Here in Washington, negative reactions to the United Nations' vote to admit Palestine as a non-member state have ranged from silly and infuriating to downright dangerous. The hysteria surrounding this UN vote may seem strange, even bizarre, to outsiders, but here in Washington it was expected. Read More »
Sometimes wars, even little ones, can become clarifying moments in which the clouds of propaganda are blown away and motives of the antagonists come into clear focus. This appears to be the case with the recent hostilities in Gaza. Read More »
The escalating violence between Israel and Gaza should remind us of old lessons that still need to be learned and new realities to which attention must now be paid. Read More »
It is important to note that these profiling initiatives made no contribution to making our country more secure. FBI and other officials with whom I have spoken have questioned the effectiveness of profiling, telling me that it wasted time and resources, produced little useful information, and damaged outreach efforts, alienating communities whose cooperation law enforcement needs. 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 »
I wanted John Kerry to win in 2004, but I also remember hoping, at one point, that whatever the outcome, the election would be decisive. After the "hanging chads" debacle of 2000 and the partisan rancor that had preceded and then intensified following that contest, I just wasn't sure that we could endure another election whose outcome and legitimacy were in doubt. Read More »
On November 6th, I will cast my vote to reelect Barack Obama as President of the United States. I will do so without hesitation despite the let down that I and many in my community feel with the lack of change we hoped would come in several areas about which we care deeply. Read More »
During the last few weeks of this Presidential campaign, I have become terribly confused listening to Mitt Romney address America's foreign policy challenges. I have followed Romney's every word for almost two years now, and I simply don't recognize the guy who spoke at Virginia Military Institute on October 8th or the one who showed up to debate President Obama last week. Read More »
Two weeks ago, fifteen religious leaders representing major Protestant denominations dared to challenge one of Washington's most powerful taboos. They wrote a letter urging Congress to investigate whether unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel is contributing to violations of Palestinian human rights. Read More »
Long before this week's Presidential debate, the contours of this election had already been set. Despite the near hysterical and, at times, irritatingly silly reactions from pundits, right and left, the debate itself added very little that will impact the ultimate outcome of the contest. Read More »
Arab Americans matter. Well integrated into all spheres of American life, Arab Americans are teachers, medical professionals, auto-workers, and first responders. In communities across the country the Arab American business community is a key to local prosperity. Read More »
The crisis created by the film "The Innocence of Muslims" that many feared might spin out of control, seems to be subsiding across the Arab World. The appeal by extremists to escalate the situation appears to have given way to more stable and thoughtful leadership. Read More »
I was in the Middle East when the US Embassy in Cairo and the Consulate in Benghazi were attacked by extremist mobs resulting in the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other U.S. personnel. Read More »
Tradition holds that it is only now, with the Republican and Democratic party conventions over, that voters will actually begin to focus on the choices before them and the campaigns will, therefore, begin in earnest. Read More »
This week I will be in Charlotte, North Carolina where I will be participating in my eighth Democratic Convention. I will be joining some 55 other Arab American delegates and committee members from 21 states who have been elected by Democrats to participate in this year's party gathering. This is a record number of Arab Americans elected to any national convention. Read More »
It is one thing for American voters to be deeply divided on issues like health care, taxes, and the role of government. These are matters of political philosophy that can and should be debated. But when I see the depth of the partisan, generational, and racial divide on attitudes toward Arabs and Muslims, I become frightened, because at stake are the values we claim are central to our definition as a society. Read More »
It was my mother who first taught me to be wary of people who spent too much time boasting of their greatness. She would pity their insecurity and wonder what weaknesses they were making such an obvious effort to mask with self-praise. Read More »
In the wake of Kofi Annan's resignation as Special United Nation's Envoy for Syria, hawks are circling and war-drums are beating. Here in the U.S., major media outlets, former government officials, and commentators are calling on the Obama Administration to "get off the fence" and forcefully intervene in Syria. Before the clamor drowns out right-reason, a few words of caution are in order. Read More »
With one factually wrong, decidedly insensitive, and patently biased comment, Republican presidential aspirant, Mitt Romney, did more to focus U.S. media attention on the impact of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian economy than any other development in the past two decades. Read More »
Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney is visiting the U.K., Poland, and Israel this week in an effort to broaden his foreign policy exposure. Pledging not to be critical of the President while overseas, in the days before his departure Romney laid out his differences with President Obama in an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and an interview with the Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom... Read More »
#NC lawmaker equates Islamic prayer w/ terror http://t.co/G9sp1NeLC1 @mostrolenk @aaiusa h/t @ozzyformayor
about 29 minutes ago.
Latest poll to be released Friday finds Americans are divided on continuing aid to #Egypt: http://t.co/1spZM1m9d2
about 3 hours, 10 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 3 hours, 14 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
