Consequences of the Choice We Make in November
This presidential contest has generated an intense debate within the Arab American community. If it were a normal election year, I’d be out in the field urging my community to vote for Democrats. I’d be warning Arab Americans that we needed to do everything we could to stop Donald Trump from re-entering the White House.
Disinformation Campaigns Aimed at Arab Americans and American Jews in Battleground States
In the run-up to the November election, we are witnessing a massive expenditure of “dark money” in a disinformation campaign designed to depress the Arab American vote in Michigan and the American Jewish vote in Pennsylvania.
Gaza Is Shaping This Election for Arab American Voters
For Arab Americans, Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza looms large and will play a significant role in this November’s election. This is one of the key observations emerging from a mid-September nationwide poll of 500 Arab American registered voters conducted by John Zogby Strategies for the Arab American Institute.
Senate Hearing Showcases Hate
Our politics and system of governance is in crisis. This was made clear this past week before and during the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on hate crimes in America.
What Polls Can Teach Us About Arab American Voters in 2024
More often than not, those in the media take a simplistic view of political polls. Especially in a presidential election year, attention tends to be singularly focused on who’s up and who’s down.
The Impact of the Student Protests on Biden’s Re-elect
University student protests against US support for Israel’s war in Gaza have spread like wildfire. At last count, there have been sustained demonstrations on over 200 campuses. More recently, students have taken to establishing protest encampments in the center of some campuses. This began last week at Columbia University in New York. Ten days later there were encampments at almost four dozen universities.
Do They Have Any Idea Where They’re Going?
One Sunday afternoon, my father-in-law was on the Long Island Expressway driving the family to an event. With surprisingly little traffic on what would ordinarily be a congested highway, they were cruising along at a good speed.
Protecting Our Arab American Identity
It took over a half century to strengthen the Arab American identity and build organizations to meet community needs. Today this work is under assault by those who seek to erase our gains, fracture the community along sectarian lines, or silence our voices in US politics.
Even When It Seems Hopeless, We Must Never Quit
Two seemingly unrelated events of the last week have caused me to reflect on the long journey we’ve taken to Arab American empowerment. The first was the March 27th death of former Senator Joseph Lieberman. This was followed by the 28th anniversary of the tragic death of former Secretary of Commerce, Ronald Brown on April 3rd.
1982 Versus 2024: A Tale of Three Cities
This past weekend, I was supposed to travel to Chicago for the Arab American Democratic Club’s annual candidates’ brunch. Illness prevented my travel. Instead, I’m writing what I was going to say in my keynote remarks, hoping that it will help both younger and older Arab Americans better understand how much has changed for the community over the past four decades.