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. Read more »
07-09-09 Biased Peoria judge should resign in Jeff Mazon case
Peoria Judge who rejected Mazon plea deal should resign
By Ray Hanania – I covered both trials of Jeff Mazon, the man accused of allegedly taking a “bribe” in exchange for allegedly increasing a contract payment to a Kuwaiti firm that providing material support for our troops in Iraq. In both trials, the jury deadlocked on the charges against Mazon. After meticulously weighing the evidence in the case during lengthy trials, neither of the two juries could agree to convict Mazon, who lives in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago. Part of the problem is that many of the witnesses were not credible, some convicted felons who pled guilty to contract fraud and mismanagement while working for a spin-off of the controversial firm Halliburton called KBR. Well, it just got worse. Read more »
CARTOON: Iraqi shoe-thrower a hero, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 12-16-08
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Ray Hanania’s World Comic Strip
Dec. 16, 2008
Muntadar al-Zaidi is a national hero in Iraq who turned to a form of non-violent protest against the occupier George W. Bush, and was brutally beaten and attacked afterwards. Bush’s guards broke three of al-Zaidi’s ribs, his arm and bloodied him. Who is really violent?
ALARABI: Iraqi journalist shoe-thrower a national hero, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 12-16-08
Iraqi journalist hailed as a national hero
By Ali Alrabi – American journalists often say: “I am American first.” Then they ask, is Muntather Alzaidi a hero or a villain? According to Alzaidi, he said, “I am an Iraqi first.” For many, Muntather Alzaidi’s action of throwing his famous shoes at George Bush during press conferences in Baghdad has optimized Iraqi people’s feelings about George Bush and his legacy in Iraq as they see it. Read more »
HANANIA: Evidence takes back seat in Jeff Mazon prosecution, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 10-06-08
Evidence takes back seat in Jeff Mazon prosecution
By Ray Hanania – Southwest Chicago suburbanite Jeff Mazon is sitting in a Peoria Federal court room again this week because an Excel spreadsheet used to calculate the conversion of Kuwait Dinars into U.S. Dollars to pay an Iraq war related contract was, as the defense admits, inadvertently and unintentionally inflated. Mazon, who oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for Halliburton that were the foundation of the March 19, 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, left Halliburton’s employ and about six months later entered into a business relationship with a Kuwaiti contractor. With the inadvertent errors in calculation, the fact Mazon left Halliburton and then entered into a business relationship with the Kuwaiti contractor may make Mazon circumstances look bad. But after sitting through the testimony of key witnesses last week, it is clear the prosecutors do not have one hard fact, one eye witness, or one solid piece of evidence besides circumstance that proves Mazon did anything wrong. Read more »
HANANIA: Judge in Halliburton contract corruption trial clashes with defense, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 9-30-08
Judge in Halliburton contract corruption trial clashes with defense
By Ray Hanania — (DATELINE Peoria, Il, Sept. 30, 2008) — The judge in the controversial trial of Jeff Mazon, a former Halliburton procurement officer accused of intentionally inflating a contract payment in exchange for a bribe, acknowledged his rulings have caused “some tensions.” In the second day of hearings, U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade acknowledged his rulings tightened reigns on Mazon’s defense team which is led by J. Scott Arthur a suburban Chicago attorney from Orland Park. Read more »
ALARABI: The US top secret in Iraq and the Israeli connection, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 9-10-08
The US top secret in Iraq and the Israeli connection
By Ali Alarabi – Bob Woodward’s newest book “the War within” which he reveals in it how the Bush administration has administrated the war in Iraq and in it he talks about a US secret program to counter the Iraqi insrugency. Woodward told CNN’s Larry king, earlier this week, that he has obtained secret information on the workings of US military in Iraq that enabled the US forces to stem the tide of violence and al-Qaeda terrorism in Iraq. Read more »
HANANIA: Analysis — al-Jazeera continues to stir up passions, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, AUG 13, 2008
Al-Jazeera continues to stir up passions
By Ray Hanania – The Arab World Satellite network al-Jazeera has reportedly been given media access to the Republican and Democratic conventions and many mainstream journalists see it as a big story. It’s only a big story because the mainstream American media is the most unprofessional, most biased and most discriminatory against the Arab and Muslim World in the world. Read more »
Our Syndicated Columnists
RAY HANANIA is a syndicated columnist. His columns appear in numerous publications including the Jerusalem Post, the Arab News, the Arab American News, the Southwest News Herald and more. Hanania is the publisher of the National Arab American Times Newspaper. Named Best Ethnic American Columnist for 2007 by the New America Media, and the 2009 Mehdi Courage in Journalism Awardee, Hanania hosts a morning Radio Show of Radio Chicagoland, in Chicago (Mon-Fri, 8-9:30 am) on WJJG 1530 AM Radio. He is an internationally acclaimed standup comedian, author of the humor book Ya Habibi, and pens the Comic Strip called Shades of Gray. View his complete Bio?
ALI YOUNES is an award winning, veteran journalist and columnist. He is 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.
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?
Click here to Read Anisa's Blog
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
MARIA KOUREMENOU KHOURY
Guest Columnist
is the author of Witness in the Holy Land, reflecting her personal experience living under the Israeli Occupation with husband, the honorable Mayor David C. Khoury, and their three children. Her articles bringing awareness of the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the plight of the Palestinians have been published worldwide in numerous newspapers and translated to various languages. Maria is a graduate of Hellenic College, Harvard University and Boston University with a doctor of education degree. Born in Tripoli, Greece, she was raised in Denver, Colorado. Contact Maria at: Khourymaria@hotmail.com. Her guest columns appear occasionally.
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. Email him at omaraladin@aol.com. His latest book is The Last Pharoah: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the MidEast.
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Books & author products
HANANIA'S PODCAST INTERVIEWS ON MIDDLE EASTERN TOPICS>
Click to Go to Ray Hanania's Middle East Podcast Interviews?. Ray conducts interviews on Middle East and Arab topics that are podcast through iTunes and by the National Arab American Times Newspaper at www.AATimesNews.com.
Veteran Award winning reporter Ray Hanania shares the secrets he learned from 32-plus years of frontline journalism to you can create an internet network that will allow you to side step the biases, challenges and failings of the mainstream American News media. Set up an effective New Media Internet Network bringing together web sites, blogs, social media, and create a strategy that delivers your message, product and opinion to the largest possible public audience. $34.95. 238 Pages.
ANISA MEHDI'S DOCUMENTARY
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.
ARABS OF CHICAGOLAND
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.
RAY HANANIA'S HUMOR BOOK
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.
ARAB AMERICAN MEDIA DIRECTORY
The ONLY directory of Arab American ethnic media -- newspapers, radio and TV. Plus organizations and religious institutions and more. Only $35 in PDF Format
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