Ikhras Shoe Of The Month Award Winner – April 2013

May 14, 2013

Council on American Islamic Relations with shoe 1 (1)The Ikhras editors are pleased to announce the winner of the Muntadhar Zaidi Ikhras Shoe of the Month Award for April, 2013 is the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR earned this prestigious honor for its reaction to Boston marathon bombings that killed three and injured more than 200 on April 15. The competition was stiff this month as the predictable buffoonery, expressions of moral outrage, and calls for the always ridiculous “interfaith meetings” commenced immediately after the bombing and continue as of the time of this writing.  One community clown who recently discovered his Islamic heritage after the age of 40 as part of a new career path actually began a CNN segment with “I’m a Muslim and I despise terrorism.” April was a month in which we regret we have but one shoe to throw and we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination (ADC) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) were among the finalists.  After an initially strong showing the ADC fell behind when it was reported that the suspects were Muslims, but not Arabs. The ADC is only responsible for the potential transgressions of 350 Million Arabs.  Like CAIR, MPAC also assumed responsibility for about 1.5 billion Muslims and earned the dubbing Muslim Public Apology Center.  However, after careful consideration the ikhras awards committee determined that the response of CAIR’s far more extensive network to the Boston bombings was the best illustration of the house behavior this award was established to recognize. Read More »

CNN Knew About Nasr’s Work For The Lebanese Forces When She Was Hired

April 12, 2013

In a previous post (see Ikhras Shoe Of The Month March 2013 below) we pointed out Lebanese right-wing journalist Octavia Nasr began her journalism career in Lebanon at the LBC network, the propaganda arm of the fascist Lebanese Forces established by Bashir Gemayel with the help and support of Israel before moving on to spend 20 years with CNN.  Ikhras has confirmed that CNN was informed of Nasr’s work for the Lebanese Forces when she was first hired.  Not only did this not raise any red flags for CNN management, but apparently working for a fascistic organization responsible for some of the ugliest massacres witnessed in recent history makes one an ideal employee at the unofficial US regime network.  The following is from Lebanese-American Professor of Political Science Dr. As’ad Abukhalil. We cite with his permission.

When she [Nasr] was first hired I called Bernard Shaw, who was the chief anchor and I knew him some from DC and he interviewed me many times.  I told him that she worked for the Lebanese Forces militia station, and he was shocked.  He told me that they were under the impression that LBC is the state TV station of Lebanon.  I spoke to him at length and he asked me to wait to take notes. He said that he would bring it up with management but nothing happened.  I also mentioned I remember that her English was pretty weak.

Syrian-American Council

April 12, 2013

An outfit in the United States calling itself the Syrian American Council has been active in calling for a US war on Syria. This is a Muslim Brotherhood front made up of Syrian-American supporters of the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. They openly support the MB campaign of terror against Syrian state and society while sloganeering about democracy, freedom, and human rights. For this group, which is about as representative of the Syrian people as right-wing Cubans in Miami are of Cuban public opinion, the FUKUS-GCC proxy war on Syria is not enough. They are appealing for a direct, all out US military assault on Syria. Members of this group have directly appealed to the most racist, anti-Arab Zionist fanatics in Congress including Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Eliot Engel, Illeana Ross-Lehtinen and others in hopes of leveraging the power of the empire to bring down a Syrian regime that the overwhelming majority of Syrians have refused to rise up against. As an alternative to overthrowing the regime this group has called for a policy which amounts to dismantling the entire Syrian nation-state and handing the remnants over to the Muslim Brotherhood and their Al-Qaeda allies. Arab-Americans and all those opposed to the US war on Syria must support the joint call of Syrian opponents and supporters of the Syrian government in rejecting any further US intervention in Syria and the entire region. We join the Syrian people in calling for an end to the US-backed proxy war on Syria and the withdrawal of all US military bases from the MENA region. Hands off Syria! US out of the Arab world!

Ikhras Shoe Of The Month Award Winner – March 2013

April 6, 2013

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Ikhras awards committee is pleased to announce the winner of the Muntadhar Zaidi Ikhras Shoe of the Month for March, 2013 is Lebanese journalist Octavia Nasr. Nasr is receiving this  coveted award for an article she wrote titled “What the city of Haifa taught me.”  The article first appeared in Arabic in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar, and the English version appeared the next day on the website of the Saudi family news channel Al-Arabiya.

Nasr begins her article reminiscing about the “countless stories about Haifa’s golden days pre-1948.”  The reader can almost detect a mocking undertone, as if life in pre-Nakba Haifa was not quite as “Golden” as relayed by the Palestinian refugees she encountered growing up in Lebanon, or was at least only part of the story of Haifa. Sure enough Nasr then goes on to share her awakening: Read More »

Iraq A Decade After The Invasion: Ikhras Co-Editor Thabit Al-Arabi On Radio 786 Western Cape, South Africa

March 31, 2013

Radio 786 Prime Talk program (Mar 26, 2013) examines Iraq a decade after the American invasion and occupation. Guests include Ikhras Co-Editor Thabit Al-Arabi and Iraqi Ambassador to South Africa Dr Hisham Al-Alawi.

PART 1 

PART 2

Arab-American “Leaders” Meet With Obama Ahead Of Middle East Visit

March 19, 2013
Obama posters crossed out in occupied Ramallah.

Obama posters crossed out in occupied Ramallah.

As part of an effort to construct and promulgate a public relations narrative in preparation for Barack Obama’s visit to the Middle East, the White House summoned a group of Arab-American “leaders” to a meeting.  Overcome by the lure of being invited to the White House and being part of the mainstream these groups and individuals sacrifice intellectual honesty and personal integrity while adopting all the false pretenses of the American imperial project. 

Barack Obama met with several so called leaders and organizations that allegedly represent Arab and Muslim Americans ahead of his visit to occupied Palestine.  The “Arab-American” groups that attended the meeting were the same unrepresentative, Washington-based cliques that are usually called upon when American politicians need submissive token Arabs to perpetuate the fiction the US government is taking all views into consideration. The groups included the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the two-man American Task Force for Palestine (ATFP), and James Zogby’s one-man shop, the Arab American Institute (AAI). Read More »

The Arab Reaction to Chavez’s Death and What it Tells Us

March 19, 2013

GAZ05_PALESTINIANS-CHAVEZ-_0307_11By: Ikhras Co-Editor Thabit Al-Arabi, This article first appeared in Al-Akhbar English March 12, 2013.

Outside of Venezuela and Latin America, there was no greater outpouring of support and sympathy for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez than in the Arab world.

Comparisons to the great Egyptian president Gamal Abdul-Nasser began immediately. Many even declared Chavez himself an Arab based on his anti-imperialist policies and support for Palestinian liberation. Political commentators, at least those not on the Saudi and Qatari payrolls, emphasized his public support for Palestinian rights and Iran’s right to pursue a peaceful nuclear program, as well as his opposition to the wars on Iraq, Libya, and most recently the proxy war on Syria. Read More »

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