Press Room

Interested in making a difference this election but don’t know how?

From AAI
Posted on Wednesday June 11, 2008

If you live in New York or New Jersey, you’re in luck! AAI is holding a Yalla Vote ’08 voter engagement training New Brunswick, NJ to provide Arab Americans with the skills they need in order to organize effectively this election season and beyond. This training will be held on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29, and follows successful workshops we have organized for AAI members in Dearborn, MI and Washington, DC.

Obama clarifies united Jerusalem comment

From Jerusalem Post
Posted on Friday June 6, 2008

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama did not rule out Palestinian sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem when he called for Israel’s capital to remain “undivided,” his campaign told The Jerusalem Post Thursday.

AAI Members Make Their Voices Heard

From AAI
Posted on Thursday June 5, 2008

AAI thanks our many members who wrote to Dunkin’ Donuts, seeking a formal apology for the company’s decision to pull an ad featuring Rachael Ray wearing a kaffiyeh, and the State Department, thanking it for its decision to reinstate the Fulbright scholarships of seven students from Gaza. Click “Read Full Story” to see excerpts from some of the e-mails you all sent and to find out who you can still contact regarding both situations.

Keep Pressure on Dunkin' Donuts; Good News on Gaza Fulbright Students

From AAI
Posted on Tuesday June 3, 2008

Last week we asked you to take action on a couple of fronts. We encouraged you to contact the State Department and ask it to reinstate the Fulbright scholarships of seven Palestinian students from Gaza, and to register your disapproval with Dunkin’ Donuts regarding its decision to pull a commercial in which Rachael Ray (of cooking show fame) is pictured wearing a kaffiyeh.

(Above photo courtesy of the Huffington Post)

Dunkin Donuts? Fulbright? Outrage!

From AAI
Posted on Friday May 30, 2008

This is not the work we normally do, but we were so upset by these two stories that we felt we had to act.

This week added insult to injury:

1) Insult
Dunkin’ Donuts ran an ad with Rachael Ray (America’s favorite 30-minute cook)…

Yes, that’s a kaffiyeh!

We take delight in the way the kaffiyeh, a traditional peasant head covering, has become a fashionable part of U.S. pop culture. And here it was in a Dunkin’ Donuts ad!

(Above photo courtesy of the Huffington Post)

Look Out For an AAI Organizer Near You!

From AAI
Posted on Tuesday May 27, 2008

AAI is placing political field organizers in five states across the country this summer and fall as key components of the Yalla Vote ’08 campaign. If you live in New York, Florida, Michigan, Ohio or California, you may have one coming to a location near you. Organizers will be working to help Arab Americans become involved in local, state and federal elections, and to help raise issues of particular importance to our community in those races.

Palestinian-Americans mark 60 years displaced

From Associated Press
Posted on Saturday May 17, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) — Palestinians call it the “nakba” — the catastrophe.

As Israel marked the 60th anniversary of its independence Friday, Americans of Palestinian descent rallied near the United Nations to mark six decades of displacement from the sliver of land uneasily shared by Jews and Arabs.

After 60 Years, Arabs in Israel Are Outsiders

From The New York Times
Posted on Friday May 9, 2008

JERUSALEM — As Israel toasts its 60th anniversary in the coming weeks, rejoicing in Jewish national rebirth and democratic values, the Arabs who make up 20 percent of its citizens will not be celebrating. Better off and better integrated than ever in their history, freer than a vast majority of other Arabs, Israel’s 1.3 million Arab citizens are still far less well off than Israeli Jews and feel increasingly unwanted.

Remembering the Palestinian Nakba

From San Diego Union-Tribune
Posted on Wednesday May 7, 2008

Nearly 30 years since she had seen her Northern Galilee home in what she called “48 Palestine,” Rasmiya Barghouti was finally given a permit by the Israeli military authorities to visit. She decided to take two of her daughters and four of her grandchildren with her.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Talks of Peace as a Universal Responsibility at 10th Annual Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala

From AAI
Posted on Thursday April 24, 2008

The Arab American Institute Foundation hosted its 10th annual Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards gala on Wednesday, April 23 before a packed ballroom of nearly 800 guests in Washington, D.C.

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was on hand to address the crowd in person, discussing the status of U.S.-led Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, obstacles Israeli settlements continue to pose to progress on those talks, and the current situation in Gaza. He concluded by saying, “Peace is a responsibility of every person in this room, and every person in the universe.”

Award recipients this year included:
Reporters Without Borders (Award for Institutional Excellence)
Refugees International (Award for International Commitment)
Barenboim-Said Foundation (Special Recognition)
Congressman Ray LaHood (Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service)

Click here to read a full recap of the gala.

Media coverage: Abbas to appeal for more US help in peace process, Associated Press
Abbas appeals for more US help in peace process, Washington Post
Arab Americans Present “Spirit of Humanity” Awards, America.gov (U.S. State Department)
North Jersey Arab leaders temper hopes for peace, Bergen Record

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Address Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Gala on April 23

From AAI
Posted on Monday April 14, 2008

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will address the 10th annual Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards gala on Wednesday, April 23 in Washington, D.C.

Registration is closed. For information about the gala, please call (202) 429-9210.

Click here for additional background and details on the gala.

Catching Election Fever

From AAI
Posted on Wednesday February 13, 2008

Election fever is sweeping the country, with record voter turnout in states across the country and new faces getting involved in campaigns. Arab Americans have been caught up in the campaign frenzy, working and volunteering for candidates in both parties on Super Tuesday, the Potomac Primaries (Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia), and in a number of upcoming primaries, including Ohio and Texas.

Yalla Vote on Super Tuesday!

From AAI
Posted on Monday February 4, 2008

We’ve told you about what Arab Americans have done in early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Florida, and it’s all led up to this. In one of the most anticipated days of presidential primary elections in recent memory, voters from 24 states across the country went to polling places and caucus sites on Tuesday, February 5. Democratic voters elected half of the delegates who will choose the Democratic nominee for president, while Republicans elected close to 40 percent of the delegates to their party’s nominating convention.

Amidst this historic primary atmosphere, the campaigns headed to states with some of the country’s largest Arab American populations, including California (715,000 Arab Americans), New York (405,000), New Jersey (240,000), Illinois (220,000), and Massachusetts (175,000).* Arab American voters had the potential to swing the outcome in several of the hotly contested primaries, and also to use their votes to secure additional delegates for candidates in states that award delegates proportionally.

Image by Dustin M. Ramsey © 2008

AAI Joins ATFL in Campaign to Ban Cluster Bombs

From AAI
Posted on Friday February 1, 2008

AAI is proud to announce its endorsement of the American Task Force for Lebanon Campaign to Ban Cluster Bombs.

Over the past year, thanks in large part to hard work by ATFL, there has been significant progress in the international effort to outlaw cluster munitions. This past week the Winograd Commission published its findings about Israeli conduct during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. The report determined that the use of cluster bombs demonstrated a lack of operational restraint and tactical oversight and recommended that “there be a re-evaluation of the rules and principles that apply to the army in using cluster bombs.”

Action Alert: Call on Your Representatives to End the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

From AAI
Posted on Friday January 25, 2008

AAI calls on the Arab American community, and all Americans of conscience, to join the international condemnation of the current siege in Gaza. The ongoing blockade began with stifling travel and trade restrictions soon after the 2005 Israeli withdrawal and has now intensified so that the entire Gaza Strip is effectively sealed off.

During this current siege the White House is silent and Congress ignores the continued human suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza. Speaking out on this matter can make a difference and is crucial for saving innocent lives and ensuring progress toward a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East. Read on to find out how to express your concern to your member of Congress, the State Department, and the White House.