Author Archives: Arab America

I am a proud American. I am a hardworking businessman and job creator. I am a faithful Christian. And I am Palestinian. Much as my multiple identities might drive Mitt Romney to head scratching, it is he who needs a lesson in, to borrow his recent words, “culture and a few other things.” Were he … Continued

The Latino community should expect changes in the next time the Census comes around. The US Census Bureau announced it would count Hispanics as a “mutually exclusive group,” according to the Associated Press. Another change is the controversial use of the term “Negro.” The changes are currently recommendations from the bureau based on research on … Continued

Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has virtually disqualified himself as a strong competitor to President Barack Obama thanks to his just-concluded three-state international tour to underline his acumen in foreign policy. His self-damaging gaffes have both shocked and upset many people worldwide, especially in the US. More importantly, his trip to Israel, unlike … Continued

Recently the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has experienced an alarming increase in the number of intakes pertaining to “no-fly” list and travel-related matters. ADC is representing a number of US Citizens who are currently banned from returning home after international travel. The cases include matters involving undue delays upon entry, and intrusive/unconstitutional questioning by officials … Continued

When London’s Olympic organizers needed a knockout venue that would wow the International Olympic Committee and hold the world’s attention, they turned to Zaha Hadid, a provocateur who critics have described as “the Lady Gaga of architecture”. Iraqi-born Hadid is one of the greatest architects alive. In 2004, she became the first woman to win … Continued

Detroit Public Television, WTVS-TV, (DPTV) will lead a new national program designed to increase public understanding of Arab American history, culture, diversity and contributions to society. The project is funded by a $250,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich. The outreach program, called “Arab American Stories – A National Dialogue” is … Continued

Imagine that you woke up on a beautiful Sunday morning to hear the news of a brown, bearded, gun-wielding madman who stormed into a Wisconsin church full of blond-haired parishioners and killed six innocent people. If that scenario did occur, would most Americans have any problem calling that an act of “terrorism”? Of course not. … Continued

The priceless treasures of Syria’s history – of Crusader castles, ancient mosques and churches, Roman mosaics, the renowned “Dead Cities” of the north and museums stuffed with antiquities – have fallen prey to looters and destruction by armed rebels and government militias as fighting envelops the country. While the monuments and museums of the two … Continued

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that American Muslims “stand with their Sikh brothers and sisters” following a deadly shooting attack targeting a house of worship of that faith this morning in Wisconsin. In a statement, the Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization said: “While details of the attack and the motivation of the … Continued

In light of the shooting earlier today at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, and as a result of a recent increase in hate crimes targeting the Arab, Muslim and South Asian-American communities, and their places of worship, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is asking that all members of the affected communities exercise … Continued

The veteran media critic Jack Shahen tells us 90% of Hollywood films depict Arabs negatively, reinforcing “a consistent pattern of dangerously hateful stereotypes” in his book, Reel Bad Arabs, which examined 1,000 American movies produced since 1896. An equally in-depth study needs to be conducted for television news, where the vilification and stereotyping of Arabs … Continued

  The former president praised Palestinian industriousness during a visit a Riyadh, saying, “I have never met a poor Palestinian in the United States.” Former president Bill Clinton had a very, very different take from Mitt Romney on Palestinian culture and its impact on Palestinian economic success when he visited Saudi Arabia in the winter … Continued