by bigots, demagogues and hatemongers like Morton Klein and others all because they have DARED to challenge the political polices of a foreign government, Israel.

-- Ray Hanania

www.RadioChicagoland.com

NAAJA and Radio Baladi announce 2011 Journalism Conference in Dearborn

2010-11-09T03:48:00.000-08:00

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ray Hanania

Nov. 10, 2010 rayhanania@comcast.net

Laila alhusinni

313-570-2206

NAAJA and Radio Baladi announce 2011 Journalism Conference in Dearborn

(Dearborn/Chicago) The National Arab American Journalists Association is partnering with Radio Baladi radio to host a journalism conference to explore the state of American Arab and Muslim news media and journalism 10 years after Sept. 11, 2001.

Titled “The Future of American Arab and Muslim Journalism 10 Years After September 11,” the conference will feature more than 14 panels and workshops exploring all aspects of American Arab/Muslim life and the state of journalism in the community.

Guest speakers will represent the ethnic Arab and Muslim media as well as Arabs and Muslims working in the mainstream American news media, and also mainstream American journalists whose beats cover Arab and Muslim issues. We will also showcase journalists working for Arab and Islamic World publications and media outlets at the three-day conference that will be held March 4 through 6, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Dearborn, Michigan.

The journalism conference is the 6^th hosted and organized by NAAJA, which has more than 300 networked members across the United States. Radio Baladi is a partner and broadcasts a simulcast live radio show in Chicago (WJJG AM 1530) and Detroit (WNZK AM 690) every Friday morning at 7 am (Chicago) 8 am (Detroit).

“How have the post-Sept. 11 events impacted the practices and effectiveness of the American Arab and Muslim American news media and what are the successes and the challenges they face is the purpose of the conference,” explained Ray Hanania, a veteran Chicago-based Palestinian American journalist and radio talk show host and national coordinator for NAAJA.

“This is NAAJA’s 6^th Conference and each event grows bigger and more effective. We anticipate that this will be our most successful and largest conference of all.”

Laila alhusinni, who hosts the Detroit-based radio show “Good Morning Michigan on WNZK radio, and co-hosts the weekly Radio Baladi program, said that Dearborn was chosen as the location for the conference for very specific reasons.

“Dearborn is recognized as the capitol of the American Arab community and also the Arab Muslim community in America,” alHusinni said.

“We wanted the conference to also be centrally located in the country so that we can facilitate participation from Arab, Muslim and non-Arab and non-Muslim journalists from across the country. The conference will also integrate the participation of major community organizations and businesses. They will have a major presence.”

Hanania and alhusinni said the conference has several goals they hope will be achieved when completed.

Strengthen communications among Arab and Muslim journalists in the ethnic, mainstream American and Middle East communities. “We have to communication with each other and establish professional networking in order to strengthen our mission to be professional journalists operating in the United States,” Hanania said.

Establish a scholarship fund to encourage young American Arabs and Muslims to pursue journalism as a professional career choice.

Assist the community to more effectively engage the media through workshops that will showcase strategies to be heard in the Arab and Muslim ethnic media, the Arab World media and also in the mainstream American media.

“This will include sessions addressing how to write an effective press release and then distribute it effectively,” Hanania said.

Hanania, alhusinni and 34 American Arab and Muslim organizations based on Dearborn agreed during a planning conference that the Arab and Muslims in American are denied equal access to journalism jobs and opportunities not only by the major mainstream media but also by the major professional mainstream American journalism organizations such as the Society of Professional Journalists, UNITY and others.

“We expect the hypocrisy from the uneducated public but we don’t expect it from organizations that claim to represent professional journalism.

More details on the conference can be obtained at www.NAAJA-US.com or on the web site of Radio Baladi at www.RadioBaladi.com.

end

Helen Thomas Recipient of the 2010 Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award

2010-11-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Helen Thomas Recipient of the 2010 Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | November 1, 2010 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is proud to announce that the 2010 Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award will be presented to Helen Thomas at ADC's November 18, 2010, Gala dinner in her honor. The National Arab American Journalists Association (NAAJA) and the family of the late Arab American leader, Dr. Mohammad T. Mehdi, have selected Helen Thomas as this year's award recipient.

"The story of Helen Thomas, like my father's, is one of integrity, vision, boldness, and unflagging determination," said Anisa Mehdi, a Fulbright Scholar, documentary film producer, and Dr. Mehdi's eldest daughter. "Helen Thomas is a professional journalist who reported accurately, regardless of consequences, asked the tough questions, and applied principles of fairness -- not based on politics, race or religion, but on the merits of a story."

ADC National Board Chair, Dr. Safa Rifka, states, "It is befitting to have this award presented at the Gala celebrating the achievements and courage of Helen Thomas. Like Dr. Mehdi, Ms. Thomas is a courageous pioneer who is proud of her heritage and pursues the truth."

ADC President, Sara Najjar-Wilson, stated that, "No one deserves the Courage in Journalism award more than Helen Thomas. Helen's unwavering dedication to her work, love for her country, and courage in asking the tough questions that no other person dared ask, are a source of pride to all Americans. She broke the glass ceiling for all women and is a role model for all aspiring journalists."

Dr. Mehdi was a pioneer in American Arab journalism, publishing Action Newspaper in English in the 1970s and 1980s, and distributing it to communities around the country. Dr. Mehdi is often called "the father of the Arab movement in America."

The Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award was founded in 1999 by NAAJA and the family of Dr. Mehdi. This award honors those who display extraordinary courage in reporting on stories related to Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and the Middle East.

More information about the ADC dinner for Helen

###

Contact: adc@adc.org
202-244-2990

Support ADC

This is a crucial time for ADC and Arab Americans. ADC’s success is dependent on the support and commitment of its members and donors. Your contribution will help combat discrimination, celebrate our rich cultural heritage, and promote a just US policy towards our relatives and the people in the Arab world.

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter and get the latest news, videos, articles. Join our Facebook group to network with our staff, members, and the community.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest grassroots Arab-American civil rights and civil liberties organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC has a national network of chapters and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADCRI) is a Section 501(c)(3) educational affiliate. ADCRI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC and ADCRI celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Arabs and Arab-Americans.

end

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

2010-09-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release September 23, 2010

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA

TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

United Nations Building

New York, New York

10:01 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, my fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor to address this Assembly for the second time, nearly two years after my election as President of the United States.

We know this is no ordinary time for our people. Each of us comes here with our own problems and priorities. But there are also challenges that we share in common as leaders and as nations.

We meet within an institution built from the rubble of war, designed to unite the world in pursuit of peace. And we meet within a city that for centuries has welcomed people from across the globe, demonstrating that individuals of every color, faith and station can come together to pursue opportunity, build a community, and live with the blessing of human liberty.

Outside the doors of this hall, the blocks and neighborhoods of this great city tell the story of a difficult decade. Nine years ago, the destruction of the World Trade Center signaled a threat that respected no boundary of dignity or decency. Two years ago this month, a financial crisis on Wall Street devastated American families on Main Street. These separate challenges have affected people around the globe. Men and women and children have been murdered by extremists from Casablanca to London; from Jalalabad to Jakarta. The global economy suffered an enormous blow during the financial crisis, crippling markets and deferring the dreams of millions on every continent. Underneath these challenges to our security and prosperity lie deeper fears: that ancient hatreds and religious divides are once again ascendant; that a world which has grown more interconnected has somehow slipped beyond our control.

These are some of the challenges that my administration has confronted since we came into office. And today, I’d like to talk to you about what we’ve done over the last 20 months to meet these challenges; what our responsibility is to pursue peace in the Middle East; and what kind of world we are trying to build in this 21st century.

Let me begin with what we have done. I have had no greater focus as President than rescuing our economy from potential catastrophe. And in an age when prosperity is shared, we could not do this alone. So America has joined with nations around the world to spur growth, and the renewed demand that could restart job creation.

We are reforming our system of global finance, beginning with Wall Street reform here at home, so that a crisis like this never happens again. And we made the G20 the focal point for international coordination, because in a world where prosperity is more diffuse, we must broaden our circle of cooperation to include emerging economies -- economies from every corner of the globe.

There is much to show for our efforts, even as there is much work to be done. The global economy has been pulled back from the brink of a depression, and is growing once more. We have resisted protectionism, and are exploring ways to expand trade and commerce among nations. But we cannot -- and will not -- rest until these seeds of progress grow into a broader prosperity, not only for all Americans, but for peoples around the globe.

As for our common security, America is waging a more effective fight against al Qaeda, while winding down the war in Iraq. Since I took office, the United States has removed nearly 100,000 troops from Iraq. We have done so responsibly, as Iraqis have transitioned to lead responsibility for the security of their country.

We are now focused on building a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people, while keeping our commitment to remove the rest of our troops by the end of next year.

While drawing down in Iraq, we have refocused on defeating al Qaeda and denying its affiliates a safe haven. In Afghanistan, the United States and our allies are pursuing a strategy to break the Taliban’s momentum and build the capacity of Afghanistan’s government and security forces, so that a transition to Afghan responsibility can begin next July. And from South Asia to the Horn of Africa, we are moving toward a more targeted approach -- one that strengthens our partners and dismantles terrorist networks without deploying large American armies.

As we pursue the world’s most dangerous extremists, we’re also denying them the world’s most dangerous weapons, and pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, 47 nations embraced a work-plan to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years. We have joined with Russia to sign the most comprehensive arms control treaty in decades. We have reduced the role of nuclear weapons in our security strategy. And here, at the United Nations, we came together to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As part of our effort on non-proliferation, I offered the Islamic Republic of Iran an extended hand last year, and underscored that it has both rights and responsibilities as a member of the international community. I also said -- in this hall -- that Iran must be held accountable if it failed to meet those responsibilities. And that is what we have done.

Iran is the only party to the NPT that cannot demonstrate the peaceful intentions of its nuclear program, and those actions have consequences. Through U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929, we made it clear that international law is not an empty promise.

Now let me be clear once more: The United States and the international community seek a resolution to our differences with Iran, and the door remains open to diplomacy should Iran choose to walk through it. But the Iranian government must demonstrate a clear and credible commitment and confirm to the world the peaceful intent of its nuclear program.

As we combat the spread of deadly weapons, we’re also confronting the specter of climate change. After making historic investments in clean energy and efficiency at home, we helped forge an accord in Copenhagen that -- for the first time -- commits all major economies to reduce their emissions. We are keenly aware this is just a first step. And going forward, we will support a process in which all major economies meet our responsibilities to protect the planet while unleashing the power of clean energy to serve as an engine of growth and development.

America has also embraced unique responsibilities with come -- that come with our power. Since the rains came and the floodwaters rose in Pakistan, we have pledged our assistance, and we should all support the Pakistani people as they recover and rebuild. And when the earth shook and Haiti was devastated by loss, we joined a coalition of nations in response. Today, we honor those from the U.N. family who lost their lives in the earthquake, and commit ourselves to stand with the people of Haiti until they can stand on their own two feet.

Amidst this upheaval, we have also been persistent in our pursuit of peace. Last year, I pledged my best efforts to support the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, as part of a comprehensive peace between Israel and all of its neighbors. We have travelled a winding road over the last 12 months, with few peaks and many valleys. But this month, I am pleased that we have pursued direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians in Washington, Sharm el Sheikh and Jerusalem.

Now I recognize many are pessimistic about this process. The cynics say that Israelis and Palestinians are too distrustful of each other, and too divided internally, to forge lasting peace. Rejectionists on both sides will try to disrupt the process, with bitter words and with bombs and with gunfire. Some say that the gaps between the parties are too big; the potential for talks to break down is too great; and that after decades of failure, peace is simply not possible.

I hear those voices of skepticism. But I ask you to consider the alternative. If an agreement is not reached, Palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state. Israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors who are committed to coexistence. The hard realities of demography will take hold. More blood will be shed. This Holy Land will remain a symbol of our differences, instead of our common humanity.

I refuse to accept that future. And we all have a choice to make. Each of us must choose the path of peace. Of course, that responsibility begins with the parties themselves, who must answer the call of history. Earlier this month at the White House, I was struck by the words of both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “I came here today to find a historic compromise that will enable both people to live in peace, security, and dignity.” And President Abbas said, “We will spare no effort and we will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure these negotiations achieve their cause.”

These words must now be followed by action and I believe that both leaders have the courage to do so. But the road that they have to travel is exceedingly difficult, which is why I call upon Israelis and Palestinians -- and the world -- to rally behind the goal that these leaders now share. We know that there will be tests along the way and that one test is fast approaching. Israel’s settlement moratorium has made a difference on the ground and improved the atmosphere for talks.

And our position on this issue is well known. We believe that the moratorium should be extended. We also believe that talks should press on until completed. Now is the time for the parties to help each other overcome this obstacle. Now is the time to build the trust -- and provide the time -- for substantial progress to be made. Now is the time for this opportunity to be seized, so that it does not slip away.

Now, peace must be made by Israelis and Palestinians, but each of us has a responsibility to do our part as well. Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand that true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine -- one that allows the Palestinian people to live with dignity and opportunity. And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means -- including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel.

I know many in this hall count themselves as friends of the Palestinians. But these pledges of friendship must now be supported by deeds. Those who have signed on to the Arab Peace Initiative should seize this opportunity to make it real by taking tangible steps towards the normalization that it promises Israel.

And those who speak on behalf of Palestinian self-government should help the Palestinian Authority politically and financially, and in doing so help the Palestinians build the institutions of their state.

Those who long to see an independent Palestine must also stop trying to tear down Israel. After thousands of years, Jews and Arabs are not strangers in a strange land. After 60 years in the community of nations, Israel’s existence must not be a subject for debate.

Israel is a sovereign state, and the historic homeland of the Jewish people. It should be clear to all that efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States. And efforts to threaten or kill Israelis will do nothing to help the Palestinian people. The slaughter of innocent Israelis is not resistance -- it’s injustice. And make no mistake: The courage of a man like President Abbas, who stands up for his people in front of the world under very difficult circumstances, is far greater than those who fire rockets at innocent women and children.

The conflict between Israelis and Arabs is as old as this institution. And we can come back here next year, as we have for the last 60 years, and make long speeches about it. We can read familiar lists of grievances. We can table the same resolutions. We can further empower the forces of rejectionism and hate. And we can waste more time by carrying forward an argument that will not help a single Israeli or Palestinian child achieve a better life. We can do that.

Or, we can say that this time will be different -- that this time we will not let terror, or turbulence, or posturing, or petty politics stand in the way. This time, we will think not of ourselves, but of the young girl in Gaza who wants to have no ceiling on her dreams, or the young boy in Sderot who wants to sleep without the nightmare of rocket fire.

This time, we should draw upon the teachings of tolerance that lie at the heart of three great religions that see Jerusalem’s soil as sacred. This time we should reach for what’s best within ourselves. If we do, when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations -- an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel. (Applause.)

It is our destiny to bear the burdens of the challenges that I’ve addressed -- recession and war and conflict. And there is always a sense of urgency -- even emergency -- that drives most of our foreign policies. Indeed, after millennia marked by wars, this very institution reflects the desire of human beings to create a forum to deal with emergencies that will inevitably come.

But even as we confront immediate challenges, we must also summon the foresight to look beyond them, and consider what we are trying to build over the long term? What is the world that awaits us when today’s battles are brought to an end? And that is what I would like to talk about with the remainder of my time today.

One of the first actions of this General Assembly was to adopt a Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. That Declaration begins by stating that, “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.”

The idea is a simple one -- that freedom, justice and peace for the world must begin with freedom, justice, and peace in the lives of individual human beings. And for the United States, this is a matter of moral and pragmatic necessity. As Robert Kennedy said, “the individual man, the child of God, is the touchstone of value, and all society, groups, the state, exist for his benefit.” So we stand up for universal values because it’s the right thing to do. But we also know from experience that those who defend these values for their people have been our closest friends and allies, while those who have denied those rights -- whether terrorist groups or tyrannical governments -- have chosen to be our adversaries.

Human rights have never gone unchallenged -- not in any of our nations, and not in our world. Tyranny is still with us -- whether it manifests itself in the Taliban killing girls who try to go to school, a North Korean regime that enslaves its own people, or an armed group in Congo-Kinshasa that use rape as a weapon of war.

In times of economic unease, there can also be an anxiety about human rights. Today, as in past times of economic downturn, some put human rights aside for the promise of short term stability or the false notion that economic growth can come at the expense of freedom. We see leaders abolishing term limits. We see crackdowns on civil society. We see corruption smothering entrepreneurship and good governance. We see democratic reforms deferred indefinitely.

As I said last year, each country will pursue a path rooted in the culture of its own people. Yet experience shows us that history is on the side of liberty; that the strongest foundation for human progress lies in open economies, open societies, and open governments. To put it simply, democracy, more than any other form of government, delivers for our citizens. And I believe that truth will only grow stronger in a world where the borders between nations are blurred.

America is working to shape a world that fosters this openness, for the rot of a closed or corrupt economy must never eclipse the energy and innovation of human beings. All of us want the right to educate our children, to make a decent wage, to care for the sick, and to be carried as far as our dreams and our deeds will take us. But that depends upon economies that tap the power of our people, including the potential of women and girls. That means letting entrepreneurs start a business without paying a bribe and governments that support opportunity instead of stealing from their people. And that means rewarding hard work, instead of reckless risk-taking.

Yesterday, I put forward a new development policy that will pursue these goals, recognizing that dignity is a human right and global development is in our common interest. America will partner with nations that offer their people a path out of poverty. And together, we must unleash growth that powers by individuals and emerging markets in all parts of the globe.

There is no reason why Africa should not be an exporter of agriculture, which is why our food security initiative is empowering farmers. There is no reason why entrepreneurs shouldn’t be able to build new markets in every society, which is why I hosted a summit on entrepreneurship earlier this spring, because the obligation of government is to empower individuals, not to impede them.

The same holds true for civil society. The arc of human progress has been shaped by individuals with the freedom to assemble and by organizations outside of government that insisted upon democratic change and by free media that held the powerful accountable. We have seen that from the South Africans who stood up to apartheid, to the Poles of Solidarity, to the mothers of the disappeared who spoke out against the Dirty War, to Americans who marched for the rights of all races, including my own.

Civil society is the conscience of our communities and America will always extend our engagement abroad with citizens beyond the halls of government. And we will call out those who suppress ideas and serve as a voice for those who are voiceless. We will promote new tools of communication so people are empowered to connect with one another and, in repressive societies, to do so with security. We will support a free and open Internet, so individuals have the information to make up their own minds. And it is time to embrace and effectively monitor norms that advance the rights of civil society and guarantee its expansion within and across borders.

Open society supports open government, but it cannot substitute for it. There is no right more fundamental than the ability to choose your leaders and determine your destiny. Now, make no mistake: The ultimate success of democracy in the world won’t come because the United States dictates it; it will come because individual citizens demand a say in how they are governed.

There is no soil where this notion cannot take root, just as every democracy reflects the uniqueness of a nation. Later this fall, I will travel to Asia. And I will visit India, which peacefully threw off colonialism and established a thriving democracy of over a billion people.

I’ll continue to Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, which binds together thousands of islands through the glue of representative government and civil society. I’ll join the G20 meeting on the Korean Peninsula, which provides the world’s clearest contrast between a society that is dynamic and open and free, and one that is imprisoned and closed. And I will conclude my trip in Japan, an ancient culture that found peace and extraordinary development through democracy.

Each of these countries gives life to democratic principles in their own way. And even as some governments roll back reform, we also celebrate the courage of a President in Colombia who willingly stepped aside, or the promise of a new constitution in Kenya.

The common thread of progress is the principle that government is accountable to its citizens. And the diversity in this room makes clear -- no one country has all the answers, but all of us must answer to our own people.

In all parts of the world, we see the promise of innovation to make government more open and accountable. And now, we must build on that progress. And when we gather back here next year, we should bring specific commitments to promote transparency; to fight corruption; to energize civic engagement; to leverage new technologies so that we strengthen the foundations of freedom in our own countries, while living up to the ideals that can light the world.

This institution can still play an indispensable role in the advance of human rights. It’s time to welcome the efforts of U.N. Women to protect the rights of women around the globe. (Applause.)

It’s time for every member state to open its elections to international monitors and increase the U.N. Democracy Fund. It’s time to reinvigorate U.N. peacekeeping, so that missions have the resources necessary to succeed, and so atrocities like sexual violence are prevented and justice is enforced -- because neither dignity nor democracy can thrive without basic security.

And it’s time to make this institution more accountable as well, because the challenges of a new century demand new ways of serving our common interests.

The world that America seeks is not one we can build on our own. For human rights to reach those who suffer the boot of oppression, we need your voices to speak out. In particular, I appeal to those nations who emerged from tyranny and inspired the world in the second half of the last century -- from South Africa to South Asia; from Eastern Europe to South America. Don’t stand idly by, don’t be silent, when dissidents elsewhere are imprisoned and protesters are beaten. Recall your own history. Because part of the price of our own freedom is standing up for the freedom of others.

That belief will guide America’s leadership in this 21st century. It is a belief that has seen us through more than two centuries of trial, and it will see us through the challenges we face today -- be it war or recession; conflict or division.

So even as we have come through a difficult decade, I stand here before you confident in the future -- a future where Iraq is governed by neither tyrant nor a foreign power, and Afghanistan is freed from the turmoil of war; a future where the children of Israel and Palestine can build the peace that was not possible for their parents; a world where the promise of development reaches into the prisons of poverty and disease; a future where the cloud of recession gives way to the light of renewal and the dream of opportunity is available to all.

This future will not be easy to reach. It will not come without setbacks, nor will it be quickly claimed. But the founding of the United Nations itself is a testament to human progress. Remember, in times that were far more trying than our own, our predecessors chose the hope of unity over the ease of division and made a promise to future generations that the dignity and equality of human beings would be our common cause.

It falls to us to fulfill that promise. And though we will be met by dark forces that will test our resolve, Americans have always had cause to believe that we can choose a better history; that we need only to look outside the walls around us. For through the citizens of every conceivable ancestry who make this city their own, we see living proof that opportunity can be accessed by all, that what unites us as human beings is far greater than what divides us, and that people from every part of this world can live together in peace.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END 10:34 A.M. EDT

Chicago Man Arrested in Attempted Bombing Plot

2010-09-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Chicago Man Arrested in Attempted Bombing Plot

A 22-year-old Chicago man was arrested early Sunday morning, immediately after placing a backpack which he thought contained an explosive device into a curbside trash receptacle near a crowded North Side street corner, announced Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

SAMI SAMIR HASSOUN, who lives in the 4700 block of North Kedzie in Chicago, was arrested just after midnight Saturday, without incident, on Seminary Avenue near the 3500 block of North Clark Street, by members of the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The arrest followed an investigation that accelerated in June of this year. HASSOUN was charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count each of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device, both of which are felony offenses.

In announcing this arrest, Mr. Grant and Mr. Fitzgerald wish to emphasize that at no time was the public in danger during this investigation. The supposed explosive device was inert and provided to HASSOUN by an undercover agent. In addition, HASSOUN was under intermittent surveillance as the plot developed and the undercover agents were in regular contact with HASSOUN, monitoring his activities. There was no indication that any foreign or domestic terror groups were in any way connected to this plot or inspired HASSOUN.

According to the complaint, starting in June of this year, HASSOUN, who is a Lebanese citizen and permanent resident alien, began expressing to an associate the desire to commit acts of violence in the city for both monetary gain and to cause political transformation in Chicago. Unbeknownst to HASSOUN, his associate was secretly cooperating with the FBI and assisted with the investigation of these alleged threats.

Throughout the summer, HASSOUN allegedly discussed with this associate a number of possible targets and plots, including a biological attack on the city, poisoning Lake Michigan, attacking police officers, bombing the Sears (Willis) Tower, and assassinating the mayor. Eventually, HASSOUN is alleged to have selected the Wrigleyville area of Chicago as his target, utilizing an explosive device which he would detonate on a weekend night to inflict maximum damage.

Because of HASSOUN’s stated desire to carry out this attack, an undercover agent (UCA) was introduced to him in July by his associate. The UCA indicated that he was from California and that he had access to explosives and the expertise necessary to construct an explosive device which HASSOUN could use to carry out his plot. During this and subsequent meetings with the UCA, at which time a second UCA was also introduced, HASSOUN allegedly discussed several possible plots and scenarios in which he could dramatically impact the city and force the mayor to resign. HASSOUN eventually settled on a bombing outside a crowded Wrigleyville nightclub as the first step in his plan.

The complaint indicates that HASSOUN met with the UCA late on Saturday night, at which time he was provided a backpack which he thought contained a high powered explosive device. HASSOUN was shown the various components of the device and instructed on its operation. Although the explosive device was designed to look real, it in fact was constructed by the FBI of inert materials and was incapable of detonating.

HASSOUN and the UCA then left together in a rented vehicle, en route to the Wrigleyville area, where the bombing would take place. HASSOUN was under constant surveillance and agents watched as he placed the fake explosive device into a trash receptacle, after which he was arrested and the fake device recovered.

The complaint indicates that HASSOUN’s motivation for planning this attack was a combination of personal greed and political motivation.

HASSOUN is scheduled to appear today at 2:40 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Susan Cox in Chicago, at which time he will be formally charged. HASSOUN has been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago, since his arrest on Sunday. If convicted of the charges filed against him, HASSOUN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years to a maximum of life in prison.

This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) which is comprised of FBI special agents, officers from the Chicago Police Department, and representatives from 20 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the criminal complaint filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.

COLUMN: Mayor Daley’s retirement gives American Arabs a chance

2010-09-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

COLUMN: Mayor Daley’s retirement gives American Arabs a chance

By Ray Hanania

American Arabs in Chicagoland can be a potent electoral force if they can rise up above their petty politics and bickering, and come together for a local cause that in the long run could help them address the cause that is closest to our hearts, the tragedy of Palestine.

The decision by Mayor Richard M. Daley to retire and not seek re-election next February gives the American Arab community one chance to overcome the handicaps that have weakened our community and rally behind one candidate and elect that candidate mayor.

The candidate has to be someone that appeals to Americans but has a heart fair to the Middle East peace process, someone who is not one of the small group of extremists who control the “community microphone” bully pulpit but who represent in reality a very small segment of our community.

There are more than 450,000 American Arabs in Chicagoland, with many still living in Chicago. But this candidate would not run as an “Arab” candidate but rather as a candidate for the people.

I understand the egos that separate our people, though, and I know that even if we found the best candidate, getting the American Arab community to set aside their bickering to back one candidate would be difficult. But, I don’t believe we even need all of the American Arabs backing. What the candidate would need, though, would be the backing of the American Arabs who count.

Those who have focused on building their presence as Americans first and identifying with the American public, not the activists who claim to support Palestine and embrace extremism and are silent on violence, but who benefit personally from local power plays.

The American Arab community has seen what has happened to that selfish cadre of American Arab activists, many of them have been brought down by the scandal surrounding Tony Rezko. Rezko was a great person who supported many great causes. But he was brought down by the greed of the activists who suffocated him with their selfish interests and weak political ties.

How can our candidate win?

I have covered Chicago politics more than 34 years beginning with my first assignment interviewing the late Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1976 during a meeting he had with the Ambassador from Morocco. I have worked with several American Arabs who sought to run for public office in the suburbs, where anti-Arab hysteria is at its worse.

Among the strongest candidates was Miriam Zayed, who had the best qualifications to serve on the District 230 School board. But the community never united behind her campaign, with many turning away because she was a woman. Tragically, Miriam Zayed would have become a force in protecting the interests of our young people who continue to suffer in the suburban education systems. Till this day, decades after those election fights, we still have far few teachers who speak Arabic and most of the regional high schools refuse to offer Arabic as a language despite the large number of Arab students in their classes and the significance of the Arab World on American politics and its future.

We need someone who can help change the education system in Chicago and give American Arabs a chance. We need someone who has the looks and feel of an American who can connect with Americans and identify with the moderate voice that represents that silent majority of American Arabs in Chicagoland. We need someone who will win because they will offer themselves as an alternative to the divisions and racial politics that will soon rise as a focus on the battle to succeed Mayor Daley, someone who instills confidence and leadership and creative thought.

The filing deadline to become a candidate for mayor in Nov. 22. Petitions must be filed beginning Nov. 15.

There are three large voting constituencies in Chicago, African Americans, Hispanics and Whites mainly Irish. Each will have a long list of contenders diluting their voter strength. It is impossible, despite all the talk, for each constituency to find one candidate to represent the majority of African Americans, for example, or Hispanics or White Machine Democrats mainly of Irish background. There will be many and those many will divide the votes in the election. With as many as 30 candidates on the ballot, an outsider who doesn’t identify with the pack or dominant ethnic groups but who appeals to all of them can win the election.

In Chicago, the election is an open primary meaning you do not have to declare your party any more. To win the February election, you must get 1 vote more than 50 percent of all votes cast. In the event that one candidate does not obtain that majority, the top two candidates will face each other in a run-off election in April.

That means with 30 candidates dividing the vote, the successful candidate will only need about 18-22 percent of all votes cast.

That is something that one candidate can achieve if they have the right strategy. If they appeal to a broad constituency. If they are moderate in their views but wedded to justice and fairness. If they avoid the extremist rhetoric of the fanatics who drown out our community in their moronic rantings.

But that candidate needs to step up to the plate today and our community needs to come out of the woodwork where the good people have been hiding afraid to move to the front of the line and fight for our rights.

It is time we fought for our rights as Americans first. Because if we are successful as Americans in this country, we can then do even more to help our people back home in Palestine and other Arab countries. We can fight and standup to bigotry more successfully and confront the racists like the Pastor in Florida who says he wants to burn a Quran (Koran). That would be a hate crime if it involved any other religion but because it involves burning an Islamic Holy Book, no one will dare to charge the so-called “Christian” leader with a hate crime as he should be charged.

We need to stop being the victim and the only way we can do that is to recognize that we are Arabs, be proud of that heritage. Work from within the system. Distance ourselves from those who drag us to ineffective street protests that do absolutely nothing but make some feel good, changing nothing for our people. We need to develop ideas that speak to the needs of all the people outside of the American Arab community, issues that Americans of all walks of life will embrace as good.

We can do it.

The question though, is there anyone with the courage to standup and change our community from the ragtag collection of apathetic silence led through fear mongering by a small handful of extremists into one of pride, courage and empowerment?

I believe that candidate is out there.

I hope they come forward to make a difference.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning columnist distributed by Creators Syndicate and weekday morning radio talk show host. He can be reached att www.RadioChicagoland.com.)

Obama administration shows respect to American Arab journalists

2010-09-01T15:54:00.001-07:00

Obama administration shows respect to American Arab journalists

By Ray Hanania

Although there is much to debate about the ability of President Barack Obama to bring peace to the Middle East, there is no doubt that he is doing more than any of his predecessors to recognize the importance of American Arab journalists.

In the nearly two years since his election, Obama has slowly and steadily opened the White House to access to Arab World and American Arab journalists, a group that has been missing in action in most past White House Middle East peace events.

Although American Arabs were invited to witness the historic signing of the now failed Oslo Peace Accords in 1993 by former President Bill Clinton, not invited were American Arab journalists.

Now, American Arab journalists are joining Arab World journalists in obtaining access to firsthand news from the White House, not only in coverage of Iraq but also in coverage of day-to-day news.

The White House has accepted an Arab journalist to be the pool reporter during the restoration of peace talks after a two-year lull between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Although the selection of Yasmeen Alamiri from the Saudi Press Agency to lead the press pool coverage of the Abbas-Netanyahu meeting, the news reports are, for the first time, those pool reports are being made available directly to the American Arab Press. (Read the pool reports at the American Arab News Wire at http://aams.blogspot.com).

Officials at the U.S. State Department have also reached out to the American Arab media to provide thought leaders from the U.S. Government to discuss American policy spin.

Mainstream American media might scoff at the idea of journalists celebrating being put on the government’s PR spin list, but the fact that the government feels it is important now, for the first time, to spin the American Arab media is a significant shift in U.S. Government strategy.

There are more than 103 American Arab newspapers and magazines in the United States today according to an inventory kept by the National Arab American Journalists Association (www.NAAJA-US.com). There are nearly 300 American Arabs in professional journalism, with half working in the mainstream American media and the other half working in the ethnic American Arab media.

American Arabs in the mainstream media, though, are usually assigned to non-Middle Eastern beats and topics, a fact that contradicts the experience of other ethnic journalists like Hispanics and African Americans who are often tapped to cover their own ethnic communities.

American Arab journalists in the ethnic media specifically write about Middle Eastern topics, although as much as 75 percent of the writing is op-ed or opinion commentary content rather than objective news or enterprises feature writing.

These publications reach deeper into one of the most ignored ethnic constituencies in America, Arabs and Muslims, than any other mainstream publication. American Arabs and Muslims do subscribe to, read and watch mainstream American media. But when reporting comes to Middle East topics or Islamic topics, the level of skepticism is higher than the average American.

American Arab publications also have a strong connection to the Arab world media. More often today than a decade before, Arab World reporters and producers are seeking out American Arab journalists in both the ethnic and mainstream media to assist them in identifying sources and stories.

The internet has played a significant role in leveling the playing field between American Arab media and the mainstream American media. More and more, American Arab journalists are also being engaged as commentators on mainstream media panels, interview and news programs. They are being tapped and quoted as resources to round out mainstream media stories.

At some point, American Arab journalists will find their place alongside mainstream American journalists, and their impact in forcing a balanced coverage of Middle East and Islamic topics will continue to grow.

(Ray Hanania is the 2010 winner of the Sigma Delta Chi award from column writing and was named Best Ethnic American Columnist by the New America Media in 2007. He hosts a weekday morning Chicago radio show and can be reached at www.RadioChicagoland.com.)