10-20-09 Moderate J-Street Voices can help re-ignite moderate Palestinian Movement

Moderate J-Street Voices can help re-ignite moderate Palestinian Movement
By Ray Hanania — For years, APIAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby, has had Jewish American political thought in an extremist headlock, a new voice of Jewish American moderation is rising in strength called J Street. The organization, which is being pilloried by extremist pro-Israel conservatives, holds a major conference on Israel and Middle East next week in Washington D.C. I’ll be participating in a special blogging panel of Israelis and Palestinians who support compromise and peace based on two-states organized by Richard Silverstein of Tikun Olam.

10-09-09 Obama’s genuine desire for peace earns him the Nobel Peace Prize

President Obama’s genuine desire for peace earns Nobel Peace Prize
By Ray Hanania -- President Obama’s first call in coming to office was to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He then made an epoch speech to the Arab and Muslim world to repair the damage caused by his rightwing and narrow-minded predecessor President George W. Bush. Obama has pushed the Israelis to force them to accept peace based on returning Arab lands, even though the Israelis have surrounded the wagons and have allowed Israel’s most racist elected official, foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman to become their spokesman. In fact, Israel’s Lieberman is the new face of hate in the world.

09-27-09 Arab IOC Delegates can change anti-Arab American politics

Arab World has opportunity to confront bigotry in America
By Ray Hanania – This week, the Arab World will be participating in a vote that on its face may seem insignificant to the many problems that plague the Middle East but could begin a process of changing the United States. The vote will take place Friday in Copenhagen where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide which of four cities between Madrid, Tokyo, Rio and Chicago will win the right to host the Olympics in 2016.  Compared to the votes in the United Nations where the pro-Israel bloc continues to block peace, hold back the advances of the Arab World and continues to denigrate the rights of Islamic countries, the IOC vote Friday may seem insignificant.  In fact, though, the vote could begin a process not of changing the United Nations, but rather creating an opportunity to enact change in the United States, the one nation that holds the key to the future of the Middle East.

09-27-09 See good when confronting bad in Hollywood films

Arab Americans must see the good when confronting bad in Hollywood movies
By Ray Hanania — A recent online post discussed the continued smearing of Arabs and Muslims by Hollywood, quoting one of the most authoritative analysts of the topic, Jack Shaheen.  The discussion was on New University by writer Daniel Johnson. We are seeing an unusual trend of change taking place in Hollywood, one where Arabs and Muslims post-Sept. 11, 2001, are being portrayed with more sensitivity and at least more accuracy. But at the same time, the hate-wing of the Hollywood and TV industry that has slandered Arabs and Muslims since the big screen and TV first appeared, seem to be overcompensating to off-set the positive portrayals by digging deeper into their own hatred to portray Arabs and Muslims even worse.

09-20-09 Israeli Government distorts truth in response to Goldstone report on war crimes

Israel’s government distorts truth in response to War Crimes report
By Ray Hanania –Renown South African Jurist Richard Goldstone has completed a comprehensive report on the war crimes committed during the Israeli war started against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 4, 2008 and the Israeli response has been to call Goldstone, a Jew who prosecuted war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia an “anti-Semite” with no basis in international law. While the war crimes in Gaza are a real crime, the outrageous slander that marks Israel’s government response to any form of criticism is an even bigger crime. They argue Israel did not start the war, Hamas did. But the facts prove Israel wrong. But does truth matter in today’s world? Not when it comes to Israel’s government.

09-11-09 Americans turn from hatred to education of Arabs/Muslims

Americans turn from hatred to education 8 years since Sept. 11
By Ray Hanania – We are finally seeing some real light through the black fog of American anger and hatred that erupted following the terrorist attacks eight years ago this week on Sept. 11. American anger against Arabs and Muslims is fast turning into education and enlightenment, in part because of a president who is resetting the nation’s moral character by washing away the demagoguery that symbolized the response of his predecessor.

09-09-09 OktoberFest in Taybeh Palestine with first Rock Rap Band in palestine

Oktoberfest with First Rock Rap Band in Palestine
Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. — What more extraordinary event can one imagine in a small ancient village than the collaboration of the Finest in the Middle East with the first rock rap band in Palestine? The Taybeh Oktoberfest, October 3 and 4, 2009 in Taybeh-Ramallah, will have some traditional happenings and certainly some revolutionary happenings.  On Saturday night, 9 pm, is when CultureShoc “will be rocking Taybeh with music styles that go beyond the norm in the Palestinian music scene and following the Holy month of Ramadan releasing songs on radio,” said lead Rapper, Suleiman Harb.

09-01-09 Gilad Shalit in the Arab media

Gilad Shalit in the Arab media
By Ali Younes – Every time I read and watch how Arab media outlets cover the story of prisoner’s exchange of the Israeli solider Gilad Shalit and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, I come to think how Arab media have fallen victims to Israeli PR machine (propaganda). There are several issues at play here when covering this story. Note that Gilad Shalit is always mentioned by name, I know his name, you do, and maybe my grandmother knows his name too!

08-29-08 OctoberFest in Taybeh, Palestine

Oktoberfest in Palestine
By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D. – During the 5th Annual Taybeh Oktoberfest, 3 and 4 October 2009, the Taybeh Beer tour is surely to be popular. Amazingly, people from all over the world somehow discover Taybeh and actually visit without having been enticed by major advertisements. Taybeh Beer tours are given daily but even when the brewery is closed on Sundays, if a family member is available, the brewery is immediately opened when we see visitors outside our kitchen window since we live with the famous beer in the Middle East.

09-26-09 Choice between bikini and berqa in Arab world is about absent freedoms

Choice between bikini and berqa is about absence of freedom in Arab World
By Ray Hanania – As I always do around this time of year, I pushed aside the Arab-Israeli conflict for a moment to contemplate the more serious conflict between secular Muslims and Christian Arabs and the growing religious extremism in the Middle East. There are 22 Arab countries, yet only two had the courage (or pride in their women) to field entrants in this year’s Miss Universe Pageant, which was held in the Bahamas, where string bikinis replace car bombs and women are truly free.The only two Arab countries that entered contestants, again, were Egypt and Lebanon.