Author Archives: Arab America

A recent study by a Washington based think-tank, Center for American Progress (CAP) had some revealing data on the changing demographics in the U.S., and it re-affirms the fact that the racial and ethnic makeup in the country is changing. The question remains, how much of this will reflect in the leadership of the U.S.? … Continued

A made-in-Michigan exhibition on Arab-Americans who have served in the U.S. military and diplomatic corps is heading to California. The exhibition, “Patriots & Peacemakers: Arab-Americans in Service to Our Country,” is preparing for two extended stays in Southern California. It stops at the Student Center of the University of California, Irvine, from Saturday until Jan. … Continued

Sydney will Monday kick off a wave of dazzling firework displays welcoming in 2013 from Dubai to Paris and London, with long-isolated Yangon joining the global pyrotechnics for the first time. Australia’s famous harbour city will usher in the New Year with a Aus$6.6 (US$6.9) million display curated by pop icon Kylie Minogue who designed … Continued

Last year, outgoing American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and gave us a long lecture on how women should be in our part of the world. Prior to that, George W. Bush adopted a policy of forcing democracy on our governments, as if democracy is a commodity that … Continued

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is appalled and shocked at the horrendous murder of Sunando Sen, who was pushed onto the tracks of an elevated subway station in Queens, NY and crushed by an oncoming train, on Thursday, December 27. ADC extends deepest condolences to the family of the victim. The suspect, a 31 year-old … Continued

A fire that Mohammed al-Bouazizi ignited two years ago continued to burn for the second year as the battle to break down the old regimes and their associates in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Tunisia continued unabated. January *President Bashar al-Assad made his first public speech in months, vowing to quash his opponents with an … Continued

The deficit in current account amounted to $672.6 million – 25.7% of the GDP – for the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) said in a joint statement on Wednesday. Preliminary results of the Palestinian balance of payments showed that the … Continued

This year’s DIFF is putting a spotlight on the experiences of the Arab diaspora with movies such as “Detroit Unleaded” and “It’s about to Rain”, which look at the lives of Arab communities across the Western world. “Detroit Unleaded” is set in the US city, while “It’s about to Rain” is set in Italy. Other … Continued

TUESDAY, December 18, was celebrated as World Arabic Language Day. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to celebrate this day in recognition of the role of the Arabic language in disseminating information across cultures and civilizations. December 18 was chosen as it is the day in 1973 when the General Assembly … Continued

Deep in the Grotto of the Nativity, where a 14-point silver star set into a marble slab marks the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born, the atmosphere of spiritual serenity seemed a world away from the swirling, and occasionally fractious, Christmas Eve crowds above. Midnight mass at St Catherine’s was the finale … Continued

Fourteen years ago, I went with then-President Bill Clinton to Bethlehem where he participated in the lighting of the tree in Manger Square. As we looked out from the Square we could see Jerusalem and, in between, a green hill which was called Jabal Abul Ghnaim. The Israelis had announced plans to construct a settlement … Continued

“Language is wine upon the lips,” Virginia Woolf once said, evoking an image that seems especially appropriate for a language of poetry like Arabic, where vivid metaphors are the norm. Though much has changed from the days where Arabic was a dominant language across the Mediterranean, its legacy, in the form of more than 400 … Continued