U.S. Presidents and the drive for Middle East peace
By Ray Hanania — What is it about Presidents who wait until the last minute to try and achieve peace in the Middle East? President George W. Bush is in Jerusalem meeting with Israelis and Palestinians to help nudge the latest generation of the “peace process” along. Why does this all sound so familiar? Read more »
Annapolis peace summit faces major challenges
By Ray Hanania – If Israel really wanted to torpedo the Annapolis Peace Summit, as some Arabs insist, it wouldn’t have to work very hard to do it. The Palestinians and most Arabs are already trashing the Summit, which promises only to define a framework in which Israelis and Palestinians can begin final status negotiations. But Palestinians and Israelis seem skeptical. Many Palestinians believe the stumbling block is that Israel does not want to surrender the land it has annexed after occupying the West Bank in 1967, while Israelis have doubts a peace accord will lead to an end to violence. Israelis respond by pointing to the fact that they did return the Gaza Strip. Israelis argue that the Hamas terrorist organization has turned the Gaza into a military threat and base from which they fire Kassam Rockets into Israel. Read more »
Palestinian-Israeli Peace requires courage and compromise
By Ray Hanania – Israeli and Palestinian efforts to revive peace talks at Annapolis offer a new chance for peace, if courage and compromise on both sides can replace rhetoric and PR. The proposed Annapolis peace conference must not be like the Camp David “talks” where Israel offered its infamous “most generous offer.” Compared to paltry Israeli offers of the past, it was more generous, but not generous enough. But Palestinians need to do more, too. Read more »
The problem with roadmaps
By Ray Hanania – After several trips to Jerusalem over the past year, I have come to realize that the term “roadmap” is not exactly the best way to describe a mission to achieve anything, let alone peace. When it comes to making or following roadmaps, Palestinians and Israelis can’t drive. At least not well. And that’s not a good place to start. Read more »
RAY HANANIA writes for The HuffingtonPost.com. He is political columnist based in Chicago with the Southwest News-Herald Newspaper, and publisher of the National Arab American Times Newspaper. Named Best Ethnic American Columnist for 2007 by the New America Media, Hanania hosts the weekly Radio Chicagoland talkshow on WCEV AM 1450 Tuesday & Thursday from 4 - 6 PM. He is an internationally acclaimed standup comedian. View his complete Bio?
ALI ALARABI is a veteran journalist and columnist and an expert on the Arabic language. Managing Editor of The Arab Desk web site. Ali's columns appear in newspapers across the country. He is a 2002 recipient of the National Arab American Journalists Association Excellence in Writing Award.
SHERIF HEDAYAT is a widely acclaimed standup comedian and satirist whose topics include family, education, religion, careers, dating, television, stereotypes, racism and growing up in the Middle East. With a B.A. in Mass Communications/Public Speaking from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Sherif taps his experiences in America and the Middle East to bridge the cultural gap in a way everyone can understand. View his complete Bio?
ANISA MEHDI is an Emmy Award-winning journalist specializing in religion, the arts, and people. For over 20 years she has reported, written, directed and produced television news and documentary programs for major American media outlets, including National Geographic, PBS, ABC News, and CBS. Her commentaries have been heard on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Ms. Mehdi is founder and president of Whetstone Productions, a New Jersey-based production and consulting company. She is adjunct Professor of Communications at Seton Hall University. She writes a twice weekly for the Newark Star-Ledger Newspaper blog. View her complete Bio?
ALADDIN ELAASAR is an award winning Arab American journalist and author of several books including "Silent Victims: The plight of Arabs and Muslims in Post 9/11 America." Elaasar is also a member of the National Arab American Journalists Association.
SAFFIYA SHILLO is a peace activist, communications specialist and community editor for the National Arab American Times Newspaper. Ms. Shillo serves as a Board Member of the Palestinian American Women's Society. Her activism is extensive, having served as the former President of the Palestinian American Congress-Chicago Chapter, as a National Board member of the American Task Force on Palestine, and as Director of the Arab American Institute's Chicago office. Active in Jewish/Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, Ms. Shillo gives presentations to national organizations on strategies and methods to achieve peace through dialogue. Ms. Shillo also served as Director of Ethnic Affairs for the State of Illinois' Office of Lieutenant Governor, and worked as a domestic violence/sexual assault counselor serving Chicago's Arab community. She can be reached at smshillo@yahoo.com
RAY HANANIA'S NEW BOOK "The Catastrophe" is now available. The book details "how the fanatic secular Arab left and the extremist Islamic right took the disaster brought on by the creation of Israel, and, using rejection and violence, hijacked the just Palestinian cause and prevented statehood. Order the Book? Only $19.95. 224 PAGES.
More than 2.5 million Muslims from across the globe embark on a Hajj and converge on Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to ask pardon for their sins and renew their spiritual commitment though a elaborate series of ancient rites and rituals. And it's not optional - every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able to do so is expected to make the hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. Despite the enormity of this annual pilgrimage, it has seldom been witnessed by outsiders, as Mecca is strictly off-limits to non-Muslims. Now, with unprecedented access to Islam's holiest city, National Geographic takes the spiritual journey of a lifetime, following three Muslims from very different backgrounds - an executive from Malaysia, a radio evangelist from South Africa, and a blond-haired, blue-eyed professor from Texas - as they take part in an epic five-day quest for salvation.
Author and columnist Aladdin Elaasar examines the impact of Sept. 11, 2001 on the Arabs and Muslims in America.
Arabs first settled in Chicagoland in the mid-19th century, when immigrants from all parts of the world were flowing steadily into the U.S. As tensions in the Arab world flared, immigration increased—the first to arrive were Lebanese Christians, followed by Muslim Palestinians. Today, there are more than 250,000 Arabs in the Chicago area, with equal numbers of Christians and Muslims. A part of the fabric of Chicago, Arabs serve in many roles, from business leaders to elected officials to judges, doctors, engineers, journalists, and more. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Arab Americans have come under great scrutiny and have suffered much misunderstanding. Now, this book, which explores their integral role in Chicagoland’s growth, is especially important.
A collection of essays on the experiences growing up Arab and Palestinian living in a Jewish community in America on Chicago's South Side. Includes humor and anecdotal stories along with serious topic discussion. The first book to detail Arab American life first published in the United States in 1996. This 2nd Edition is published in 2007.
The ONLY directory of Arab American ethnic media -- newspapers, radio and TV. Plus organizations and religious institutions and more.
