Arab Writers Group Syndicate

Rev. Wright crosses line but is wrongly disparaged
By Ray Hanania – Barack Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., is only saying what many Americans who are victimized by ongoing American racism and hatred believe deep down. It’s just that when you are a victim of American-style hate, and when your voices are intentionally shut-out because of your race and your religion, you sometimes go a little too far, as Rev. Wright did in emotional sermons at his religious pulpit. Rev. Wright may have crossed the line, but he doesn’t deserve the attacks that question his patriotism or his sincerity in challenging growing racism and hatred that dominate not only American society but also our foreign policy conduct. Read more »

Only Blacks, Muslims and “others” required to repudiate “their” bigots
By Ray Hanania – When controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan endorsed Barack Obama in a three-hour speech, the outcry demanding that Obama denounce Farrakhan was deafening. And the criticism of the widerspread racism against Muslims, Blacks, Arabs and “others” only became important as a way for mainstream media and leaders to defend themselves against the truth that they are more racist and bigoted than anyone associated with Obama who has ever said anything terrible about other people. Read more »

War on Errorism, Nov. 18, 2007. The hypocrisy of the American mainstream news media. Some kinds of racism and bigotry are bad. And some forms of racism are just another form of Americanism. When Don Imus slanders African Americans, it’s a media felony. When Michael Savage blasts Muslims, it’s just free speech. Ray Hanania

Islamophobia and self-hating Arabs

By Ali Alarabi – A recent weeklong campaign undertaken by anti-Arab, anti-Muslim racist David Horowitz in university campuses across the US designed to intimidate and terrorize students and professors who do not share Mr. Horowitz views when it comes to Israel. Horowitz created an organization called Campus Watch group against what he calls Islamo-facisim. Islamofacists are anyone, student or a professor, Muslim or Christian, Arab or not whom does not share Mr. Horowitz nationalist support for Israel or dare to criticize its aggressive policies. Read more »

Religious gesture of understanding turns into usual debate on hate
By Ray Hanania – An ethnic advisory commission set up by the Governor of Oklahoma printed copies of the Quran, the Islamic “bible,” had them embossed with the State Seal and offered to distribute them to the 149 members of that state’s legislature. After all, earlier in the year, Oklahoma lawmakers also were given free copies of the Bible by a non-government and religious organization called “The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.”  The organizers paid for the Quran’s using private, not government money. So why is there a controversy? Read more »

When will moderate Jewish American leaders denounce extremism?

By Ray Hanania – After Sept. 11, 2001, there was a chorus of people demanding to know when will moderate Arabs and moderate Muslims denounce extremism in their communities? It was an important demand, even though most moderate Arab and Muslims did denounce the extremists. Still, Arabs and Muslims can denounce extremism more, and they should.  There is an abundance of anti-Semitism, racism and extremism from Arabs and Muslims who lean towards violence. It is to the benefit of everyone, including Arabs and Muslims, to denounce them. But why just Arabs and Muslims? Why don’t mainstream American leaders denounce their extremists? More importantly, because the Arab-Israeli conflict is a primary driver of animosity in the Middle East, why don’t moderate Jewish American leaders also denounce their own extremists? Read more »

Battle over Muslim schools really about pro-Israel activism

By Ray Hanania – A federal panel says that a Saudi Arabian school based in Northern Virginia should be closed because they don’t like some of the things they assert the school is teaching its students. Not surprisingly, the actions of the so-called U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (CIRF) are no different from other U.S. commissions controlled by the Bush Administration that have shown a clear pattern of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias. Read more »