Wednesday March 13, 2013
By Jennine Vari
One of the most recent ad campaigns in NYC to take on Geller’s hate speech is “Talk Back to Hate,” a grassroots campaign started by Akiva Freidlin. Read More »
Wednesday February 27, 2013
Today, the Supreme Court hears arguments on one of the most important legislative initiatives from the Civil Rights era: the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The VRA ensures that all eligible American citizens are able to vote, unimpeded by processes or regulations— from literacy tests and English-only ballots, to moving polling places and redistricting— that could effectively disenfranchise ethnic minorities. Read More »
Tuesday February 12, 2013
There is a problem with the way federal law enforcement tracks hate crimes aimed at the Arab American community: they don’t. In the past ten years, there have been more than 800 incidents involving “violence, threats, vandalism, and arson against persons perceived to be Muslim or to be of Arab, Middle Eastern, or South Asian origin.” Federal charges have been brought in only a handful of cases, with only 45 convictions as of March 29, 2011. Read More »
Thursday January 31, 2013
Zead Ramadan comes from humble origins, but now the successful Arab American community leader and café owner from Upper Manhattan is making a run for the City Council to represent the 7th district. Ramadan and other candidates are seeking to replace the term-limited Robert Jackson who has served since 2002. If he wins, Ramadan will be the first Arab American to occupy a seat on New York’s City Council, and Ramadan is proud of that possibility. Despite having to stave off the inevitable attacks on his ethnicity and faith from Islamophobic and anti-Arab fringe groups, Ramadan actively wears his ethnicity on his sleeve, and the numerous news reports written about Ramadan reflect that. Read More »
Saturday November 03, 2012
There are only three days left before the election on Tuesday, but there are still ample opportunities to have an impact. Make no mistake, every vote counts. And because this election is so close, Arab Americans can and will make a difference in it. But remember, the Presidential election is not the only contest this year. There are plenty of other races you can also have an impact on. Read More »
Wednesday October 10, 2012
A Texas- based group, True the Vote, plans to mobilize millions of poll watchers around the country. But some fear that its real intention is to intimidate minority voters. Their fears were confirmed last month when True the Vote’s national election coordinator told poll watchers that their aim should be to make for voters feel “like [you’re] driving and seeing the police following you.” Read More »
Wednesday September 26, 2012
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office has dealt a blow to the city’s Stop-and-Frisk law. The New York Times reports that the District Attorney’s Office will no longer prosecute individuals arrested for trespassing at public housing complexes unless they are able to interview the arresting officer and confirm that the arrest was warranted. Read More »
Tuesday September 18, 2012
The Arab American Institute (AAI) and the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) have adopted a logo for National Voter Registration Day on September 25. The Logo, designed by Nabil Ahmed Khatri, a high school student from Queens, New York with his own graphic design business, will be worn by thousands of Arab American volunteers across a number of states participating in efforts to register voters for the upcoming November elections. Read More »
Thursday September 13, 2012
The House of Representatives voted yesterday to extend the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act through 2017. Civil liberties advocates have long criticized FISA, which authorizes warrantless monitoring of electronic communications – from phone calls to emails – of foreigners as well as U.S. citizens. Read More »
Friday August 03, 2012
Bestselling author and investigative journalist Ronald Kessler is set to release a new edition of his book “Secrets of the FBI,” which promises new revelations about the rift between the FBI and the NYPD on the subject of counterterrorism. Anonymous sources from the FBI told Kessler that the FBI is vehemently opposed to the NYPD’s expansive spying program on Arab American and American Muslims in New York City and elsewhere. His sources from the FBI criticize the NYPD for both ineffectiveness and civil liberties violations. Read More »
Monday July 30, 2012
The 2012 elections are heating up, and AAI has been working to keep you informed of key election developments in your state and nationwide. Now, we need your help to ensure that the Arab American community has a voice in the lead up to November. Read More »
Tuesday July 17, 2012
You could have easily missed the news reports last week highlighting the contrived controversy surrounding a New York Metro billboard advertisement about the conditions of Palestinian refugees. The ad, paid for by Henry Clifford, Chairman of The Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine (CJPIP), received sharp criticism from some groups and individuals who allege that the ads are biased, anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic. Read More »
Tuesday July 03, 2012
Protecting the voting rights of disadvantaged and minority Americans has been a challenge in the United States since its first elections, and despite widespread laws to prevent racism and discrimination at the polls, the problem of voter suppression persists today. Read More »
Wednesday June 27, 2012
Linda Sarsour continues to make the community proud by broadening the scope of Arab American participation in public service. Sarsour was recently appointed to the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Community Board 10, a local body of community leaders with a diverse membership. Read More »
Thursday June 21, 2012
By Sara Jawhari
This June, the Polyphony Youth Orchestra, comprised of Israel’s most talented young Arab and Jewish musicians, will come to the United States to share not just their artistic gifts, but their vision for a just and equal future in their divided home country. Read More »
Wednesday June 13, 2012
A few weeks ago, we wrote about two legislative efforts to impose independent oversight on the NYPD. The New York City Police Department is currently the only New York City agency without an independent Inspector General. At the City level, two City Council Members are introducing legislation today to change that. If the measure passes (34 out of 51 votes plus the support of the City Council Speaker are needed to push the bill through without opposition), the NYPD will have to answer to an independent Inspector General who would in turn make regular reports to the public. Read More »
Friday June 08, 2012
In response to the troubling revelations of racial, ethnic, and religious profiling by the NYPD, a leading national legal advocacy group has made a powerful and impactful response. Muslim Advocates, representing a diverse group of American Muslims, has filed suit against the New York Police Department alleging unconstitutional and discriminatory behavior in its surveillance of Arab American and American Muslim communities. Read More »
Tuesday May 22, 2012
Today the New America Foundation hosted an informative discussion on the use of infiltration and surveillance by law enforcement in preventing homegrown terrorist attacks. The discussion primarily focused on the New York Police Department, and the efficacy of the vast counterterrorism unit which has drawn criticism since the Associated Press revealed that the NYPD was spying on American Muslims and Arab Americans. Read More »
Friday May 18, 2012
Two New York City councilmembers are leading an effort to make sure the New York City Police Department no longer operates without independent oversight. Read More »
Monday May 14, 2012
In an amendment to an appropriations bill being considered last week, Rep. Rush Holt’s (D-NJ) [pictured left] attempted to strip federal funding from police departments that use ethnic or religious profiling, as the NYPD has done against American Muslims and Arab Americans in and around New York City. Read More »
Latest poll to be released Friday finds Americans are divided on continuing aid to #Egypt: http://t.co/1spZM1m9d2
about 1 hour, 15 minutes ago.
RT @MaiE_89: In the 1990’s, #Egypt had a 60% favorable rating among Americans, while today only 36% of US views the country positively via @AAIUSA
about 1 hour, 19 minutes ago.
The Muslim Brotherhood has a negative favorable/unfavorable ratio of 30%–47%
http://t.co/rMKu4JJrgW
about 1 hour, 20 minutes ago.
Looking at Iran by James Zogby
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 16, 2013President Obama got it just about perfect in his Jerusalem speech when he urged Israelis to see the world through the eyes of Palestinians. That portion of his remarks was so compelling it deserves to be quoted in full: Read More »
Air Date: 5/31/2012
Fellows from Syracuse University’s “Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program (LDF); Bill Press, Host of the “Bill Press Show” and author of the new book, The Obama Hate Machine: The Lies, Distortions, and Personal Attacks on the President---and Who Is Behind Them. Read More »
The story of Arab Americans coming of age as an organized community is a classic American tale of immigrants seeking opportunity, benefiting from America’s freedoms, but also experiencing, at times, the dark side of exclusion and discrimination that has so often been a part of our nation’s history. Read More »
Apr 16 2013
Apr 27 2013
Jul 19 2013
