New York Times fiction: On Obama’s letter to Rouhani
Mark Landler is a White House correspondent for The New York Times. Under the title “Through Diplomacy, Obama Finds a Pen Pal in Iran,” Landler wrote of President Barack Obama’s deep “belief in the power of the written word,” and of his “frustrating private correspondence with the leaders of Iran.” (NYT, Sept. 19)What is...Fellow humans are not “abeed”
I was prompted to write this after a recent Facebook discussion, which I weighed in on, when the term “abeed” (slaves) was used in a thread, in reference to a news story about an African American woman, who flashed an Arab American businessman in Detroit, during a verbal dispute. What was disturbing about the initial thread, before...Arab Americans roots run deep in Detroit
An excerpt of this original piece first aired on the BBC World Service program, The Fifth Floor, on September 13, 2013. The program provides an insider's view on the heart of the World Service, looking at the stories that enrich and add color to the understanding of world reporting. This piece takes the reader on a journey to...Hypocrisy and high treason: Why we should stay out of Syria
As I write this, President Obama and the militant wing of the U.S. Congress have been temporarily deflected from a war with Syria by events beyond their control — in this case, the actions of Vladimir Putin. But we must have no illusions. They will be back, stronger than ever, if given the slightest opening. Assad...Twelve years later, Arabs remain victims of 9/11 tragedy
When the planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, I was a young boy in Beirut, watching the tragedy unfold with a mix of fear and compassion for the victims. At that point in time, I did not have a full comprehension of international politics. I did not consider the motives or affects of the terrorist...The politics of death: Human lives devalued in the Middle East
How many Egyptians have been killed since the January 2011 revolt? My pursuit for exact figures has proven to be futile. Various sources suggest all sorts of numbers, some scrambled in such a way as to make a political point. It is as if the life of the ordinary Egyptian doesn’t matter on its own, as an absolute value that must be...Decline and fall: The second stage is anger
Not too long ago, I predicted that if I live to the average American male lifespan of 76 — I’m 46 now — I’ll have outlived the United States as we know it.At the time, I feared I was being over-optimistic, but lately I’m leaning the other way and thinking that my timetable may have been unduly timid. The United States may be...Challenging internal bigotry on the anniversary of the March on Washington
The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., should be a time of reflection for all with regard to the status of race relations in America. Our country has progressed in the area of overt racism; not just pertaining to African-Americans, but all people of color; yet we, as a society, have...How Congress overlooked NSA spying
Complaints have been heard that members of Congress are not sufficiently informed by the Executive Branch to conduct proper oversight of secret programs, such as those National Security Agency’s collection activities that are the subject of much controversy. The complaints are misplaced.A bigger factor is the chronic attention deficit...General Dempsey warns on Syrian war, again
General Martin Dempsey is at it again. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is traveling throughout the Middle East, seemingly making it clear that he doesn’t want any part of the war in Syria. In a letter to members of Congress, Dempsey had earlier warned that all of the options open to the United States in the Syrian civil war...Standing up for Helen Thomas
From the Archive: Helen Thomas, a courageous trailblazer for women, covering power politics, has died at the age of 92. Though recalled for her tough questioning of presidents, her career was unceremoniously ended when her media colleagues ostracized her over a clumsy remark about Israel, Robert Parry reported in 2010.(Originally...On the death of Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas, who died on July 20 at the age of 92, was the first woman journalist to cover the White House and did so for an unprecedented 50 years. She lasted in that job despite always asking the tough questions. It was a glorious run, besmirched only late in her career by opportunistic attacks by Zionist American ideologues.When that...Helen Thomas lives on in work of journalists she inspired
July 26th, 20130 Legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas passed away peacefully on July 20 at her Washington D.C. apartment, while surrounded by family and friends. She was 92. Still, Thomas will always live in the work of others she inspired. “I will always carry a piece of her in how I approach things. She was an...Trayvon Martin: On moral ground
Last week, a Florida Jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American high school student. On the fateful night of February 26, 2012, Trayvon was gunned down by Zimmerman, as he was walking through Zimmerman’s gated neighborhood. As a member of the “neighborhood watch,” an...Government should not decide who is a journalist
On Wednesday, July 19, the Dearborn Police Department held a press conference to address the murder and abduction that was committed on July 15 at the Family Dollar store in downtown west Dearborn. Unfortunately, The Arab American News was not allowed to attend, because this reporter did not have any "press credentials.""My tape recorder......
Banks’ discriminatory account closures are pervasive and widespread
Last week, my firm, Jaafar & Mahdi Law Group, along with the firms of Nabih H Ayad & Associates and Barry A. Seifman, filed a class action lawsuit against Huntington Bank for closing large numbers of bank accounts in a discriminatory manner. Huntington targeted members of the Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim communities for...Israel’s indigenous invaders
On June 24th, the "Prawer Plan for the Arrangement of Bedouin-Palestinian Settlement in the Negev" passed its first reading in the Israeli parliament. If implemented, the Plan will constitute "the largest single act of forced displacement of Arab citizens of Israel since the 1950s", expelling an estimated forty thousand Palestinian...Palestinians: “Hope is all we have”
As the son of a Palestinian woman, I was raised hearing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Recently, I was given the opportunity to visit Palestine for the first time with Project Hope, to witness, first-hand, the struggles that many Palestinians endure on a daily basis.When I first heard of Project Hope and the annual trip...The Whistleblowers’ Protection Act protects whistleblowers
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article in The Arab American News, regarding the legal fragility of employment, given the at-will employment relationship in Michigan. In short, from a legal perspective, an employee has no expectation of continued employment, unless the employee has an expressed or implied contract, stating......
Nelson Mandela, the greatest black man of the twentieth century
My wife, Jane and I had two encounters with Nelson Mandela. Neither was a close encounter, but both were memorable. The first was in 1965. We were teaching in Kenya. Both of us were young and did not have any children, and apparently little common sense as well. We got the crazy idea of driving down to Cape...Why local politics matter
Arab American immigrants have been an essential component in this community and active participants in the areas of economics, business, medicine and law. However, there is one area that can always be improved upon and that is political involvement. As conflicts arise in the Middle East, the interest in international politics......
A new president, a new era in Iran
On June 14, 2013, Iranians passionately participated in their presidential election and chose HojjatolIslam Dr. Hassan Rouhani to serve as the 7th president, since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. I have known Dr. Rouhani for 37 years. He is the right man, at the right time, for the right job. He is a man of faith and...Fair Credit Reporting Act requires creditors to report your information accurately
Nearly everyone understands that having good credit is important. Lenders make decisions related to whether they will give a loan and what the terms of a loan will be, in large part, based upon the prospective borrower’s credit rating. Employers increasingly analyze the credit histories of applicants when making hiring......