Author Archives: Arab America

They are perennial favorites, those beloved crowd pleasers who hit it out of the park every time. They offer comedy and music inspired by far-away places including South America, Latin America and Eastern Europe. They are the artists of the 2012 Winter Spring season of Global Thursdays at the Arab American National Museum. This world … Continued

George Esper, the tenacious Associated Press correspondent who refused to leave his post in the last days of the Vietnam War, remaining behind to cover the fall of Saigon, has died. He was 79. Esper died in his sleep on Thursday night, his son, Thomas, told the AP on Friday. Esper suffered from a number … Continued

hile reflecting upon the transformative contributions and sacrifices made by African Americans should be a yearlong process, Black History Month offers a special opportunity to do so. It also offers a moment to emulate the courageous and progressive spirit of leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson. For Arab America, … Continued

As a result of the increase in violence plaguing Syria, this afternoon the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) sent a follow-up letter to Secretary Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Since filing the petition, ADC has been in contact with DHS, several Congressional Members, and Gubernatorial offices, civil leaders on a state and … Continued

The United States closed its embassy in Damascus on Monday citing security concerns, while Britain summoned its ambassador to London to discuss Syria’s increasingly bloody crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. “This is an utterly unacceptable situation which demands a united international response,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague told his country’s parliament. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria … Continued

When the 2010 census asked people to classify themselves by race, more than 21.7 million — at least 1 in 14 — went beyond the standard labels and wrote in such terms as “Arab,” ‘’Haitian,” ‘’Mexican” and “multiracial.” The unpublished data, the broadest tally to date of such write-in responses, are a sign of a … Continued

The University of Michigan-Dearborn is offering a minor in Arab-American studies, believed to be the first such program in the nation. The 15-credit program, announced this week, allows students in any major to explore the historical, political, economic, literary, artistic, cultural and psychological forces that have shaped Arab-Americans. It started this semester. This is important, … Continued

As an organization of Arab American physicians and health professionals dedicated to healing and to the preservation of life, the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) strongly condemns the killing of Dr. Abdal-Razzaq Jbeiro, secretary general of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Dr. Jbeiro was shot dead on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, as he traveled … Continued

The Arab world’s most famous actor, Adel Imam, has been sentenced to three months in jail for “defaming Islam” in several roles on stage and screen, the Egyptian comic said on Thursday. A Cairo court sentenced Imam, a UN goodwill ambassador described as the Arab world’s Charlie Chaplin, in absentia to three months in jail … Continued

There are anywhere between 3.5 and 5.1 million Americans of Arab descent, according to figures from the Arab American Institute, yet relatively few work in journalism full time. While meaningful estimates aren’t known, as journalism scholars that conduct demographic research in American newsrooms do not typically tally newsmakers of Arab descent, the National Arab American … Continued

Recent reports indicate that the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been conducting covert surveillance of mosques in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The targeted mosques, highlighted in the secret NYPD document dated May 15, 2006 released by the Associated Press earlier today, are largely focused on the Shi’a Muslim community. The activities of … Continued

Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) will host Osama Shabaik, who will speak on the behalf of the “Irvine 11” – a group of Arab American student protesters, eight of whom were members of the Muslim Student Union. This event takes place Thursday, Feb. 9, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room L-14 of the … Continued