Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Trump throws media, Israel into badly needed disarray President Donald Trump is unpredictable and that might actually benefit two important goals. The first is to thwart the stranglehold Israel has on American foreign policy, blocking peace with the Palestinians. The second is more important, to confront the mainstream news media which fuels the flames of racism and…
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Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day Palestinians around the world are commemorating Nakba Day, the day in which Israel and the United Nations committed the Palestinian people to a homeless diaspora and struggle against increasing Israeli violence and racist persecution of their rights. Palestine Solidarity Campaign is presenting a week of events to commemorate and honor Palestinian…
Trump movement for “change” awakens Reagan Democrats Published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group April 27, 2017 By Ray Hanania The major news media all seemed to focus on one election story on April 4, a story they spun to falsely suggest that President Donald Trump made Republicans vulnerable. But if you look past the…
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Lalla Fatma N’Soumer: Misunderstood Symbol of modern Algerian Feminism Lalla N’Soumer, the mother of modern Algerian feminism, still lives in the songs and depiction of mothers and grand-mothers, mainly Berbers, and secularist women elite. By Abdennour Toumi The Algerian legislative election on Thursday was marked by a high-scored sentiment of abstention and reluctance, what many…
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Arab Knesset leader denounces Israeli racism The Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian Israeli elected to the Knesset representing Israel’s oppressed Arab minority, told an American audience on Friday May 5, 2017 that Israel’s government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racist, discriminatory and practices Apartheid in the military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza…
Arab American journalists face industry bias Arab American journalists continue to be targeted by racism and discrimination that dominate the mainstream American news media. America’s journalism industry is driven by an unethical and unprofessional growing trend by American media outlets to exclude any voices that are critical of Israel. It’s the main reason why there are so…
Salt Houses, new book on Palestinian experience Hala Alyan has written a phenomenal book that shares the experiences of a Palestinian family from Nablus, told from multiple perspectives as the family is scattered throughout the Middle East and the West. SALT HOUSES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2, 2017) is the dazzling debut novel by Hala…
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Arab News & YouGov expose US ignorance of Middle East A new poll by the Arab News and YouGov.com has exposed a major flaw in the understanding that Americans have of the Middle East. This is remarkable because in the past two years, more Americans have died because of the Middle East than in any other…
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Leaders challenge USCIRF failure to stand up for Muslim, Christian rights James Zogby and Faith Leaders Discuss USCIRF Refusal to Address Israel’s Violations of Religious Freedom. The briefing was streamed via Facebook Live and can be viewed via this link. On Wednesday, April 26, James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute who serves as a member…
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Chicago aldermen move to re-establish Arab rights Chicago has been friendly and supportive to the American Arab community for many years. One of my first journalism assignments was covering Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley in welcoming the Ambassador of Morocco to City Hall in 1976. As the only Arab newspaper reporter in the Midwest at the…
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Beyond the Beltway Radio panel tackles North Korea threat The weekly Sunday radio show Beyond the Beltway, hosted by veteran political writer and commentator Bruce DuMont, tackles the frightening issue of the rising threats of North Korea’s tyrant Kim Jong Un. Panelists included Asian specialist Karl Friedhoff of the Chicago Council of Global Affairs who has…
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Zogby named to Democratic Unity Commission The turmoil between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders that undermined the credibility of the Democratic National Committee will be the focus of a Unity Commission set up by both candidates and the DNC, and will include at least one American Arab, Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute…
Hypocrisy at racist, anti-Arab/Muslim Chicago Sun-Times Most mainstream American journalists love to dish it out and criticize people, but they are thinned skinned and hate to be criticized themselves, especially when they are involved in their own conflicts-of-interest that they fail to mention in their stories. As a columnist who writes my opinions, I also…
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Rising Lamb costs changing Middle East food market The rising cost of lamb meat is forcing many Middle East and Arab restaurants to change their menus, offering cheaper and less appealing “ground beef” as an alternative to the more costly lamb, and it is having a negative impact on the quality of food served at…
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Unpredictable Trump is just what the Arab World needs My column at the Arab News this weeks discusses the reality of President Donald Trump and how his unpredictability is exactly what the Arab World needs today to undermine the fanatics, destroy the terrorist regime of Bashar al-Assad and achieve peace between Palestine and Israel By…
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Saving Arab Christians in the Middle East The recent massacre of Christians in Egypt by radical Islamic extremists is another reminder of the precarious place that Christians hold in the Muslim World and the Middle East. My column this week, written before the massacre, addresses how Israel is doing more for Christians than the Arab…
Analysis: Why Pekau won and McLaughlin lost A poorly run re-election campaign by seven-term incumbent Mayor Dan McLaughlin combined with a hot-topic issue of salary and pension hikes, and a laser-focused issues campaign of a non-political challenger, Keith Pekau, running on the Republican Party banner did what no one thought could happen April 4 in Orland Park….
Trump, Jordan King focus on Palestinian State President Donald Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah II met this week, their second meeting at the White House since Trump’s election, and discussed ways to achieve peace through the establishment of a State for Palestinians. Trump and King Abdullah II also discussed regional issues including confronting Syria’s butcher Bashar…