Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Challengers in Illinois’ 6th and 10th Congressional Districts Face Voters on The Lightning Strike Voters in two closely watched Illinois congressional districts heard directly from Democratic primary challengers on Sunday morning January 4, 2026 during a candidates’ forum broadcast on The Lightning Strike, the weekly progressive radio program airing on WCPT 820 AM Radio. The…
CAIR LDF, MLFA, SPLC and Akeel & Valentine Sue Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Over ‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’ Executive Order Akeel & Valentine, CAIR Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF), the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced on Monday Dec. 15, 2025 the filing of a federal lawsuit challenging Florida…
Akram Baker remembered, worked at Orient House in Jerusalem with the late Faisal Husseini Obituary, 1966 – 2025 By Hady Amr Akram Ahmad Baker, 58, my longtime friend and colleague, passed away on December 11, following a valiant battle with disease. Akram was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1966 to Palestinian-American parents from Bir Nabalah,…
Illinois Arab Chamber presents “Best of the Best” awards honoring community leaders and activists The American Arab Chamber of Commerce honored 80 individuals for their contributions to the community during its annual “Best of the Best” dinner at the Orland Civic Center Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge, the event keynote speaker,…
The CMCC and the US-Israel Alliance: Collusion or Enforcement Mechanism? By Hanna Alshaikh The fastest route to Washington no longer runs through Tel Aviv, as the saying once went, but through Kiryat Gat, a small industrial city in southern Israel. On October 17, 2025, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) established the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) there…
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New Ninth District Poll Shows Abughazaleh Tied for First Place A recent independent poll shows Kat Abughazaleh tied for first place, with 18%. This independent poll was not sponsored by any candidate, making it the first of its kind to be released in this race. The survey of 568 likely IL-09 Democratic primary voters shows…
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Construction in the E1 Area: Preventing Palestinian Geographical Contiguity By Mtanes Shihadeh and Ikram Mohammed The Israeli government continues to exploit the post-October 7, 2023, situation to impose a new geopolitical and demographic reality in the occupied West Bank, alongside the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war on Gaza,…
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Ranking member Shaheen opening remarks at Nominations Hearing for key State Department positions Shaheen slams nomination of Amer Ghalib as Ambassador to Kuwait over his remarks regarding pro-Israeli exaggerations and propaganda regarding the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. WASHINGTON – Today, Thursday Oct. 23, 2025, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate…
Marquis Who’s Who Honors Khalil E. Jahshan for Expertise in Mideast Foreign Policy Khalil E. Jahshan is a distinguished leader in the field of foreign policy and Middle East affairs with a career spanning 45 years of dedication and is the Executive Director of the Arab Center Washington DC Khalil E. Jahshan has been selected…
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Arab America Foundation to host “Connect Empowerment Summit” in New Jersey The Arab American Foundation, launched in 2019 to educate Americans about the Arab identity and empower and connect Arab Americans, will host the “Connect Empowerment Summit” on Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25, at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe in Teaneck, New Jersey….
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ADC to issue awards for community leadership at Convention The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is proud to announce the distinguished recipients of the ArabCon 2025 Awards. ArabCon—ADC’s annual national convention—runs September 25–28, 2025 in Dearborn, MI, under the theme “We’ve Been Here Before.” The four-day program convenes advocates, scholars, elected officials, artists, business leaders, students,…
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Microsoft fires a Jewish worker for taking part in the “Liberated Zone” On Friday, August 29th, Microsoft fired a Jewish worker for taking part in the Liberated Zone protests that took place on August 26th. During this protest, seven now-former Microsoft workers and community members staged a sit-in inside Microsoft executives’ Building 34, while others, including the…
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Orland Park passes revised Gaza Ceasefire resolution By Ray Hanania After 20 months since former Mayor Keith Pekau rejected a Gaza Ceasefire resolution and told the Arab American sponsors that if they didn’t like it, they could “Go to another country,” his successor, Mayor Jim Dodge, pushed through a resolution that was approved by the…
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California Lawmakers Advance Costly SB 771 in Closed-Door Session; Impose “Israel Tax” on Financially Strapped Constituents Earlier on Sunday, August 31, 2025, a small group of compromised lawmakers in California secretly advanced Senate Bill 771 which, if passed, will infringe on the First Amendment Rights of all Americans. In an undemocratic process, the lawmakers made…
Sanders: Trump Welcomes War Criminal to White House WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement after President Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House: “As President Trump and Members of Congress roll out the red carpet for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, let’s remember that Netanyahu has been…
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Andrew S. Boutros Takes Oath of Office as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew S. Boutros, who served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago for nearly eight years before entering private law practice, took the Oath of Office today as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. U.S….
Illinois Muslim Action Day Policies at April 9 Statehouse News Conference Muslim Leaders, Lawmakers to Discuss Illinois Muslim Action Day Policies at April 9 Statehouse News Conference Advocates representing the Muslim and immigrant communities across Chicagoland will travel to the Illinois State Capitol on Wednesday, April 9, to call for strengthening Illinois’ welcoming state policies…
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CAIR-Chicago Denounces Growing Islamophobia in Southwest Suburbs, Calls for Hate Crime Investigation The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today denounced the circulation of anti-Muslim flyers in Mokena, Illinois, and urged authorities to investigate the incident as a hate crime. SEE: Summit Hill District 161 Candidates Denounce Anti-Muslim Flyers The anonymous flyer,…