Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Features
  • Comment
  • Store
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Podcast Info
    • Hanania Podcast intro
    • Live Arab Radio
  • Your Views
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Toggle search form
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12 American Arabs
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Dr. Manal Fakhoury has been elected to the position of Chair of the National Board of Directors, and that attorneys Spojmie Nasiri of California and John Floyd of Texas have joined the organization’s National Board.
    CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd American Arabs
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC: Honor Dr. King Day with Civility, Unity, and Action American Arabs
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot targeted Arab businesses in 2021 and 2022 Activism
  • Hussam al-Mayman, The Mayman Show, podcast Arab News
    Arab News launches third season of The Mayman Show podcast Arab News
  • State Rep. Cyril Nichols interviewed on live Arab American radio in Detroit with host Ray Hanania Friday Dec. 9, 2022
    Nichols discusses need to improve Arab-Black relations in Chicagoland American Arabs
  • Voting sticker issued to voters in Cook County elections in 2016. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Gov. Pritzker Announces Six Appointments to Boards and Commissions — no Arabs included American Arabs
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Pritzker again ignores needs of Arab businesses in latest appointments Activism
  • Arab American Democratic Club (AADC) official candidate endorsements for the November 8, 2022 General elections.
    Arab American Democratic Club issues endorsements for Nov. 8, 2022 Cook County Illinois elections Activism
  • Arab Democrats urge NO VOTE on Gov. J.B. Pritzker re-election bid Activism
  • Assyrian American GOP issues endorsements in Nov, 8, 2022 elections
    Assyrian American GOP group endorses candidates in Illinois Activism
  • Abdullah Hammoud, elected Mayor of Dearborn Nov. 2, 2021. Photo courtesy of Abdullah Hammoud Facebook Page
    AHRC’s 2022 Spirit of Humanity Gala a Great Success American Arabs
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts Arab World
  • Rep. Cyril Nichols to be feted by supporters at fundraiser Saturday Oct. 22 Activism
  • Stand up For Human Rights website, United Nations
    UN experts condemn Israel’s ‘sadistic’ punitive measures against French-Palestinian rights defender Salah Hammouri Activism
Tiktok.com/@RayHanania

Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States

Posted on January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 By rayhanania No Comments on Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States

Social media has an enormous influence on Americans but only the social media that offends Israel is targeted for censorship and restrictions, reflecting their restrictive and repressive society. While Facebook and other Social media have come around to support Israel’s demands to crackdown on criticism of its government by Palestinian and Arab activists, Tiktok has become a battlefield and the pro-Israel movement is behind the recent actions by the U.S. Congress to exert pressure on the social media’s Chinese based owners, ByteDance. It’s all about Israel wanting to silence its critics and not about free speech or even safety

By Ray Hanania

Several U.S. elected officials are behind a push to restrict and limit the use of the popular social media site Tiktok in America.

The assertions is that Tiktok, which is owned by ByteDance, a company based in China, is tied to the Chinese Communist Party and may be stealing sensitive information that could undermine the United States government.

The sponsors of legislation that would prohibit employees of the Federal Government from using Tiktok, and ban Tiktok from popular App sites run by Facebook and Google, assert that Tiktok poses a “potential national security threat,” but they don’t offer any proof or facts to back up their allegations.

But when has the U.S. Congress ever been required to back up their assertions with facts? More importantly, since when has the U.S. Congress ever cared about the growing influence China has in America?

Tiktok.com/@RayHanania
Tiktok.com/@RayHanania

 

During the past two decades, China has increased its investments and purchases in America tenfold, rising from more than $11 billion in 2000 to $118 billion last year. The amount keeps increasing.

 

No one in Congress cares about the Communist Nation’s investment in America. Nor do they care about the growing number of industries that are expanding operations in China to exploit the cheap labor, such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and IBM.

So, what is the real impetus behind the targeted focus against Tiktok? And why is Tiktok more of a threat than the dozens of American companies who build products in China for pennies on the dollar and deny American taxpayers jobs right here in America?

The answer, many suspect, is Israel, which has more influence over the U.S. Congress than any other foreign country.

Tiktok is the fastest growing social media in America. It allows users to scroll through short videos of between a few seconds and up to 3 minutes that are produced by the users.

Unlike Facebook and Google, which severely restrict users based on their political views — tending to censor conservative views far more than those of liberals — Tiktok only bans videos that touch on core threats such as explicit sex, promotion of violence, or promotion of drug use.

What you do find on Tiktok are hundreds of millions of users who are shifting away from Facebook, which is these days is lame and driven by a far-Left political bias, to the freedom that Tiktok offers its users.

One of those freedoms is to not censor pro-Palestinian posters the way Facebook excessively censors pro-Palestinian posters who criticize Israel, which is a foreign country in America but is treated like it is America’s 51st State.

Israel gets more Foreign aid from Congress than all but one foreign country, Afghanistan. And laws have been passed to protect Israel from boycotts which are often encouraged against other foreign countries.

The latest push to censor Tiktok is being driven by pro-Israel activists who are shocked by the display of videos that show Israeli soldiers brutalizing Palestinian men, women and children, and challenging Israel’s propaganda that it seeks peace.

In fact, pro-Israel groups have launched a public relations campaign to force Tiktok to censor pro-Palestinian users asserting posts critical of Israel’s government policies are “anti-Semitic.”

What may rile the pro-Israel Tiktok users most is that many Israeli Jews are on the social media slamming Israel’s government policies. Dozens of former members of the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Jews who served during the 1948 war are finally confessing that they were forced to kill Palestinians in cities like Deir Yassin and most recently Tantura.

Video revelations by the former Israeli soldiers that they engaged in war crimes and were encouraged by superiors to murder are shocking and challenge the core principles that are the foundation of Israel’s propaganda that has most of American public opinion in a biased headlock.

People can easily watch videos of the former soldiers confessing to have been ordered to murder men, women and children who had no weapons simply to force them to flee into refugee status.

It is having a profound impact in changing the dynamics of the conflict as seen through American eyes in which the poor little nation of Israel is being attacked and assaulted by the “lying Arab World” and its Palestinian brethren who “don’t exist.”

Israel has always been afraid of free speech and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the mainstream American news media to ignore or marginalize Palestinian critics, and to support their assertions that criticism of Israel is “anti-Semitism.”

American journalists and opinion writers constantly conflate acts of true anti-Semitism — Jew hatred, vandalism of Jewish Synagogues and attacks targeting American Jews — with criticism of Israel’s government — accusations of discrimination against non-Jews, land theft from non-Jews, and soldiers engaging in violence against Palestinian civilians — whom Israel accuses of terrorism but often never presents factual evidence in a court of law to back up their claims.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-jews-can-support-palestinian-rights-condemn-antisemitism-ncna1268680

It’s easy to publish an article in the mainstream American news media defending Israel from criticism. It is very difficult to publish an article in the mainstream American news media exposing Israel’s violence against Palestinian civilians.

In fact, 26 American states have passed laws to punish Americans who criticize and support a boycott of Israel’s government policies.

There certainly is some anti-Semitism on Tiktok, just as there is certainly anti-Semitism on Facebook and other social media. But, there is just as much Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate on Tiktok and other social media including on Facebook, much of it from pro-Israel activists. That’s not a problem the politicians want to address, however.

The targeted attack on Tiktok is just another assault on free speech. It has nothing to do with the incredulous assertion that China is using the social media platform to steal national security. The driving force is protecting Israel from criticism.

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter. A political analyst and CEO of Urban Strategies Group, Hanania’s opinion columns on mainstream issues are published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. His Middle East columns are published in the Arab News. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)

 

SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Subscribe to Ray's columns

Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

* indicates required field.

 

Select Email Format


Ray Hanania on Politics podcast logo
Ray Hanania on Politics podcast logo

 

PS … Follow Ray Hanania on Twitter at Twitter.com/rayhanania. Fight back against #SocialMediaBigBrother

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
rayhanania
rayhanania
Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News
RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
rayhanania
Latest posts by rayhanania (see all)
  • Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States - January 19, 2023
  • Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12 - January 18, 2023
  • CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd - January 12, 2023

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
Activism, Bloggers, Business, Commentary, Israel, Opinion, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, Ray Hanania, Technology, US Arab Politics Tags:ByteDance, censorship, Chican, China owned, excusing Facebook, Facebook, Hypocrisy, Israel, media, pro-Israel, Public Relations, SOcial Media, targeting Tiktok, TikTok

Post navigation

Previous Post: Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12

Related Posts

  • Terrorist Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad, who have used chemical weapons and violence to destroy any Syrian civilian who challenges his atrocities. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    State Department release Joint Statement on crisis in Syria by government leaders  Arab News
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Letters to Manifestos Arab World
  • Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who was murdered by oppressive policies and a denial of healthcare by the Egyptian Government of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. Photo courtesy of the USMCO
    UN and rights groups denounce Egypt’s abuse of Morsi Arab World
  • The Newseum's depiction of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution in Washington, D.C..Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Court tosses racist anti-BDS law in Arkansas American Arabs
  • Honoring USS Liberty’s Dr. Kiepfer and USS Liberty Vets Arab World
  • Illinois Senator Silverstein to censor American critics of foreign country Israel American Arabs

More Related Articles

Musician Bashar Murard and his band at the Taybeh OktoberFest Taybeh OktoberFest to rock the West Bank this weekend Arab World
Outfront Media Dishonors USS Liberty Vets and Friends American Arabs
Fitness & Bodybuilding, health fitness expert Maya Nassar. Photo courtesy of Maya Nassar Lebanese American leads Middle East fitness American Arabs
American Arab leader urges Israeli Arabs to vote American Arabs
What do Arabs dream about, new website explores Arab World
Press Release Obama condemns Chapel Hill killings Activism

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Tiktok.com/@RayHanania
    Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States
    January 19, 2023
  • Ghassan Rubeiz
    To what extent is Hezbollah responsible for the current crisis in Lebanon?
    January 17, 2023
  • Image from Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's "A Compendium of Chronicles. Image courtesy of Wikipedia
    Why allow religious extremists to re-define Islam in the West?
    January 10, 2023
  • CAIR Executive Director and co-founder Nihad Awad
    This Thanksgiving, let’s use our Blessings for good
    November 23, 2022
  • NEWS
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12
    January 18, 2023
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Dr. Manal Fakhoury has been elected to the position of Chair of the National Board of Directors, and that attorneys Spojmie Nasiri of California and John Floyd of Texas have joined the organization’s National Board.
    CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd
    January 12, 2023
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC: Honor Dr. King Day with Civility, Unity, and Action
    January 11, 2023
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot targeted Arab businesses in 2021 and 2022
    January 4, 2023
  • NEWSWIRE
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12
    January 18, 2023
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Dr. Manal Fakhoury has been elected to the position of Chair of the National Board of Directors, and that attorneys Spojmie Nasiri of California and John Floyd of Texas have joined the organization’s National Board.
    CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd
    January 12, 2023
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC: Honor Dr. King Day with Civility, Unity, and Action
    January 11, 2023
  • Stand up For Human Rights website, United Nations
    UN experts condemn Israel’s ‘sadistic’ punitive measures against French-Palestinian rights defender Salah Hammouri
    October 19, 2022

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • ZiyadBrandLogo-2016BlackRedBackgrnd.jpg
  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Sices-Ad.jpg
  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Ad-Pantry-essentials.jpg
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib, book cover. Photo courtesy of Cune Press
    Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib
    November 1, 2021
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Hussam al-Mayman, The Mayman Show, podcast Arab News
    Arab News launches third season of The Mayman Show podcast
    December 15, 2022
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • Comedian Ramy Youssef courtesy of his Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ramysfaceboo/
    “Ramy” cable series melds Arab world reality with every day American life
    October 22, 2022
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • American Arab CHamber President HassanNijem accepts the Proclamation from Chicago Ald. Roderick Sawyer at the Chamber dinner March 30, 2022
    Chicagoland celebrates Arab American Heritage Month
    March 31, 2022
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at Gab.com, MeWe.com and IDobbinate.com, the alternatives to Facebook and Twitter Censorship.

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2023 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme