Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
When was the last time an Arab organization elected a Jew to head one of its pro-Democracy movements? Or when a Muslim group elected a Christian to lead its fight for justice? Or maybe a Jewish group electing a Muslim to lead its student movement? J Street answered this last one loud and clear By…
The Taybeh Brewing Company, the first Micro-Brewery in the Middle East is planning its annual OctoberFest which will be held this Fall in September. Despite the oppression of Palestinians, the Festival will continue to bring people together to celebrate a German tradition that is popular throughout the world, especially in the village of Taybeh, which…
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Americans and Arabs expressed frustration and mixed feelings in reaction to the brutal attack against two military installations in Tennessee on Thursday by a 24-year-old Arab and Muslim naturalized citizen. Four U.S. Marines were killed and another was injured in the attack. The killer, Mohammad Youssef (Youssuf) Abdulazeez was shot and killed by military police. But…
Read More “Americans have mixed feelings on Chattanooga attacks” »
Jewish violence against Arabs continues with barely a notice from the biased, mainstream American news media. Recently, settlers burned down a wheat field in the Christian village of Taybeh By By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. I have survived the Israeli security check one more time in safely returning to the village. My prayer is for peace and stability…
While the World is pausing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the massacre of more than one million Armenians by the former Ottoman Empire, many major Muslim American organizations and Arab World leaders have been either silent or have argued that the Armenian genocide is little more than a part of World War I. Armenians, who are Christian,…
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Israelis insist that Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East. But what kind of Democracy is a country that discriminates against people based on race and religion and continually reinforces that discrimination? More importantly, what kind of people live in an apartheid-like country and pretends that they do not discriminate? By Ray Hanania For years, I always avoided…
President Obama has begun a debate on the issue of terrorism and Islam asking Americans to recognize that just because the terrorists claim they represent Islam doesn’t make it so. Why give the terrorists what they want? Defeat terrorism by being educated and understanding the facts, as complex as they may be. We are a smart…
Read More “Courageous stand by Obama on terrorism and Islam” »
By Ray Hanania Civil rights activists from around the country are targeting a convention being held by RE/MAX Realty in Las Vegas beginning March 2 to protest their ongoing support of illegal Jewish-only settlements in occupied Palestine that discriminate against Christians and Muslims. The annual convention will bring RE/MAX representatives from around the world to…
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Rabbis for Human Rights protests Israel’s collective punishment By Ray Hanania Rabbis for Human Rights, the only rabbinical based human rights organization in Israel, issued a statement this week calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the practice of punishing families and relatives of individuals accused of violent crimes by destroying their homes….
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By Ray Hanania The absence of our story as Arab-Americans may explain why so many Americans hate Arabs and Muslims, especially in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo Massacre. Most Americans lump Arabs and Muslims into one category of spite because, to be honest, most Americans are uneducated and ignorant about the facts. I blame…
Read More “I Am Not Charlie Hebdo: I Am Not the Terrorists Either” »
By Mohammed Asad Orthodox Christians from around the world celebrated Christmas today, Jan. 7, 2015. The Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the basis of the old Julian Calendar and often comes within a week or two of the traditional Christmas on Dec. 25 of each year. Orthodox Christians are mainly from Middle East and Mediterranean countries…
Read More “Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas in Gaza Strip” »
By Ray Hanania As a Christian, no city in the world means more to me than the “Little Town of Bethlehem.” I write about it often, mainly to remind American Christians — many of whom have forgotten the roots of their faith and therefore the spirit of their Christianity — that Bethlehem is a real…
Read More “A virtual visit to the birthplace of Christianity, Bethlehem” »
By Ray Hanania Every Christmas, I always hear the same conflicting arguments. On the one hand, people tell me, “Stop saying ‘Happy Holidays.’ It’s ‘Merry Christmas’. If you don’t like it, move.” The point being that they presumably are proud of being Christian. And, since Christmas is a Christian holiday, they want people to acknowledge…
By Eileen Fleming Banksy, the graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter depicts 21st century Bethlehem reality onto holiday greeting cards and informational cards with this message: Towering walls and militarized fences now encircle Bethlehem, turning the 4,000-year-old city into a virtual prison for its Palestinian Christian and Muslim citizens. Bethlehem has…
Obituary: Azizah Magazine Publisher Tayyibah Taylor By Ray Hanania Tayyibah Taylor was a different kind of Muslim. She was a woman who shattered the stereotypes against women in the media and broke the restrictions oftentimes imposed on Muslim women. Although she was not Arab, she was an influential role model for Arabs and non-Arabs alike. I met Tayyibah…
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Christian Arab presence in Bethlehem in Crisis By Ray Hanania The issue of Christians in the Holy Land continues to be a topic that is twisted and distorted for political purposes with Muslims and Jews both arguing they do more for the increasingly deteriorating presence in traditionally Christian areas like Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour in the Israeli…
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