Politics

Arab American Institute’s Helen Samhan shares the benefits of partnering with the Census Bureau for the 2010 Census outreach efforts. The Census Bureau seeks over 100,000 partnerships for the 2010 Census with organizations, religious institutions, businesses, schools, etc. to increase the reach of the Census, especially in small hard-to-reach communities. The Arab American Institute (AAI), … Continued

The first question I always get from “Americans” is, “Why do you keep calling yourself ‘Arab-American?’ You are American!” It represents the rock and the hard place where American Arabs have been pushed by the lack of education among most Americans. It’s aggravated by what I also call the U.S. government’s split personality when it … Continued

Step into Brooklyn’s Church of the Virgin Mary, with its domed ceilings and marble columns, and it’s like stepping into Lebanon. On Sunday mornings, the cantor sings the liturgy in Arabic, his deep baritone voice echoing off the stone walls of the incense-filled sanctuary. Icons and murals depict Jesus and saints as Middle Easterners with … Continued

The largest Arab-American group said it supports the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, expressing concerns about attacks on her past statements. Advertisement The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, whose biggest chapter office is in Michigan, said in a release today that Sotomayor “will safeguard the civil rights … of all.” Sotomayor has … Continued

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today expressed its support for the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor’s extensive professional record makes her one of the most qualified nominees to the court in recent history. ADC believes Judge Sotomayor will safeguard the civil rights and civil liberties of all persons protected … Continued

President Barack Obama is celebrating his own birthday by leading the White House press corps in singing Happy Birthday to veteran reporter Helen Thomas. Thomas and Obama share a birthday on Tuesday, with the president turning 48 and the reporter turning 89. Obama carried cupcakes into the room where reporters were gathered to quiz his … Continued

Arab foreign ministers vowed on Wednesday to support US President Barack Obama’s Middle East peace efforts but said that normalisation with Israel depends on a halt to its settlement activity. Arab countries “are prepared to deal positively with the proposals of President Obama to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict,” they said in a statement after a … Continued

An U.S. State Department official said President Barack Obama is preparing to appoint a new ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic after a four-year hiatus, according to Reuters. The new ambassadorship is part of Obama’s drive to improve relations between the United States and the Islamic and Arab world. The official said the Syrian Ambassador … Continued

Arabs – governments and people – are reacting to Iran’s post-election turbulence with mixed feelings, impressed by a display of regime-shaking people power, alert to the perception of western double standards or meddling, but above all pondering the repercussions of the crackdown in Tehran. Mutual Persian-Arab animosity dates back centuries but the legacy of the … Continued