TMCnet News
ADC Convention's Theme: "It Takes a Community" [Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, The](Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)?held its annual convention from June 12 to 15 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, in Arlington, VA, providing attendees the opportunity to hear speakers from across the nation discuss their commitment to the protection of civil rights and liberties. The first day was "ADC Advocacy Day," as Arab-Americans met with Congressional staffon Capitol Hill and attended a Congressional dinner. Throughout the convention, ADC's national president, Samer Khalaf, who started his tenure in January 2014, spoke with attendees, holding "town-hall" meetings and listening to members' suggestions and comments. He emphasized the changes the 34-year-old organization is making, including a new sexual harassment policy and the relaunch and rebranding of the new Women's Empowerment Forum. "Most importantly," Khalaf stated at every opportunity, "I have refocused the ADC on its original mission: representing and fighting against discrimination and stereotyping of Arab-Americans." A Zionist Change of Heart and the BDS Movement The following day, June 13, started with a panel discussion titled "The BDS Movement: A Palestinian Struggle to Achieve a Lasting Peace based on International Law, Justice, and Freedom," featuring Ned Rosch, a Palestinian solidarity activist. Rosch, named after a great uncle who was killed in the Holocaust, was raised in an extremely Zionist family who believed "Israel was the redemption of the suffering." According to that narrative, there were no Palestinians, and the goal was to take as much land away from them as possible. "Zionism is about erasing the memory of the Palestinian presence," Rosch stated, and anyone who criticizes these ideas is accused of being anti-Semitic. The issue for him, Rosch explained, was how to unravel Zionism from Judaism, realizing the powerful and amazing beauty of Judaism but the internal contradictions that Zionism brings. Rosch had an opportunity to go to Israel to work on a kibbutz. After years studying political science, he didn't see the contradiction between the Jews' triumphant return to their supposed homeland versus what is actually being done on the ground to the Palestinian people. He spent time with Arabs because he thought there was a part of him that was missing something. For many years, he relied on a dual narrative, becoming an anti-war political activist. But when it came to Palestine, Rosch said, "I was torn up inside." He became torn between his Zionist upbringing and what he actually saw Israel doing, ultimately coming to understand that tribal loyalty should never trump a commitment to justice. Rosch now believes that "his own liberation as a Jew is bound up in the liberation of the Palestinian people." Rosch concluded by discussing what he believes is the most "exciting movement" on the scene today relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict-the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). It advocates a boycott of Israeli goods, businesses and services, along with any Israeli products produced in the occupied Palestinian territories. These efforts raise awareness about the reality of Israel's policies and encourage companies to use their economic influence to pressure Israel to end its systematic denial of Palestinian rights. The movement has spread to college campuses, where students urge their universities to divest from Israel. "BDS is a strategy that allows people of conscience to play an effective role in the Palestinian struggle for justice," Rosch said, "and I will continue working for this goal until peace is achieved." -Nizar Kuseybi Civil Rights Work and College Campus Activism The Civil Rights Luncheon followed, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The keynote speech was given by Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization which tries to fight hate, teach tolerance and seek justice for vulnerable members of society. ADC's Pro Bono Attorney Award was presented by ADC's legal and policy director Abed Ayoub to renowned trial attorney Haytham Faraj. Faraj represented a U.S. Marine involved in the Haditha Massacre-the controversial killing of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians after a roadside bomb killed a fellow Marine in November 2005. Following the trials, Faraj wrote No Time for Truth, detailing the investigation of the massacre and the prosecution of the Marines. Faraj accuses the government of giving immunity from prosecution to the killers, who received no jail time. Next, the challenges and opportunities the civil rights community is working on today were discussed by panelists Priscilla Ouchida, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League; Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, founder of KARAMAH, Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights; and Jotaka Eaddy, senior adviser to the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). "Student Activism on College Campuses" was the subject of the final panel discussion on June 13, featuring Radhika Sainath, an attorney at Palestine Solidarity Legal Support and cooperating counsel at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Palestinian-American activists Gabriella Kaiyal-Smith and Lena Ibrahim discussed the work of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area, and Tareq Radi, another Palestinian-American organizer, described his work founding George Mason University's Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), and discussed anti-normalization and distinguishing the differences between "co-resisting and co-existing." After a "Networking Dinner," media critic Dr. Jack Shaheen, the internationally recognized author of the book and film Reel Bad Arabs:?How Hollywood Vilifies a People (available from AET's Bookstore), presented the Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship and Achievement Awards to Nadine Sebai, who will attend UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, and Joseph Khalil, who will work for a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York City this coming fall. Shaheen graciously remembered many of his own friends and mentors who worked to eradicate negative Arab and Muslim stereotypes, including the Washington Report's executive editor Richard Curtiss, who died last year. Syrian vocalist/songwriter Gaida and her band entertained the enthusiastic audience for the rest of the evening. -Delinda C. Hanley Who Is an Arab? Panelists Discuss Arab Identity The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination convention's third day, June 14, started offwith Prof. Hisham Aidi, Hind Makki, Khaled Beydoun and Sally Howell speaking on a panel entitled "Racial, Religious and Ethnic Self-Identification: Beyond Categories." Their conversation revolved around the challenges of self-identification facing Arab Americans, who are legally considered white by the U.S. Census Bureau. Both Aidi, a professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and Beydoun, a critical race studies fellow at UCLA, emphasized history and geopolitics as the primary determinants of Arabs' current legal racial status in the U.S. Describing his remarks as "Arab-American Legal History 101," Beydoun explained that the first wave of Arab immigrants to America were Levantine Christians who claimed "whiteness" in order to distance themselves from this country's much-maligned black population, and because it was a requirement for citizenship. In the early 20th century, the demographic makeup of Arab immigrants changed, with many new arrivals coming from non-Levantine states and North Africa. U.S. officials granted these Arabs "whiteness" as well. Thus today's Arab Americans, no matter their self-identification, are classified as white. That may change soon, however, if the ADC and other advocates have their way. As Aidi noted, there is a strong movement within the Arab-American community for minority racial status. There are certain advantages to minority status, including financial aid programs, because the U.S. government defines a "race" as an economically disadvantaged group that has historically suffered discrimination. Yet the quest for minority status is not simply about money. In a larger sense it is about recognition. Makki, who is Sudanese, spoke passionately about her self-identification and the difficulties she faces as someone who does not fit neatly into the categories of "Arab-American" or "white." "The term 'Arab' is abstract. It tells me nothing about who you are, who I am," she explained. "I rarely identify as Arab-American...I fully identify as Afro-Arab, as black." Nevertheless, she noted, others rarely identify her in this way and she is often thought to be Southeast Asian. This sort of misunderstanding, she said, is a common experience for Arab Americans whose identity cannot be determined by phenotype yet who do not feel they fit into the government's category of white. Howell discussed how Arab Americans could overcome these divisions and work together, citing the Arab-American community in Detroit, MI as an example of "how communities go about resisting their own racialization." Representing a multitude of origins, religions, political identifications and generations, the group nevertheless has discovered a way to work together as a cohesive Arab-American community. Howell attributed its success to its size, institutional depth and vitality. Its "strength of diversity and being able to channel that diversity" makes it strong and provides a template for other Arab-American communities. -Clara McGlynn Emerging Communities The next panel, "Arabs Outside the Arab Center: A Look at Emerging Communities from Outside the Levant," expanded upon some of the themes expressed by the earlier speakers. All three panelists, Khaled Beydoun, Aziz Elshami, and Fatima Aghbalou, described the challenges of being a non-Levantine Arab in the United States. "When you ask North Africans where they belong," began Aghbalou, "they themselves don't know." She observed that identity is fluid, composed of social categorization, the formation of social identity awareness, social comparison of identity in relation to others, and the pursuit of psychological difference. Often, she warned, the Arab community does not recognize that it takes part in this discourse, which can lead to exclusion. "How can we find, for example, a broad umbrella...to capture community voices?" she asked. "Is there a common umbrella that brings us together" rather than one that differentiates us? Elshami gave a personal account of exclusion. A Sudanese-American, she has never identified as Arab, noting, "inside Sudan it means something very different than outside." She observed that Levantine Arabs often do not accept North African Arabs, leading to a kind of "limbo" for the latter group. Beydoun seconded this observation, saying that there are feelings of "marginality and out-of-placement" for some Arab Americans. "Levantines have been very good at claiming the role of victim," he argued, but in fact Arab identity is "a colonial project" forced upon certain groups, notably North Africans. "Arab identity was not chosen by them, it was imposed on them." Due to this marginalization, Beydoun wondered if North Africans should choose to identify with the Arab-American community at all, and questioned ADC's commitment to those whose Arab-American identity cannot be described in "very simple terms." Audience members had many questions to ask the panelists and a lively discussion followed the presentations. -Clara McGlynn ADC Women's Empowerment Luncheon ADC's "Women's Empowerment Luncheon" on June 14 highlighted the importance of gender equality in today's society. Anisa Mehdi, filmmaker, educator and interfaith activist, introduced Lebanese-American Sara Minkara, president and founder of Empowerment Through Integration (ETI). Minkara, who woke up blind one morning when she was 7 years old, has not allowed anything to prevent her from reaching her goals. She was thankful, she said, for her family's help and the strong social support systems in America that have allowed her to receive an education. Minkara hopes to use her experience to inspire other visually impaired children across the world. She founded ETI in 2009, during her sophomore year at Wellesley College, to help integrate blind people into the economies of developing nations. She shared reflections of blind children who have no hope, no dreams, and who feel like they are a burden on society: Hoards of people. Clashing noises. So many voices. Multiplying sounds. Lost, alone, empty. Feel for a corner. Feel for a chair. Sink down. This is a camp of empowerment and hope. Hope? I know what hope is. I hope I'm not seen. I hope I'm easily missed. I hope I'm lost in the crowd for this is what hope is because it is all I can hope for, right? Slump down. There is hope in being invisible. If I myself cannot see, I don't want to be seen. If I am not seen, I cannot be hurt. If I am not hurt I can continue to exist. This is the reality for many blind children, who have no inspiration and see no hope in living, Minkara said. "I am lucky and privileged," she acknowledged. "My mother empowered me." As a result she's been able to follow her dreams and aspirations, graduating from Wellesley College with a mathematics and economics degree, something rare for blind people, and launching ETI. Minkara recognizes that her reality is the exception, not the rule. There are one billion people in the world today living with a disability, she said-equivalent to one-seventh of the world's population. Only 2 percent of them receive any type of education, and only 3 percent of them are literate, Minkara said. "The stats are even worse for women with disabilities-only 1 percent of women are literate. Women with a disability are five times as likely to be sexually assaulted as the average person...Why is this our reality?" she asked. "Why is the largest minority in the world not in the forefront of our conversation? Because they are an invisible population or, at best, seen as a charity case. They are seen as a population that needs to be pitied. They are not seen as people with potential to be productive members of society." Minkara urged the audience to "go beyond the world's labels! Seek the unperceived potential in others. See people for who they are, and not what society tells us to see them as." Minkara received a standing ovation. Speaking by video from a rooftop in Amman, Jordan, Manal Omar, associate vice president for the Middle East and Africa Center of the U.S. Institute of Peace, accepted the Rose Nader Award in recognition of her leadership, commitment and passion to civic duty. Omar works with women who refuse to be victims and who play a necessary part in creating peace. Dr. Mahmud and Carmela Thamer accepted the Alex Odeh Memorial Award in recognition of their dedication to the Arab-American community. Dr. Thamer was born in Iraq, studied medicine at Harvard and Johns Hopkins (where he met Carmela) and returned to Iraq to teach at Baghdad Medical College. In 1970, the couple returned to the U.S., where Dr. Thamer worked in the cardiology division of Johns Hopkins. They joined ADC at its very inception and worked to expand its membership beyond its original Syrian and Palestinian core, helping the national organization represent all Arab Americans. -Mitra Moin Activism in the Entertainment Industry A predictably lively session on June 14, "Activism in the Arts: Creating Change Through Expression," featured singer/artist/activist Luci Murphy, Arab-American Muslim comedian/humanitarian Said Durrah and performer/columnist Dean Obeidallah. "We need more Arab Americans in the arts-everyone can't be a lawyer, engineer or doctor," Obeidallah began. "If you don't want to be an artist you can at least support Arab Americans going into the arts. Buy their films. If you see me in a restaurant-buy me dinner," he quipped. "Arab Americans need to be present in the media to tell our own stories." Murphy agreed that artists need help. She said there are "gatekeepers" who may not like political or ethnic humor or music, so it's important for Arab Americans to work on the business side of the industry or help bankroll artists. She urged future artists to follow their hearts. "If you have a burning desire to be an artist, just do it." Durrah discussed tangible ways to break into the entertainment industry, including participating in comedy workshops, poetry readings and art shows. Durrah recalled meeting an Iraqi woman at a State Department-funded comedy workshop. Although she said she had nothing funny to talk about, Durrah got her to turn her pain into something that made her audience smile-even though her jokes went through three translators! "Stay true to yourself. Be the best at what you do. That's how we change the hurtful labels," Durrah concluded. -Delinda C. Hanley The Criminalization of Being Arab A June 14 ADC panel entitled "The Criminalization of Being Arab" featured attorneys Haytham Faraj and Michael Hanna, who specialize in different kinds of discrimination law. They discussed some of their cases related specifically to discrimination against Muslim- and Arab-Americans. Faraj began by describing one of his most controversial cases: that of a 35-year-old father who bought four boxes of Sudafed for a drug dealer just to make some extra money for his family. Even though the man had only one previous conviction-for selling a gram of marijuana when he was 18-he was convicted on three counts of soliciting drugs and sentenced to 15 years in prison. After many months of vigorous trial work, the sentence was reduced to one year in prison, which Faraj described as one of his happiest days as a lawyer. The criminal attorney concluded by emphasizing how "the government uses leverage to overcharge in so many cases that are dealt with in society today." Hanna, an attorney who litigates discrimination claims for Arab Americans, said the criminalization of Arabs happens everyday. Discrimination against Arabs and Muslims is worse than any other minority race, he said, adding their "cases will most likely always get overcharged." One of Hanna's cases concerned the Imam family in Miami, charged with funneling money to the Pakistani Taliban due to suspicious phone calls to their families back in Pakistan. The father was jailed for a full year while the case was argued in court. With no specific evidence produced against the family, the case was dropped and the father was released. This case and other cases happening every day to Arabs are a travesty, Hanna stated. He concluded by showing a fascinating study done by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which found a 250 percent increase in discrimination against Arabs and Muslims since Sept. 11. "Discrimination is out there," Hanna reiterated, and continues to be prevalent in our society every day." -Nizar Kuseybi A Memorable ADC Gala Dinner Hundreds of Arab-Americans enjoyed a reception and gala dinner at the Crystal Gateway Marriott's Arlington Ballroom on the evening of June 14. The program included a three-course dinner, moving speeches and a comedy sketch, and concluded with the melodies of a rising artist. In his opening remarks, ADC National President Samer Khalaf stressed the importance of the unity of Arab Americans, despite the community's natural differences. "We may be from different backgrounds, but we are one people, we need to gather and join the community," he said, reflecting the convention theme of "It Takes a Community." "It takes more than one hand [to clap], more than one voice," he pointed out. The awards ceremony recognized those who have dedicated their lives, knowledge and passion in promoting, fostering and expanding U.S.-Arab relations. The ADC Distinguished Public Service Award was presented to Dr. John Duke Anthony, the founding president and chief executive officer of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR). In her introductory remarks, former congresswoman and ADC president Mary Rose Oakar described Anthony as "the only American who got to sit at the same table with all the important figures of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council]." Upon receiving his award, Anthony delivered an address on the importance of the Arab-American community and its role in building and shaping the U.S. as we know it today. "Let there be no lack of appreciation to the Americans of Arab ancestry, who have done to this country a lot more than what many of us aspire to do," an emotional Anthony said, holding his award. He went on to explain the role of the NCUSAR in promoting knowledge of the Arab world though its internship program, visits to various Arab countries and participation in Model Arab League conferences. "I can say for myself, we will not get tired until the right thing is done,"Anthony concluded, expressing his hope that the U.S. would refrain from its "impaired actions" against the Arab world. Dr. Raymond Jallow was the recipient of ADC's Lifetime Achievement Award. Born and educated in Iraq, he served as an adviser to seven U.S. presidents on issues of economics, monetary policy and Middle East affairs. Having participated in 25 consecutive ADC annual conventions, Jallow expressed his hopes and dreams for ADC in particular and the Arab-American community in general. "My dream is for this organization to keep on developing," he said. "My dream is for the ADC to provide this award to a leader in the Arab world who gives up his power for a younger generation." Suggesting that ADC invest more in providing scholarships, expanding nationally and internationally, Jallow nevertheless applauded ADC for pursuing its mission, despite the difficulties. "Civil rights, civil liberties, and support to Arab-Americans amid all the suffering they have been subjected to through the years," Jallow cited as the goals of ADC. Moved by the two awardees' speeches, the audience was then invited to take action and help ADC keep achieving its goals. "We are raising money to invest in our future," ADC National Board Chair Dr. Safa Rifka explained, accepting donations from $1,000 to $20,000 over the coming year. "Give up your daily Starbucks, for the sake of your child," he joked with the audience. Audience members responded by contributing about $100,000 by the end of the evening. After dinner, Palestinian-American comedian Amer Zahr took to the stage to deliver a short, funny-and at times painful-sketch. His humor on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict hit the spot. "The only difference between us and [the Israelis]," he explained, "is that they were chosen by God, and we were chosen by the FBI." -Dina Salah ElDin Paradigm Shift:?New Thinking on Israel-Palestine The final panel discussion at ADC featured two human rights activists, one Palestinian and the other Israeli, moderated by this writer. Lawyer and peace activist Jonathan Kuttab, co-founder of Al-Haq, the leading Palestinian human rights agency, began the discussion by urging listeners to stop asking the same questions, getting the same answers-and going nowhere. Like the introduction of the Internet, it may take awhile for people to get used to a new way of doing things, he acknowledged, but a new strategy is desperately needed. Some on-the-ground realities have changed, Kuttab pointed out. The two-state solution is dead and now non-state actors in Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Palestine, Israel and the U.S. are determining what is happening in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Arab Spring has highlighted the frailty of all existing governments and the rapidity with which change can come. Citizens have a growing influence on policies, Kuttab added, noting that New York Times columnists, Washington intellects and young people all are getting their information from blogs, Facebook and Twitter. There are other changes in the U.S., including a marked decline in the power of AIPAC, Kuttab continued. Today American Jews feel different about Israel-even J-Street is out of touch and working on an old paradigm. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions used to be fringe and today is mainstream. Young people, like Students for Justice in Palestine, are leading sophisticated movements, the like of which haven't been seen since Vietnam anti-war protests. What are Arab Americans doing to engage the Hispanic community, young people and others who can join to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict? Kuttab asked his audience. JeffHalper, an American-born Israeli author and human rights activist who co-founded the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), described the right-wing shiftand other worrisome changes in Israel that should be alienating American Jews. Political activists in Israel are in retreat, Halper warned. "The same old people are exhausted and in despair,"?he said. "It's the bottom of the 9th inning," and if there isn't a resolution to the conflict, Israel will become an apartheid and isolated state. The Palestine issue has become a global human rights issue, Halper added. "It's the last half of the last inning. Even if we're tired and exhausted, we must turn this around and achieve justice," he urged. He concluded by advocating for a binational, inclusive state. It's time to stop talking about a national liberation movement and start legitimizing a one-state solution, he said. This will put the burden on Israel while activists work on a civil rights strategy in a binational state. -Delinda C. Hanley Convention Closes With a Palestine Luncheon The Palestinian Luncheon was the final event at ADC's convention and it started with a sad announcement by Prof. Jack Shaheen:?Radio legend Casey Kasem had just died (see p. 80). After recalling his gentle soul and kindness, Shaheen asked for a moment of silence. ADC?presented the Rachel Corrie Award to Jewish-American anti-war activist Ellen Siegel, in recognition of her devotion and commitment to justice. Siegel is a registered nurse who helped wounded Lebanese and Palestinians during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. She was working in the Gaza Hospital in the Sabra refugee camp in Beirut during the Sabra and Shatila massacre and subsequently testified before the Kahan Commission of Inquiry in Jerusalem. Every year Siegel returns to Lebanon to remember the victims of that massacre. "Rachel Corrie would have been 34 if she hadn't been crushed by an Israeli bulldozer trying to demolish the home of a Palestinian," Siegel began. "She might be married. She might have a child." Instead, Siegel said, Corrie's face is on posters in every Palestinian refugee camp. There are 450,000 Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, many of them living in extreme poverty, Siegel continued. Some of them live in metal containers and others, including a good friend of hers, live in the old Gaza Hospital, transformed into small apartments, without running water or regular electricity, with piles of trash piled at the entrance. Palestinians make up 11 percent of Lebanon's population, Siegel noted, and now the conflict in Syria has forced more refugees to flock to Lebanon. Siegel urged Arab Americans to help by donating to ANERA, UPA, UNRWA, Atfalouna and other humanitarian organizations. The next speaker, Abdulhadi Hantash, began working as a cartographer in Hebron in 1978. Hantash said he had several urgent messages from Palestinians for Americans: 1. We extend our hands in peace; 2. We are not against the Jewish religion, we are against the occupation; 3. Forty-seven years of occupation-it's enough; 4. Don't push Palestinians into a corner; and, finally 5. Stop sending money to Israel for guns. "There are 5,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. In fact, all Palestinians are in jail," Hantash lamented. "Still, we extend our hand for peace and nobody hears us," he concluded. -Delinda C. Hanley (c) 2014 American Educational Trust |