About Publisher Osama Siblani

Background
Born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1955, Mr. Siblani came to the United States in
1976 to pursue his education. He completed his B.S.S. in electrical engineering in 1979 at the University of Detroit. In 1980 he assumed the position of Vice President at Energy International, Inc., a major import-export firm dealing with the Middle East. He held this position until he began The Arab American News in 1984, at which time he resigned to run the newspaper full time.

Why start a newspaper?
Siblani's prime motivation for beginning the newspaper was the 1982 Israeli invasion of his homeland Lebanon and the startling discovery of the biased fashion in which the major media in America covered such events in the Middle East. In addition, he had settled in the nation's largest Arab American community, in Metropolitan Detroit, and thus he believed the idea for a community newspaper was viable.

Twenty three years of journalistic excellence
Siblani has now published The Arab American News for twenty three years. The newspaper rapidly became one of the local and national media's most popular resources for American-based Arab and Arab American opinion and analyses.
Mr. Siblani¹s rare political acuity is appreciated by the media. He also has a well-deserved reputation for honest yet engaging interviews with an eye and ear for both the culture and political milieu he lives in and those of the region of the world he was born in. He effortlessly bridges the knowledge and understanding gaps that exist in American audiences and is an expert producer of useful sound bytes. He is nimble with analogies that quickly illuminate issues for those whose backgrounds are sketchy.

Champion of Arab rights
Siblani has always been a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights and opponent of Israeli occupation and aggression. When Palestinian was considered the ³P² word and virtually no one talked about the subject in public, Siblani stood up and shouted from the pages of The Arab American News and whatever opportunities he could get with the media. He was a fearless and vocal opponent of the 1991 Gulf War, tirelessly making back-to-back media appearances and giving print interviews in an effort to avert certain disaster for the Arab World. He did the same thing trying to avert the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Media Appearences
The following is a partial list of Mr. Siblani's media appearances, in addition to local TV and radio stations, through the last 20 years of publishing the Arab American News:

• BusinessWeek
• New TV
• Decmocracy Now
• Metro Times
• LBC-Lebanese Broadcasting Network
• NPR
• Al Manar TV
• ABC News
• CBS News
• BBC
• CNN's Larry King Live
• CNN's Crossfire
• CNN's News Night
• ABC's Nightline
• MSNBC's Hardball
• MSNBC Abrams Report
• Al Jazeera & all Arab media
• Fox's- The O'Reilly Factor
• PBS's MacNeil Lehrer Report
• USA Today
• Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times
• The Guardian
• The Washington Post
• The Detroit Free Press
• The Detroit News
• Asharq Alawsat ­ Pan Arab daily based in London, England
• Assafir ­ Lebanon's leading newspaper
• Chicago Tribune
• Los Angeles Times
• Philadelphia Inquirer
• Boston Globe and Mail
• Newsweek
• The Weekly Standard
• The New Yorker
• Le Monde
• Le Republic

Newspapers throughout the world including Japan, China, India, Pakistan, Africa, Britain, Europe, South America and the Arab World.

Working with world leaders

• Successive American administrations have sought Mr. Siblani's counsel
  at the White House on issues related to the Arab World
• He attended the Arafat-Rabin-Clinton White House signing ceremony
• As a journalist, the White House and State Department press offices
  stay in contact with him and he has attended White House lawn picnics for the media.
• Siblani's influence extends abroad as well. He recently met with Syrian
  President Bashar Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa, as well as with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.
• He has been a guest of Tunisian President Zine al-Abideen bin Ali,
  Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahater Mohamed - among other world leaders.
• Journalists have applauded Siblani not only as a source but as a peer.
  In 2003, he addressed the American Society of Newspaper Editors at their annual convention.

Voice for the Arab American community
Mr. Siblani has also become the voice of the local Arab American community.
While smaller papers have sprung up and fallen by the wayside, The Arab American News just keeps getting stronger. Siblani helped found the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) in Dearborn and the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) - an unprecedented success at fostering cooperation among the community's many groups.

Community positions
Chairman - The Congress of Arab American Organizations ­ A 43 member Arab consortium.
Chairman ­ The Arab American Political Action Committee.