Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Baseball and American sports is so depressing I was so excited about the chances of a Chicago Cubs victory in this year’s World Series game that I drove to Wrigley Field to purchase some Cubs souvenirs to celebrate, only to be reminded where those chotskies (not Tsatskeles) came from By Ray Hanania I was so…
The first Cubs curse was by an Arab American The first Cubs curse was by an Arab American in Chicago, but it was for a good reason. It was issued by Abdullah al-Tidhatch in 1908 after the Cubs refused to reinstate the league’s first Arab player, Fareed Habibi, according to sources, myths and old wives’…
Palestinians run in Chicago & California marathons Palestinians, American Arabs and others will be among the thousands of runners in marathons across the United States this week including at the annual Bank of America Marathon in Chicago on Sunday Oct. 9, and in Mountain View and Cupertino in California on Thursday, October 13 and San Francisco,…
Read More “Palestinians run in Chicago & California marathons” »
Urge FIFA to drop illegal Israeli soccer teams. FIFA urged to take action against soccer clubs representing illegal settlements in the Israeli occupied West Bank. Arab American Institute leads campaign to urge FIFA to adhere to its rules banning clubs organized on occupied territories that discriminate on the basis of religion and/or race Ahead of the…
Read More “Urge FIFA to drop illegal Israeli soccer teams” »
Palestine United wins 2016 International championship. Soccer team named in honor of Palestine wins 2016 international championship in U.S. Competition A team of Arab teenagers who played soccer under the banner “Palestine United” won the 2016 KICS Cup International Soccer competition hosted here in Chicago. Organized by Coaches Sami Mahdi, Ali Abuhellaleh and Samir Al-Beitoni,…
Read More “Palestine United wins 2016 soccer championship” »
UAE first to win 2016 Olympic Medal for Arab World The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab country to win a medal in the Olympic competitions in Rio in Brazil. Sergiu Toma, who was born in Moldova in the former Soviet Union and has been a UAE citizen for many years, won the Bronze Medal…
Read More “UAE first to win 2016 Olympic Medal for Arab World” »
The Arab World first entered athletes in the Olympics in 1912 and the number of Arabs competing in the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics continues to increase. But political hurdles by the West and Israel have continued to undermine fair competition and one country in particular has been the target, Palestine. By Ray Hanania…
UEFA Euro 2016: Fraternity, Unity and Diversity. France’s squad footballers cultural and ethnic origin, particularly for second and third generation football stars immigrants are victims of institutionalized racism. By Abdennour Toumi The UEFA Euro 2016 championship edition is one of world soccer’s most watched events. France is the hosting country and the most favored to win…
Read More “UEFA Euro 2016: Fraternity, Unity and Diversity” »
What Muhammad Ali meant to American Arabs, and me, a personal remembrance of Ali’s impact on the lives of American Arabs during several encounters from his beginnings in the boxing profession from Cassius Cay to Muhammad Ali and his conversion to Islam, to his support of the building of Mosques and Islam in the 1970s, and…
Read More “What Muhammad Ali meant to American Arabs, and me” »
Algerians salute Palestinian football team Algerian football players and fans salute the struggle of the Palestinian people during a soccer match between the Algerian Olympic football team and the Palestinian Football team, played in Algeria. By Mohammed Asad Palestinians in the Gaza Strip watch on big screens a friendly football (soccer) match between the Palestinian…
Johnny Manziel, the American Arab of Lebanese and Italian heritage, was on a fast track to fame as quarterback for the Cleveland Browns professional football team. But Manziel couldn’t seem to get his personal life in order, and a series of controversies including physical altercationsreportedly pushed the team to drop him this year By Ray Hanania Fewer than…
Saudi Arabia and Iran, highlighting the domestic drivers of mounting tension that threatens to deepen and complicate sectarian and multiple other regional conflicts, have taken their fierce tit-for-tat battle from the realm of traditional diplomacy to the world of public diplomacy
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani suffered in the run-up to crucial elections in early 2016 what amounted to at least a symbolic defeat when state-run television banned Iran’s most popular soccer program from running an interview with his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on soccer and politics.
International trade unions have stepped up pressure on Qatar with a series of demands, a majority of which the Gulf state could implement without having to reform its autocracy or threaten the privileged position of its citizenry who account for a mere 12 percent of the population and fear that change could cost them control of their culture and society.
Disabled Palestinians compete in basketball series By Mohammed Asad Disabled Palestinians take part in a local wheelchair basketball championship sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City December 17, 2015.
The escalating Turkish-Russian crisis following Turkey’s downing in November of a Russian war plane promises to spill onto European soccer pitches with FC Lokomotiv Moscow set to play Fenerbahce SK, notorious for its fiery fan base, in a Europa League match.
Ridden by the worst corruption scandal in its history, world soccer body FIFA is breaking new ground by seeking to put United Nations guidelines for human rights at the centre of its activities.
Egyptian law enforcement authorities and the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), in a reflection of fears that stadia in Egypt could once more emerge as platforms for anti-government protest, have extended a ban on spectators attending matches that has been in place for much of the last five years.