The Tabboun: News from around the American Arab community and the Middle East
American indicted in attempt to burn down New York mosque
Vanita Gupta, the head of the Civil Rights Division, and William C. Killian, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, announced today that a federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee, returned a one-count indictment charging Robert Doggart, 63, with soliciting another person to violate federal civil rights laws by burning down a mosque in Islamberg, a hamlet in Hancock, New York.
According to court documents, Doggart planned an attack on Islamberg, a small settlement that is home to a large Muslim community. Doggart’s plans included burning a mosque, a school and a cafeteria in the community, and he solicited others to join in his plan through Facebook posts and in telephone conversations.
Doggart has been charged with one count of soliciting others to violate federal civil rights laws by intentionally defacing, damaging or destroying any religious property, because of the religious character of that property, or attempting to do so. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Saeed Mody and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Perry H. Piper and Chris Poole of the Eastern District of Tennessee.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Saudi Foreign Minister expresses concerns over nuke deal with Iran
Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia is keen on developing relations with Iran on condition that Iran changes its policy, which is not to intervene in the affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council and other countries in the region, considering the negative consequences resulting from Tehran’s continuous intervention in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain.
At a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier in Berlin today, Minister Al-Jubeir said that Iran’s refusal to allow International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors to enter some military installations only means Tehran’s intention to make nuclear weapons and that Saudi Arabia is closely monitoring the Iranian policy developments concerning uranium enrichment.
Al-Jubeir also talked about the situation in Yemen and the safety of its people, pointing out that the intervention of the kingdom and the coalition states was based at the request of the legitimate Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Foreign aid to Jordan hits $1 billion: Saudis lead in supporting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Total foreign aid to Jordan since the beginning of 2015 amounted to $1 billion, according to planning ministry figures.
The ministry said Saturday that the external grants from donor nations reached $632.64 million, while the soft loans directed to support the general budget amounted to $364.84 million and the government-guaranteed soft loans totaled $72.4 million.
The Saudi Fund for Development along with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development were the largest donors, as their aid totaled $256.1million, it said.
The United States supplied Jordan with a wheat grant worth $25.1 million, while Japan provided $17.6 million as medical equipment to the health ministry, the figures revealed.
According to the statistics, the EU grants totaled $66 million and the German Bank for Reconstruction provided $22.4 million.
Moreover, the soft loans directed to support the Kingdom’s general budget reached $196 million and was provided by Japan while the government-guaranteed loans totaled $72.4million was provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the figures showed.
The ministry also pointed out that the European Investment Bank and the United Nations Development Programme both provided $11 million.
American Arab comedian Nasry Malak announces new segment in his online comedy series
American Arab comedian Nasry Malak has been making online Youtube videos for years. His latest humor segment is called “Celery is Disgusting” on Youtube.
Episode #2 is now up on the “Celery is Disgusting” Youtube page. You can subscribe to the page if you have not already done so.
“Remember, the life you save could be your own,” says Malak, who is sometimes described as the Orson Wells of the Internet. “If that makes sense to you, you’re way ahead of the game.”
Click here for the link to the page.
Malak’s web page is: www.nasry.com
American Muslims for Palestine launches online petition for BDS
Tell Congress: Hold a Pro-BDS Hearing
Last month, Congress held its first-ever hearing on the Palestinian civil society-led campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel … without a single Palestinian witness or supporter of BDS!
Instead, the hearing featured witnesses such as the CEO of SodaStream International, which is based in an illegal Israeli settlement, making it one of the primary corporate targets of BDS campaigns.
If we get 10,000 signatures on this petition, then we’ll deliver it to the Congressional committee which held the hearing.
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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