Ikhras Supports Columbia SJP

March 18, 2013

sjpIkhras fully supports Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and all SJP chapters across the United States.  SJP branches nationwide have been one of the leading organizations in the Palestine Solidarity Movement in the US.  Columbia SJP’s misguided and divisive decision to sponsor an event featuring Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi as a guest speaker at what was dubbed a “Syria Solidarity Event” served as a distraction and did not help advance the mission of SJP.  Our criticism of this controversial decision stems from our deep appreciation for this organization and the critically important role it plays on US campuses.  SJP represents one of the most successful organizations working in the most hostile environment for any Palestine solidarity activism anywhere in the world. We trust Columbia SJP will learn from this mistake and remain focused on its mission as it continues its invaluable work in the future. As it does so we will continue to support Columbia SJP and all SJP chapters on their respective campuses across the country.

Long Live Palestine Arab and Free From the River to the Sea!

p.s. No Zionist should take any comfort in whatever disagreements that may exist within the Arab world or among Palestine solidarity activists.  When it comes to justice in Palestine we are all unified and will continue our unrelenting struggle for the liberation of Palestine and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees to their homeland.

Omar Baddar Leaves AAIUSA

February 22, 2013

Ikhras was pleased to learn that Omar Baddar has left his position as New Media Coordinator at the Arab-American Institute (AAI). While we’re unaware of the circumstances surrounding Omar’s departure from James Zogby‘s AAI we believe this can only be viewed as a welcome development. Despite our fundamental disagreements with Omar we have always believed that he, unlike the other establishment Arab-Americans, showed a great deal of sincerity despite his misguided approach to political activism. We hope that Omar’s departure from AAI will be an opportunity for him to remove the political shackles of Washington and join the rest of us shunned miscreants that refuse to cater their political activism and discourse to American political sensibilities. We believe Omar has a great deal to contribute to issues of concern for the Arab-American community, first, and foremost, the liberation of Palestine and ending US-Israeli wars on the Arab world. This will require not only leaving AAI but also leaving behind the model of futile political activism associated with this organization. We also hope that with Omar’s departure from  AAI he will also leave behind his previous hostility towards ikhras.  We look forward to a new relationship in the future, and wish him very best.

A Response To Nihad Awad’s Request For Correction

February 20, 2013

Nihad Awad With George Bush Jr (2000)

After posting a photo of Nihad Awad from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) with George Bush Jr on our twitter feed with a comment (السفاح الذي قتل اكثر من مليون عراقي هو الذي تقف الى جانبه لتآخذ صورة تذكارية) about his willingness to attend a White House photo-op with the butcher of over one million Iraqis Mr. Awad sent us the following message:

لا مانع ان يكون لك رأي مخالف لكن لا تدعي ما لا تعلم. هذه الصورة أخذت في عام 2000 م. فأرجو ان تتحلى بألجرأة وتصحح خطأك.لم التقي ببوش بعد 2001

There is no problem with you having a different opinion, however, do not make assertions about what you don’t know. This picture was taken in the year 2000 so I hope you would have the courage to correct your mistake. I did not meet with Bush after 2001. [Translation by ikhras]

Yes Mr. Awad, we have no problem correcting any “mistake” you can plausibly claim we may have made. We did not indicate the date of the photo, but since we were clearly criticizing your willingness to attend a Bush White House photo-op, we’re willing to point out this photo was taken prior to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. But this then presents a question for you which we also hope you have the courage to answer honestly. Are you implying that you would have declined an invitation to a Bush White House event after 2003 in protest of the criminal invasion of Iraq? Your own political “activism” and CAIR’s almost 2o-year record of continuous and uninterrupted working relationships with successive US administrations would suggest otherwise. Read More »

Gaza & The Cowardly Blathering Of Arab & Muslim Americans

November 23, 2012

Zogby with his good friend Martin Indyk on MSNBC

[Ikhras Note: During Israel’s eight-day onslaught on Gaza a select few Arab and Muslim Americans appeared in the mainstream US media as representatives of the Palestinian side of the conflict or spokespersons for the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities. These groups and individuals do not represent the views of the Palestinian, Arab or Muslim communities in the US, and were certainly not appointed as spokespersons for the Palestinian people under occupation.]

To our knowledge, during the entire eight days of Israeli air, sea, and land bombardment of Gaza not a single authentic Palestinian-American voice or any neutral, objective expert on the Arab world was invited to appear or write in mainstream television or print media. Instead what we watched was a parade of pseudo-analysts, Arab Zionists, anti-Palestinian ideologues, self-appointed spokespersons of all stripes, and even a couple of comedians. All of them, without exception, were invited to parrot the Israel narrative, or at best, offer polite criticism of Israel in the name of Palestinians and Arab or Muslim Americans.

Read More »

Arab Students’ Disgusting Behavior At University of Pennsylvania

November 4, 2012

Arab students at the University of Pennsylvania have joined with pro-Israel campus advocacy groups to invite a token Syrian from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) to speak on the their campus.  Undoubtedly this Syrian will come to University of Pennsylvania to speak on behalf of the neoconservative and Zionist agenda in Syria.

The event is being sponsored by, among others, the Pennsylvania Arab Student Society (PASS), Penn Friends of Israel, and StandWithUs. Penn Friends of Israel “is a student initiative-led and student-run Israel advocacy group on Penn’s campus” which “acts as an open and supportive forum for Israel advocacy.” StandWithUS is a pro-Israel campus advocacy group that is proudly “supporting Israel around the world.” It is dedicated to spreading Zionist lies and propaganda with a special focus on whitewashing the crimes of the Israeli terrorist army and seeking out token Arabs willing to work with them. Read More »

Ikhras Shoe Of The Month Award Winner – September 2012

October 19, 2012

Ikhras is pleased to announce the winner of the Muntadhar Zaidi Ikhras Shoe of the Month Award for September, 2012 is Dr. James Zogby. The omnipresent, self-appointed representative of Arab-Americans earned this prestigious honor for his disgraceful behavior at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).  Although rarely is there a month in which Zogby is not the front runner for this award, the quintessential careerist and cheap propagandist for the State Department and Arab oil-Sheikhs beat out all other nominees for the September, 2012 ikhras shoe award before the convention even started. Read More »

Voices Emanating From The Embassy: An Ikhras Review Of James Zogby’s “Arab Voices”, What He’s Saying To Us And Why It Doesn’t Matter

September 25, 2012

[Ikhras Note: The following is a belated publishing of an Ikhras book review of James Zogby's Arab Voices: What They are Saying To Us And Why It Matters. It was written shortly after Zogby launched his book tour with a party and reception at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Washington in October, 2010.]

James Zogby couldn’t have picked a more appropriate setting to launch his new book than a party and reception at the Washington embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  The event was hosted by “H.E.” Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, and, true to form, the following day Zogby slavishly  thanked the Nahyan family representative: “I was so gratified by last night’s reception. Ambassador al Otaiba’s hospitality, his kind words of introduction and the great work of his staff provided Arab Voices with such a wonderful launch.”

Zogby And “H.E.” At Book Launch Party For “Arab Voices” At UAE Embassy.

The book is titled “Arab Voices: What they are saying to us and why it matters.”  In explaining the objectives and motivation behind the book Zogby says “I wrote the book for two reasons…One [reason] is because the stakes are so high. We’re in real trouble in the Middle East…it’s not getting better”…The second reason, he explained, was to “shatter” the myths Americans have about Arabs.”  Zogby, of course, is not going to shatter any myths or change any false perceptions.  This is one of those grandiose claims he often makes about his ability to influence public policy and popular perceptions in the United States (US).  As the omnipresent, self-appointed representative of Arab-Americans sets out to “paint the most accurate picture of the Arab people, explaining who they are to the American people”, we ask which Arab voices has he been listening to cocooned up in Washington since the 1970’s?  Which Arabs is Zogby most familiar with?  And is he qualified, and capable of candidly and accurately explaining the Arab world to the American public?  For reasons we discuss below we believe Zogby is not only unable to do so, but is probably the last person in America who can explain indigenous Arab voices to a US audience. Read More »

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