Press Room

AAI in the News

A Passion for Politics

By Tom Troncone
North Jersey Media Group
Posted on Monday September 27, 2004

Though members of the mostly Arab-American audience posed several impassioned questions to the candidates who came to court their vote, the liveliest policy debates weren’t held inside in the conference room.

At times, just as many people debated the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act, and U.S. foreign policy in the hotel hallway as sat inside and listened to the candidates Sunday at the fourth annual Arab-American Institute’s New Jersey Candidates’ Night.

They talked freely in the hallway of the Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel. Arab community leaders such as Paterson’s Hani Awadallah told Bill Shaheen, the chairman of the John Kerry campaign in New Hampshire, exactly what he thought of Kerry’s lack of “courage” on Arab issues like Israel and Palestine. And Shaheen told Awadallah, president of the Arab-American Civic Organization, how part of Bush’s reelection plan is taking the Jewish vote from Kerry.

“Bush needs to feel your sting,” Shaheen, who is of Lebanese descent, told the group.

And though Guy Talarico, the Bergen County GOP chairman representing the Bush/Cheney campaign at the event, didn’t take questions, Ginan Rauf, 43, of Franklin Lakes, stopped him in the hallway anyway and forcefully relayed her thoughts on some of Talarico’s statements about the plight of women in Afghanistan (“that nightmare is over”) and military progress in Iraq.

Though several in the mostly-Democratic audience had laughed at parts of Talarico’s speech, especially his assertions that Iraq was turning into an example for democracy and that Iraqis were “hugging and kissing” U.S. soldiers, Rauf was not laughing when she corralled him in the hallway.

“I just think that the condition of women in Iraq is not rosy and I wanted to be able to voice my alternate view,” said Rauf, adding she feels the same about how women are still treated in Afghanistan. “There has actually been an increase in rapes in Iraq because there is no security. Women and children are the first to suffer when you lose security.”

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, facing Arab-American challenger George Ajjan in the 8th District, launched the most blistering attack on the Bush administration. In an old-fashioned, fist-pounding speech, Pascrell railed against the Patriot Act and the war.

Aref Assaf, president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, seemed to echo the sentiments of many of the Arab politicians and audience.

“I haven’t seen a clear distinction between Kerry and Bush,” said Assaf, a Republican. He said Kerry still could change his Bush leaning, but he would have to differentiate himself from the president. “I am not dogmatic. My vote cannot be taken for granted.”

Prospect Park Councilman Mohammed T. Khairullah said the annual forum is important, if only for the community to get the ears of congressmen, mayors, and sheriffs.

“I think we had a healthy dialogue,” he said. “We appreciate the candidates coming out.”

Assaf said that since New Jersey became a swing state in recent election polls, more candidates have begun reaching out to the state’s residents of Arab descent. There are 22,000 Arab-Americans living in North Jersey and 80,000 statewide, according to the latest census figures. Community leaders Sunday, however, put the statewide number closer to 250,000.