Category: Spotlight

The Legacies of the Middle East in 2025 Are Likely to Repeat in 2026

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026 Ray Hanania No Comments

The Legacies of the Middle East in 2025 Are Likely to Repeat in 2026 By Yara M. Asi, Daniel Brumberg, Elobaid Elobaid, Samia Errazzouki, Imad K. Harb, Marwan Kabalan, Nabeel A. Khoury, Laurie King, Assal Rad, Rend Al-Rahim, and Mtanes Shihadeh In 2025, the Middle East and North Africa saw Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians and destabilizing military attacks across the wider region,…

Arab Center Washington DC, Arab World, Arab World Politics, Gulf States, Human Rights, immigrants, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, News, NewsWire, North Africa, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, Saudi Arabia, Spotlight, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey

Challengers in Illinois’ 6th and 10th Congressional Districts Face Voters on The Lightning Strike

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 Ray Hanania No Comments

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…

Activism, American Arabs, Arab Radio, Congress, Election, Journalism, News, News Media, NewsWire, Politics, Radio Podcast, Spotlight, US Arab Politics

Taybeh exposes claims Christians are “treated better in Israel” than in Arab countries

December 31, 2025December 31, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

Taybeh exposes claims Christians are “treated better in Israel” than in Arab countries By Ray Hanania Chicago, IL – During a public speech days before the Christian celebration of Christmas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bragged that “Israel is the only country in the Middle East that grants Christians full religious freedom … and is…

Arab World, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Human Rights, Israel, Middle East, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, racism, Ray Hanania, Spotlight, Terrorism

Union leader Fayez Khozindar honored for defense of limo and Uber Black drivers O’Hare prayer tent

December 12, 2025December 12, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

Union leader Fayez Khozindar honored for defense of limo and Uber Black drivers O’Hare prayer tent The American Arab Chamber of Commerce honored 80 individuals, leaders, activists and journalists for their contributions to the community during its annual “Best of the Best” dinner at the Orland Civic Center Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, including a champion…

Activism, American Arabs, Business, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Event, Events, News, NewsWire, Spotlight

Illinois Arab Chamber presents “Best of the Best” awards honoring community leaders and activists

December 11, 2025December 12, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

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,…

Activism, American Arabs, Business, Event, Events, Features, Journalism, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, Spotlight, US Arab Politics

CAIR denounces defamatory namecalling of racist Ron DeSantis

December 9, 2025December 9, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

CAIR denounces defamatory namecalling of racist Ron DeSantis CAIR, CAIR-Florida Tell racist Ron DeSantis ‘See You in Court’ After Unconstitutional and Defamatory ‘Israel First Political Stunt’ The Florida chapter and national headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 plans to…

American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Human Rights, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, Press Releases, racism, Spotlight

American Arab Chamber of Commerce Illinois to host 2025 “Best of the Best” Awards Dec. 9

November 14, 2025November 14, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

American Arab Chamber of Commerce Illinois to host 2025 “Best of the Best” Awards Dec. 9 The American Arab Chamber of Commerce of Illinois will host its annual “Best of the Best” Awards night on Dec. 9, 2025, at the Orland Civic Center, 14750 S. Ravinia Avenue, in Orland Park. Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge…

Activism, American Arabs, Business, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Culture, Election, Human Rights, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, Press Releases, racism, Spotlight

Standing Together brings Israelis, Palestinians, Iranians, Lebanese, Jews, Christians and Muslims together for peace

November 9, 2025November 9, 2025 News Editor News Editor No Comments

Standing Together brings Israelis, Palestinians, Iranians, Lebanese, Jews, Christians and Muslims together for peace By Ray Hanania The Illinois Chapter of the Israeli Arab-Jewish grassroots movement “Standing Together” hosted a gathering in Chicago on November 1 that brought Jews, Christians, and Muslims together for peace. The event, titled “Together in Sorrow, Together in Resolve, Holding…

Activism, American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Event, Events, Features, Human Rights, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Spotlight

Marquis Who’s Who Honors Khalil E. Jahshan for Expertise in Mideast Foreign Policy

October 20, 2025October 21, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

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…

American Arabs, News, NewsWire, Spotlight, US Arab Politics

Arab Center of Washington DC Fellows and affiliates analyze Palestine State recognition

October 2, 2025October 21, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

Arab Center of Washington DC Fellows and affiliates analyze Palestine State recognition Washington, DC – The Arab Center Washington DC (ACW) this week released a detailed position paper on the momentum growing to recognize a Palestine State during the 80th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. The analysis, titled “Recognizing a Palestinian State as…

American Arabs, Arab World, Arab World Politics, Human Rights, Israel, Middle East, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Spotlight

Video Interview Delinda Hanley of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

September 27, 2025September 27, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

Video Interview Delinda Hanley of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Arab Americans are demonized by the biases in the mainstream American news media and complain often about it., But they fail to take the first, most important step to end that bias by fully supporting the existing Arab American news media, which is…

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ADC to issue awards for community leadsership at Convention

September 19, 2025September 20, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

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,…

American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Culture, Event, Events, Middle East, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Spotlight, The Arab Street, US Arab Politics

HE Turki Alalshikh joins opening faceoff ahead of Fight Week for blockbuster Canelo-Crawford clash in Las Vegas

September 8, 2025September 8, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

HE Turki Alalshikh joins opening faceoff ahead of Fight Week for blockbuster Canelo-Crawford clash in Las Vegas Las Vegas, United States, September 9, 2025: The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas set the stage this evening (Monday) for the opening head-to-head of the week between reigning undisputed super middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and undefeated four-division…

Arab News, Entertainment, Event, Features, News, NewsWire, Saudi Arabia, Sports, Spotlight

Mo Amer’s “Mo” on Netflix is more than just a great comedy series

September 6, 2025September 15, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

Mo Amer’s “Mo” on Netflix is more than just a great comedy series By Ray Hanania The Netflix series “Mo,” starring Arab American comedian Mo Amer is not only one of the best comedy series streaming on cable, but it is a deep dive into the tragic reality of what Palestinians face not just in…

American Arabs, Bloggers, Christian & Muslim, Commentary, Culture, Entertainment, Features, Humor, Israel, Middle East, NewsWire, Opinion, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, racism, Spotlight, Television

O’Hare Airport inspector threatens to dismantle Muslim prayer tent authorized in 2022

August 26, 2025August 26, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

O’Hare Airport inspector threatens to dismantle Muslim prayer tent authorized in 2022 A Prayer tent authorized in 2022 to accommodate prayers for Muslim Uber/Lyft drivers at O’Hare Airport is being threatened with removal. The tent is located at 10400 W. Johnson Road in Des Plaines in a side area of the vehicle staging lot that…

American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Culture, News, NewsWire, Ray Hanania, Spotlight

AADC to host annual candidates’ Forum & Brunch Sunday at Nikos in Bridgeview

February 11, 2025February 12, 2025 Press Release Press Release No Comments

AADC to host annual candidates’ Forum & Brunch Sunday at Nikos in Bridgeview Bridgeview, IL — The Arab American Democracy Coalition (AADC) (formerly the Arab American Democratic Club) will host its annual Candidates Forum & Brunch on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 at Niko’s Restaurant. More than 500 people are expected to attend the event which…

Activism, American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Election, Event, Human Rights, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Quick News, Spotlight, US Arab Politics

A recipe on how to make Stuffed Grape Leaves with lamb, ox tail and rice

December 29, 2024April 26, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

A recipe on how to make Stuffed Grape Leaves with lamb, ox tail and rice #Read @RayHanania I love #MiddleEastern #Arab food recipes in addition to politics. Here’s my how to make Stuffed #GrapeLeaves with diced #lamb #steak #wariqDuwali #OxTail and #rice Read Ray Hanania’s columns on politics, life in general, and his love for…

American Arabs, Arab News, Arab World, ArabNewsColumn, Christian & Muslim, Culture, Europe, Features, Food, Health, immigrants, Lebanon, Middle East, News, Palestine & Jordan, Ray Hanania, recipe, Spotlight

All United launches to empower local community and drive political change

December 17, 2024February 12, 2025 Ray Hanania No Comments

All United launches to empower local community and drive political change ORLAND PARK, IL – Last week, All United, a newly established statewide Political Action Committee (PAC), launched its mission to build a powerful and inclusive political movement at its inaugural fundraiser—an event that demonstrated the strength, unity, and resolve of the communities it aims…

American Arabs, Christian & Muslim, Civil Rights, Election, Human Rights, News, NewsWire, Palestine & Jordan, Politics, racism, Ray Hanania, Spotlight, The Arab Street, US Arab Politics