Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Relationship between Arab Americans and African Americans needs more balance, Black State Rep says By Ray Hanania Illinois State Rep. Cyril Nichols has raised an issue that many Arab Americans prefer not to discuss. Are Arab Americans doing enough to balance the support they get from African Americans? In an interview on The Ray Hanania…
Who will choose the next Lebanese President? By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Since September of last year the Lebanese parliament has failed to elect a president for a country which has been bankrupt for four years. The Parliament has voted eleven times, but the results have been inconclusive. Banks are not able to return money to…
Gov Pritzker makes more appointments to state commissions, boards but no Arabs Gov. Pritzker Announces Eleven Appointments to Boards and Commissions. Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following appointments in his administration Gov. J.B. Pritzker continued to finally start filling vacant seats on the state’s…
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US Rep. Lauren Boebert owes US Rep. Ilhan Omar an apology People who can’t debate real issues because they lack the intelligence to do so instead turn to racist hatred and name-calling to demonize others with whom they disagree. That’s the case with Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert who made a vicious personal attack against Minnesota…
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Lebanese political system cannot fix itself, responsible external assistance is badly needed By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz The Lebanese civil war has ended, but could it start again? If civil war reignites, Lebanon will easily pass from a “failing” to a “failed” state. Abandoned by the international community, this Mediterranean country, once called the Switzerland of…
To mark the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, President Biden will visit the attack sites in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Families of hundreds of 9/11 victims told Biden to stay away unless he declassified government evidence that could link Saudi Arabia to the attack. By Eileen Fleming President Biden on Friday signed an executive order to…
Pandemic is widening an increasingly bitter US political divide The US is a divided country, and not just between those who hate former President Donald Trump and those who hate his successor, Joe Biden. The coronavirus pandemic has not only turned US politics upside down and on its head, but also created a new political…
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Lebanon’s power sharing scheme is no longer sustainable By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Here is a recent Lebanon headline: Optimism on government formation surges. Over the last year, news about cabinet formation has run like a weather forecast. More than ever before, people inside and outside Lebanon are asking if the state is approaching total collapse….
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Arab American Heritage Month, Ramadan feted by Journalists and elected officials The Arab American Democratic Club hosted a forum of journalists and elected officials and community leaders on Thursday April 22, 2021 to discuss both Ramadan and Arab American Heritage Month (April). The panel included a video message offering both Ramadan Kareem messages and a celebratory…
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Lebanon and Syria’s futures intertwined By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz On October 17, 2019 the Lebanon erupted into a nationwide uprising demanding the dismantling of a corrupt and sectarian political system. Responding to unprecedented street protests, Saad Hariri resigned immediately. A new cabinet was formed by Hassan Diab, an academic with a limited background in public…
Arab American Democratic Club hosts candidate leadership forum The Arab American Democratic Club hosted its 2021 Candidate and Leadership Forum on Thursday March 25 featuring a long slate of candidates for local elective office and elected government officials and speakers. The event was held to commemorate April Arab American Heritage Month and to encourage Arab…
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On Saturday Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted at Western leaders of countries responsible for Israel’s nuclear program that, “Israel is expanding Dimona, the region’s only nuclear bomb factory… By Eileen Fleming Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif tweeted at President Biden and the heads of state of Britain, France and Germany regarding The Guardian’s, “Israel expands nuclear…
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The United States-Israel Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Collaborative Research Act garnered nearly 100 bipartisan cosponsors. By Eileen Fleming Representative Michael Waltz, R-Fla is the first Green Beret to serve in Congress. Last year Waltz introduced the “United States-Israel PTSD Collaborative Research Act.” Last week the Florida Daily reported that Waltz’s bill was sent to the House Veterans…
Trumpism is a term for the political ideology, style of governance, political movement and set of mechanisms for acquiring and keeping power as demonstrated by former president, Donald J. Trump. By Eileen Fleming Truth seekers will be glued to the TV this Tuesday when former U.S. president D. J. Trump’s second impeachment trial begins with…
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Healing the Nation after Trump By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz I am less worried about how firmly Trump is disciplined than about how focused our leaders are on the future of America. We are facing a severe pandemic, a major economic crisis, a rural-urban political split and a growing national ideological societal divide. A diversity-sensitive approach…
The Breach of the Capitol: An American Wake Up Call By Imad Hamad I am an independent. I always vote for the person not the party. My political identity is that I am simply a proud American citizen. I am naturalized- an American by choice. Since 1980, the year I landed in America, I have learned to…
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On the Tuesday before Christmas, Jonathan Pollard, former U.S. Navy analyst and convicted spy flew with his wife from Newark to Tel Aviv, on a private plane provided by Sheldon Adelson and received a hero’s welcome from Prime Minister Netanyahu. By Eileen Fleming US taxpayers provide Israel more ‘benjamin’s’ than to any other country. Adjusted for inflation,…
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Lebanon on a failure track for the near future By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz When I left Lebanon in 1975 I never thought I would stay abroad for the rest of my life. I simply could not imagine that this country would ever reach such a stage of largely self-inflicted decline. The destructive power of politics…
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