AAI Foundation
2006
2006 Awardees
Posted on Tuesday April 11, 2006
Women for Women International
Award for International AchievementWomen for Women International is being recognized for its commitment to enhancing the lives of women worldwide and creating lasting change and stability within war-torn societies. As their motto affirms, “stronger women build stronger nations,” Women for Women International believes women, who are often at the heart of conflicts, are inadvertently affected by war and forgotten.
Through twelve years of service, Women for Women International has supported survivors of war in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Kosovo, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Colombia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The organization has assisted more then 55,000 women, and has distributed nearly $18 million in direct aid and micro-credit loans, trained thousands of women in rights awareness, and helped thousands more to start their own small businesses.
Habitat for Humanity
Award for Institutional AchievementHabitat for Humanity is being honored in recognition of its efforts to end the cycle of homelessness and poverty that millions of families endure. Founded in 1976, Habitat has built more then 200,000 houses for families in need throughout the world, providing more then one people with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Through community and volunteer labor, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner families who invest hundreds of hours of their own time and labor. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable no-interest loans.
Habitat has active programs in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. Additionally, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Habitat announced “Operation Home Delivery,” a program designed to provide housing to those made homeless by the storm.
John H. Sununu
The Najeeb Halaby Award for Public ServiceJohn H. Sununu was commissioned Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush in January 1989 where he served until 1992 when he was appointed Counselor to the President. Prior to joining the White House staff, Mr. Sununu was elected to three consecutive terms as Governor of New Hampshire. He assumed the office with a background of nearly 20 years experience as an educator, engineer, businessman and community leader.
Governor Sununu’s Arab ancestry has been a source of pride and motivation throughout his years of public service and beyond. His generosity of time, counsel and concern helped provide visibility to the issues Arab Americans care about. From thoughtful persuasion in matters of U.S. Middle East policy to challenging federal excesses in the wake of September 11, Governor Sununu has earned a reputation for courage, tenacity and integrity which will inspire generations of Arab Americans to come.
U.S. Representative John D. Dingell
Congressman John D. Dingell is the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives. He began his career on Capitol Hill at the age of 29, stepping up to fill the void left by his father, who was still a member of the House when he passed away in 1955. During his fifty-year tenure, he has been a driving force behind such notable legislation as the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. As a legislator who truly understands the impact of policies on people and the value of leadership, he has introduced a national health insurance bill every session he has served and was an early advocate of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Medicare.
Hailing from the 15th congressional district in Michigan, his commitment to the concerns of Arab Americans far exceeds the large constituency in his district. Whether it was leading the fight to lift the ban on travel to Lebanon or tempering the often questionable actions of his colleagues on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Congressman Dingell provides leadership and guidance that both our community and his fellow members of Congress have looked to for decades.
Moustapha Akkad
Born in Aleppo, Syria, Moustapha Akkad won a scholarship to attend the Theater Arts Department of the University of California in Los Angeles at the age of nineteen. Upon graduation he worked with his mentor, legendary producer Sam Peckinpah as a production assistant on the film “Ride The High Country.” Encouraged by Peckinpah, Akkad later moved to CBS TV News where he produced his own show “As Others See Us”. In 1976 he produced “Mohammad: The Messenger of God”, the first feature film ever to address the beginnings of Islam. Two years later he teamed up with young screenwriter/director John Carpenter to produce “Halloween”, a huge box-office hit that ushered in the modern horror genre and inspired a series of seven sequels. In 1981, Akkad returned to the epic film genre with “Lion of the Desert”, a bio-pic focusing on the life of Libyan nationalist Omar Al-Mukhtar. At the time of his death in a terrorist bombing in Amman in 2005, Moustapha Akkad was actively soliciting interest in his next project, an epic film about the life of the great Arab leader Saladin.
