For the last year, and especially during the final months of the US presidential elections when the McCain campaign started to get desperate, Obama was being attacked by "accusing" him of being Arab or Muslim (which is equivalent to saying terrorist these days). One can understand such attacks when they come from racists and ignorant people; however, these attacks were coming from McCain, his partner Sarah Palin, higher ups in the campaign and campaign surrogates. When an elderly women stood up during a McCain townhall meeting and said she did not trust Obama because he was Arab, McCain took the microphone back and said "No maam, he is not, he is not." He stopped there as if being an Arab were a crime in itself. What is even more hurtful to Muslim and Arab Americans, is that no one (from the Obama campaign, the mainstream media and others) stood to say something about the injustice of equating being an Arab or a Muslim to being a crime in itself… until finally one person, a person who has done more than his fair share in causing the Iraqi holocaust, finally spoke up. He was the least expected to say it but he did. That person was Colin Powell. The conservative nutcases jumped on his endorsement of Obama as being racially-motivated. They forgot that it could be the guilt he must be feeling after giving false testimony on Iraq’s virtual WMDs. . See the video here:
Oussama Mellouli got the Gold Medal in the 1500 meter free style at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing! Mellouli made the 1500 meter race in just under 15 minutes (14 minutes 40.84 seconds) and was followed by Australian Grant Hackett (Silver) and Canadian Ryan Cochrane (Bronze). Mellouli's Gold medal is the first by an Arab athlete at the Beijing Olympics. Congratulations!
Who would have thought gas prices in the US would climb to $5 a gallon? The cost of 1 gallon (3.7 liters) at $1.27 is still fresh in my memory about 10 years ago. Over the span of 10 years, that price is about 5 times over and there is no end in sight. Oil prices climbed from $21 a barrel about ten years ago to $137 just last week. That is a factor of about 7. Thus, given these trends, gas prices in the US will probably catch up with levels in Europe. That target is being increasingly used as an answer to those astonished by current price levels. However, while Europe can take those prices because of an advanced mass transportation infrastructure, the US is no shape to handle such prices. In the US, a personal car is an absolute necessity and a 1-hour commute to work is common place. An efficient mass transportation system is far from being a reality. Some people are paying more for gas than for rent. Costs of goods and services are also increasing to keep up with the increased cost of shipping. Something is going to give!
The Tunisian Community Center (tunisiancommunity.org ) held its annual Ibn Khaldun Hafla in San Francisco on May 31, 2008. The event is the fourth in this increasingly successful gathering of Tunisian Americans from around the US. Every year, the Ibn Khaldun Award is awarded to a "high achiever who had promoted the understanding of Tunisian culture in the United States, promoted a greater sense of Tunisian identity, or constituted a service to the Tunisian American community." This year's awardee is James R. Phippard who had an exhaustive list of accomplishments that benefited Tunisians and Americans, among them the Technology Transfer Program that was initiated in 1981 and resulted in over 1000 Tunisian students ("Tech Kids") receiving advanced degrees from leading US universities. The event was attended by H.E. M. Nejib Hachana, Ambasador of Tunisia to the United States who gave an eloquent speech highlighting the awardee's acompishments and stressing that the Ambassador is not just an ambassador but a brother to all present.
One is tempted to think that Bin Laden is a Newcon creation; after all, they both work in tandem towards the Neocon’s goal of alienating Muslims. Neocons have identified misguided Muslims as their perfect tool for bashing all Muslims and Islam as a religion.
For Muslims in America, acts of terror attributed to ghostly figures have wreaked havoc on their civil liberties and rights as citizens of this country. A sampling of observations illustrates the state of affairs at the end of 2007 (compared to 8 years ago):
We now have talk radio spewing hatred towards Muslims without a second thought;
Public schools making it mandatory for all students to learn about the Spirit of Christmas;
The largest bookstore on earth, Amazon, is putting meager profits ahead of universal human values by selling an abundance of outrageous, Islamophobic trash;
Presidential hopeful Obama would not touch Islam with a pole… He is denying any distant family connection to Islam as if that was a crime in itself. We also have a senator, who in the hope of inflicting political damage on Obama, is bringing up such a possible connection.
It is not surprising that seven years after 9-11, Bin Laden is still at large. Who else can provide the perfect excuse to maintain the escalation of hatred towards Muslims?
There may come a time when America is back to being a beacon of freedom, religious tolerance and equal rights for all of its citizens. Muslims in America can play a critical role in bringing that about. First, they should use every possible means to distance themselves from the acts of terror that are committed in the name of their religion. That should start at the grass roots by educating youths that terrorism is anti-Islamic, by being at the forefront of protecting this country from acts of terror, and by asserting the core Islamic values of moderation, tolerance and respect for the other. As to the hatemongers bent on forever alienating Muslims, truth shall prevail and the true America will eventually push them aside.
A blood collection drive will be organized throughout Tunisia January 3, 2009 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm to help save the lives of victims of the massacre carried out by criminal Zionists in occupied Palestine. Financial donations are also being collected at account number 2623 till January 3, 2009.
Gaza Taken Hostage!
Enacting a plan that has apparently been under preparation for months, Israel is at it again: an all out war against a civilan population of 2 million under seige in Gaza. So far, over 400 have reportedly been killed and 2000 injured. The US administration is in transition and the US and the rest of world are celebrating the end of 2008 while civilians are terrorized by Israeli bombs, hunger and disease. The crime is being marketed as an act of self defense!
Add Comment (0)
Read More
Oussama Mellouli got the Gold Medal in the 1500 meter free style at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing! Mellouli made the 1500 meter race in just under 15 minutes (14 minutes 40.84 seconds) and was followed by Australian Grant Hackett (Silver) and Canadian Ryan Cochrane (Bronze). Mellouli's Gold medal is the first by an Arab athlete at the Beijing Olympics. Congratulations!
Who would have thought gas prices in the US would climb to $5 a gallon? The cost of 1 gallon (3.7 liters) at $1.27 is still fresh in my memory about 10 years ago. Over the span of 10 years, that price is about 5 times over and there is no end in sight. Oil prices climbed from $21 a barrel about ten years ago to $137 just last week. That is a factor of about 7. Thus, given these trends, gas prices in the US will probably catch up with levels in Europe. That target is being increasingly used as an answer to those astonished by current price levels. However, while Europe can take those prices because of an advanced mass transportation infrastructure, the US is no shape to handle such prices. In the US, a personal car is an absolute necessity and a 1-hour commute to work is common place. An efficient mass transportation system is far from being a reality. Some people are paying more for gas than for rent. Costs of goods and services are also increasing to keep up with the increased cost of shipping. Something is going to give!
The Tunisian Community Center (