The real threat from the “Islamic State” is to Muslims, not the west
"I was like any other regular Canadian. I watched hockey, I went to the cottage in the summertime, I loved to fish, I wanted to go hunting… I was a regular person," said Abu Muslim in the last video he recorded before his death. And then came his pitch: "Everyone can contribute something to the Islamic State, as it is obligatory on...Time to strengthen the United Nations
Sometimes, amid the heated political debate about what should done by the U.S. government in world affairs, a proposal cuts through the TV babble of the supposed experts with a clear, useful suggestion.That proposal came on August 17, when Pope Francis told journalists how he thought the world should cope with the challenge posed by...Honor journalist James Foley: Don’t watch the video
If the early reports are correct and journalist James Foley was, in fact, executed by the Islamic State, you can honor him -- and not play into the terroristic hands of that organization -- simply by not watching the video of his murder.Video voyeurism of the worst variety exists when we feast on the death of journalists who strive,...Hashtag Genocide: Gaza fought back
GAZA – My old family house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza was recently rebuilt by its new owner, into a beautiful three-story building with large windows adorned by red frames. In Israel’s most recent and deadliest war on Gaza, the house sustained significant damage. A large hole caused by Israeli missiles can be seen from...Local reaction to report smearing Dearborn fell short of its significance
Last week, The Intercept, an online news source, leaked a federal document that alleges Dearborn has the second highest number of "known or suspected terrorists" in the country. Within hours, it made headlines across the country and front page news in local media.The report was not only inaccurate, it was an insult to the city and the...Government Discontinues Processing EBT for Merchants
Does your business currently accept or plan to accept Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) in the future? If so please take note that effective September 21, the government will no longer process EBT transactions or provide free equipment to merchants who were not approved by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) prior to March 21, due to...Storm leaves thousands of Metro Detroit residents in limbo
On Monday, August 11, the metro Detroit region was hit hard with torrential rains, causing many communities to become inundated with several inches of precipitation in a relatively short period of time. As a result, thousands of metro Detroit residents experienced sewage backup onto their property. The law regarding the rights and...On heroes and preachers: Gaza’s new resistance paradigm
"Where is the Palestinian Gandhi? In Israeli prison, of course!" was the title of an article by Jo Ehrlich. published in Modoweiss.net on Dec 21, 2009. That was almost exactly one year after Israel’s concluded a major war against Gaza. The so-called Operation Cast Lead (December 27, 2008 – January 18, 2009) was, until then, the...The war Netanyahu cannot possibly win
When the bodies of three Israeli settlers – Aftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both 1 and Eyal Yifrach, 19 – were found on June 30 near Hebron in the southern West Bank, Israel went into a state of mourning and a wave of sympathy flowed in from around the world. The three had disappeared 18 days earlier in circumstances that remain...The White House Iftar Dinner: Striving for more than a seat at the table
“Should Muslim-Americans attend the Washington, DC Iftar?" I asked the women across the dinner table, after digesting the heated exchanges about the White House Iftar Dinner on my social media timelines. “Who cares?" Responded the 51 year-old, single-parent Muslim-American from Detroit. The debate of the day among...The White House Iftar Dinner: Striving for more than a seat at the table
“Should Muslim-Americans attend the Washington, DC Iftar?" I asked the women across the dinner table, after digesting the heated exchanges about the White House Iftar Dinner on my social media timelines. “Who cares?" Responded the 51 year-old, single-parent Muslim-American from Detroit. An immigrant from Iraq, raising...Letter to the editor: Complacency or solidarity: Where do we stand?
The Presbyterian Church of the USA convened its General Assembly in Detroit last month and made history. The Church voted to divest more than $20 million from three U.S. corporations that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The divestment recommendations came from the Church’s own official committee responsible for...Israelis excel at vengeance, not Palestinians
Shock and anger have engulfed Israeli and Palestinian societies since they learned last week of the barbarous murder of children from their communities. Hours after three Israeli teenagers’ bodies were located, long after their abduction, a Palestinian youth, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was kidnapped, beaten and burned to death, apparently as...Why Bush and Blair should be prosecuted for war crimes
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently stated that air strikes and drones should be used once again on Iraq to stem recent gains by extremists in that country. Blair is oblivious of the responsibility he shares with former U.S. president George W. Bush on account of one of the most serious breaches of international law...Kerry’s Cairo remarks further downgrade human rights in U.S. policy
On Sunday, June 22, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke in Cairo following his meetings with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry and Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.Although bilateral ties had been strained by the military removal of the former elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and by the widespread violations of......
Hillary’s haughty hyperbole!
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets people as she signs copies of her book "Hard Choices" at a Costco store in Arlington, Virginia June 14. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review section featured a one page interview with Hillary Clinton, author of the just released Hard Choices,...Dealing with the onslaught of radical Islam in Iraq
It is not easy to find an immediate solution to the onslaught of radical Islam. A regional approach must be found; Washington can help, but not much. As long as Saudi Arabia and Iran are working as adversaries it will be hard to resolve the crises in the extremely vulnerable Arab states.The relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will...“Those people” and subtle racism
Living in Dearborn, the capital of Arab America, one hardly experiences racism on a daily basis. But after eight years in the city, it finally happened. I heard a racist statement directed against me.At 6:30 a.m. last Thursday, I drove my car to a nearby abandoned gas station and parked it there. I don't have access to a driveway, so on...Saving ADC Michigan from Collapse in 2013?
I read with dismay in The Arab American News' issue number 1476 a question your reporter Ali Harb posed in an interview with ADC Michigan Director Fatina Abdrabboh, to which she answered with even more disturbing and misleading content. "How did you deal with ADC-Michigan staff who are close to your predecessor?" Harb asked......
Stop the mass school killings
I sold Grit newspapers when I was 9- years-old. It was always a great day when I had sold my last Grit for the week. The profit was five cents per paper. Some weeks I made as much as two dollars! I lived in a very rural area, so bicycling up and down the road and knocking on doors took time and was a workout. However, it was...The pope’s visit to the two walls
The trip by Pope Francis to the Holy Land, billed in advance as solely religious, made some eye-catching intrusions into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Comments minimizing the significance of this aspect of the trip were quick to follow.Palestinian legislation Hanan Ashrawi seemed to go out of her way to pooh-pooh the coming prayer......
Naturalization – Do it for your family
It’s hard to imagine that we as individuals can do anything about the broken immigration system that is tearing many of our families apart. But we can.There is one step that, if taken together, could have the power to protect our families and move our communities forward. More than eight million immigrants in the United...Law corner: GM censored its employees to hide deadly ignition switch defect
Last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) fined General Motors (GM) a record $35 million for GM’s handling of an ignition switch defect affecting more than 2.5 million of its vehicles. This amount is the largest-ever fine against an automaker imposed by the DOT. It is also the maximum fine allowed by law.......