Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Photo Array of Palestinians showing support for Freedom Flotilla. Palestinian children, who were targeted by Israeli soldiers during the Gaza War in the summer of 2014, carry signs and show support for the newest Freedom Flotilla seeking to break the oppressive blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Israel blockade prevents basic food and other essentials from…
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Dylann Roof’s massacre of nine people at a South Carolina Church is just another example of how Americans close their eyes and refuse to politicize violence that reflects their culture but exaggerate the violence when it is committed by those they perceive as foreign. The debate over Roof has focused not on the origins of his White…
Syrian Refugees face White Hill Nightmare By Abdennour Toumi Akçakale, Turkey — Tel-Abyad, a strategically-placed town on the Syrian-Turkish border under the control of the ISO since 2013, was seized in a brief take-over operation by Kurdish brigades of Burkan el-Furat and the united forces of the YPG-YPJ. This success may well signal a decisive shift in…
Painful Refugee Day, Feverish Year for Ankara By Abdennour Toumi Ankara, Turkey — The Syrian conflict has produced the most compelling humanitarian challenge of the last fifty years. According to the UNHCR (U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees) office, there re 12.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance including 3.9 million who fled Syria and 7.6 million…
President Obama hosted his annual Iftar dinner, a tradition at the White House originally started under the administration of former President Bill Clinton and organized by then First Lady Hillary Clinton. The guest list was inclusive and consisted of representatives of several American Muslim communities and also the diplomatic corp representing Islamic nations including those…
For years, American Arabs were either forced to play behind-the-scenes roles in the mainstream news media, or had to distance themselves from their heritage in order to maintain high profile news positions. Only a very few would wear their Arab heritage on their shoulders, usually facing immediate personal attacks and challenges from their media colleagues. But…
Read More “Middle Eastern hosts on HLN TV break stereotypes” »
The BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) is a legitimate non-violent form of protest that most Israelis and American Jews should support. But the BDS movement itself is not defined and waffles between an extreme rejection of everything Israeli that calls for turning back the clock to 1948, to a focused campaign that targets Israeli extremist,…
Read More “BDS means different things to different people” »
Two leading Civil Rights organizations in Israel have challenged and condemned an internal investigation by the Israeli military that the killing of four children on a Gaza Beach on July 16, 2014 was not intentional but an “accident.” But eye witnesses say the Israeli soldiers intentionally targeted the four boys, aged 9 to 11 years…
Read More “Israeli report on Children killed at Beach flawed” »
American Arab player Brandon Saad made a critical goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 4th game of the Stanley Cup Play-offs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The goal helped the Blackhawks gain momentum to tie up the series and then go on to win two more games taking the championship Monday night By Ray…
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In 1969, two years after Israel invaded and occupied all of Jerusalem and the remaining areas of Palestine, it was clear that the Arab World was incapable of recovering the lands stolen by Israel’s colonization in 1948. The Palestinians stood up on their own and began to defend themselves against Israel’s brutal aggression. To commemorate the event,…
Read More “Al-Fatah Palestine Stamps: remembering the revolution” »
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are among the world’s top 10 worst places when it comes to worker’s rights according to a new study released by the International Trade Union Confederation, but Egypt tops the MENA region as 3rd worst in the world. Study shows rights violations in Israel, and that workers…
Read More “Gulf States among worst places for workers rights” »
Turkey’s Democratic elections show that the HDP opposition can win support, but not enough to oust the AKParti, the party President Erdogan founded. But now the HDP is a more formidable voice in defining Turkey’s Democratic future. The vote suggests Turkish voters may want a multi-party coalition leadership By Abbdenour Toumi Ankara, Turkey — In order to…
Read More “In Turkish elections: Ağa Selahattin Dethrones “Sultan” Tayyip” »
Global support for Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan grows as a Mass Solidarity Hunger Strike is organized to rally against Israeli civil rights violations and civilian abuses. Protestors target illegal policies of administrative detention and urge international support to free dissidents from Israel’s prison Gulag By Dezeray Lyn Members of the Palestine solidarity organization the International Women’s Peace…
Read More “Global support grows for hunger striking Palestinian prisoner” »
The Dearborn School District recently named four candidates to fill the position of Schools Superintendent. But in a school district where American Arabs are among the largest constituents, none of the four candidates are of Arab heritage. Michigan’s ADC Chapter protested to the district’s board president that the failure of including an Arab candidate could be…
Read More “Dearborn schools fail to include Arab among superintendent finalists” »
A new documentary by directors Ovidio Salazar and Mazen AlKhayrat explores the cultural and religious practices of women who cover their hair not just in the Middle East but around the world. Titled “The Tainted Veil,” the documentary explores why there is a controversy Anasy Media, a United Arab Emirates production company has completed post-production on…
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Palestinian artists are helping to send the message that reminds Israel that the World sees Israel’s brutality, its destruction and the human trauma Israel has created in the Gaza Strip. A new generation of Palestine children see Israel for what it really is By Mohammed Asad The artwork of several foreign and local activists/artists who draw…
Read More “World sees Israel’s brutality in Occupied Palestine” »
Instead of introducing a law to urge Israelis and Palestinians to make peace and avoid violence, Illinois Legislators State Sen. Ira Silverstein and State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz introduced a law to strip Americans of their Constitutional Rights of Free Speech and to defend Israel’s extremist policies including its discrimination against Christians and Muslims, the theft of civilian lands and…
Read More “How Silverstein and Feigenholtz Strengthen Extremism and Violence” »
#AntiMuslimHate #ArizonaHateCapitoloftheWorld #NotMyAmerica This weekend, a group of 250 led by a former U.S. Marine, protested against a Mosque in Phoenix claiming they wanted to show the world America is about free speech, tolerance, and against violence and hate. But their protest was driven by hate, founded on hypocrisy and consumed by contradictions; all the protest did…
Read More “Racism gives haters a place to hide in America” »