Author Archives: Arab America

Engaging storytelling by local and national authors abound among the titles selected to receive the 2013 Arab American Book Award, presented by the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. This national literary competition — the only one of its kind in the United States — is designed to draw attention to books and authors dealing … Continued

A stunning tweet just came across the wires from Major League Baseball’s recently hired “new media coordinator” Jonathan Mael. It reads, “The @nyjets are a disgrace of an organization. The Patriots have Aaron Hernandez, the Jets have Oday Aboushi.” (Mael has since deleted his account, making him a rather ineffectual “new media coordinator”.) Aaron Hernandez … Continued

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) sent two letters today in response to the slanderous attacks on Oday Aboushi of the New York Jets by Yahoo! Sports and the MLB. The Yahoo! Sports article entitled “Could Oday Aboushi Jeopardize His NFL Career with Anti-Israel Activism,” was written Adam Waksman. The article is biased and derives its … Continued

The Arab American National Museum on Wednesday announced the winners. Shadid’s “House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family and a Lost Middle East” received the nonfiction award. The fiction honor went to Joseph Geha’s “Lebanese Blonde,” a tale of drug running between Toledo, Ohio, and Lebanon during that nation’s civil war. The poetry award … Continued

When Oday Aboushi was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft, he knew he had a long and difficult road ahead of him. The 6’6”, 300-plus-pound offensive lineman from the University of Virginia knew that, as a later round draft pick, he’d have to work hard to … Continued

The opening this weekend of a new mosque in Rowland Heights is powerful evidence of a building boom of such facilities in Southern California and around the nation. Over the last several years, new mosques have risen in Mission Viejo, Irvine, Anaheim, Reseda, Rancho Cucamonga, Rosemead, Diamond Bar and Tustin. Additional mosques are slated for … Continued

Palestinian-Americans are split on a fundamental American issue: football. Many of those from my father’s generation of immigrants are simply confused by the whole concept. They came from a land and time where “football” meant kicking a ball with your foot into a goal. Trying to divorce them from this word association is extremely difficult. … Continued

With the start of the sacred month of Ramadan, Michelle and I extend our best wishes to Muslim communities here in the United States and around the world. For the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time for thoughtful reflection, fasting and devotion. It is also an opportunity for family and friends to come … Continued

In response to an essay I wrote recently regarding the “essential blackness” of the Palestinian struggle, I received this reaction, among others: “What about Arab anti-black racism? Or the Arab slave trade?” The Arab slave trade is a fact of history and anti-black racism is a fact of current reality, a shameful thing that must … Continued

The International Visitors Council of Detroit will host a free concert on July 17 at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, featuring live performances by delegates from the multi-regional U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program. Guests will enjoy a reception sponsored by DTE Energy, complete with complimentary hor d’oeuvres and refreshments while … Continued

The Night (Al-Lail) Mohammad Malas, 1993 A great Syrian film. It is about the director’s home town of Quneitra, on the borders of the Golan Heights, which was almost completely destroyed by the Israelis after the 1967 war and remains in ruins. The film is a historical-autobiographical epic of three generations, taking you from the … Continued

Al Jazeera America announced Monday that it has hired Soledad O’Brien as a special correspondent for “America Tonight,” the channel’s daily prime-time current affairs magazine program. It is O’Brien’s second major contract in less than a month. Starfish Media Group, O’Brien’s production company, also will produce a series of hour-long documentary specials for the channel. … Continued