Author Archives: Arab America

On Thursday, August 8th, Muslims around the world celebrated Eid Al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. On that day American Muslims also gathered in mosques across the country to attend Eid Al-Fitr prayers. Eid Al- Fitr is a three-day feast that commemorates a month of fasting, retrospective contemplation, repentance and prayer. … Continued

Our nation is at a very important moment in its Civil Rights history and, as Muslims, we must understand our place within it and build with the leaders of today’s modern Civil Rights Movements, particularly the Dream Defenders. Muslim families who immigrated to this country, in particular, must understand that we owe much to and … Continued

Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Advisor Susan Rice hosted Jewish-American and Arab-American community leaders at separate meetings at the White House Thursday and Friday to try to bolster domestic support for U.S. Middle East peace-making efforts. Also attending the meetings were new US peace envoy Martin Indyk and his deputy Frank Lowenstein, … Continued

City education officials are considering renaming School 6 in honor of Frank Lautenberg, Paterson’s native son who rose from working class roots to become a millionaire and served in the U.S. Senate for almost three decades. District officials also may name Paterson’s newest school, being built near the corner of Marshall and Hazel streets, after … Continued

Michelle and I send our warmest greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr here in the United States and around the world. During the past month, Muslims have honored their faith through prayer and service, fasting and time spent with loved ones. At this year’s White House Iftar, I was proud to spend time with some … Continued

ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) is pleased to announce the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has awarded it a $1 million grant in support of a project to use reclaimed water to irrigate farmland in the West Bank. The project will use water from the wastewater treatment plant in Jenin, West Bank, to … Continued

The HART board of directors today rejected a request to purchase bus ads supporting diversity in the workplace — a compromise proposal that had followed previous requests to HART for an ad using the word “Jihad” and another with the word “Muslims.” Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority policy prohibits advertisements that “primarily promote a religious … Continued

Excerpted from <i>Looking for Palestine</i>. I am a Palestinian-Lebanese-American Christian woman, but I grew up as a Jew in New York City. I began my life, however, as a WASP. I was born in Boston to an Ivy League literature professor and his wife, baptized into the Episcopal Church at the age of one, and, … Continued

He struck an imposing figure as Kang, the villainous Klingon commander who struck fears in the hearts of the federation. The man who played Kang in three iterations of “Star Trek,” Michael Ansara, has died, according to his former agent. Ansara was 91. The veteran character actor was probably best known for playing the Klingon … Continued

Dozens of Arab Americans across southeast Michigan converged on Dearborn Friday to mark National Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, condemning Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian lands. The protest was held at Dearborn City Hall, the designated “free speech zone” in the city. Participants chanted slogans, read poems and carried banners in the rally, underscoring the return of … Continued

Members of North Jersey’s Sikh and Arab communities on Friday lauded an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that the FBI will begin to keep numbers on acts of hate against their communities as well as against five other groups. “That’s all we’ve been asking for,’’ said Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab … Continued

In this episode of Palestine Studies TV, host Omar Baddar sits down with Said Durrah, a Palestinian-American comedian from the Washington, DC area, to discuss his comedy, influences, and how his comedy can help shape people’s thoughts and opinions on Palestinians, Palestine, and Arab culture. <center><iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/UT290vYw3_Y” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe></center> Institute for Palestine Studies