December 31, 2008 – 9:47 am
Jonathan Mok has previously interviewed scholar Ahron Bregman on the subject of Israeli military actions.
Jonathan Mok: What can you say about the latest Israeli assault against Hamas? Do you think that the Olmert government would like to send a signal to the Obama administration?
Ahron Bregman: The Israeli military operation in Gaza is not about sending a signal to the future Obama administration, but a response to a strong feeling that Hamas has overstepped the mark, by firing rockets into Israel. It is true that thus far there have been few casualties in Israel, but the rockets did disturb life and worryingly – from an Israeli point of view – Hamas obtained medium-range missiles that could reach major populated areas.
For now, Israel enjoys strong American support and it is unlikely that in the foreseen future Washington will stop Israel’s military operations. Like the Israelis, Washington regards Hamas as “the bad guys”.
Jonathan: The responses of various Arab states and Mahmoud Abbas are different this time. While they condemn the Israeli attack, they also blame Hamas for sparking the action. Do you see a new departure from the traditional responses of Arab leaders?
Ahron: Don’t forget that the Palestinian Authority and such countries as Egypt and Jordan regard Hamas as a threat to their own regimes. Read More »
December 8, 2008 – 11:40 pm
I’m glad you didn’t know me before,
Back when I was a vampire with a hungry rattle in the throat.
The night was like a sock wedged on the head;
If I could, I would have turned it back.
I have weathered and leathered my hide,
I’m just a wraith now, love,
Wraiths don’t bite.
My teeth are glittering in a glass
Like jewels from a woman’s neck.
God, how I hate the blood in this town, Read More »
November 26, 2008 – 9:23 pm
You know what you get when you fight fire with fire? An inexhaustible blaze.
But according to Nagla al-Imam, this isn’t true. She believes that fighting Israeli occupation with sexual harassment is actually the key to resisting it. She recently “invited Arab youth to sexually harass and rape Israeli women as a form of resistance”: Read More »
November 13, 2008 – 9:07 am
Congratulations!
The road to the White House has been extremely long and highly entertaining.
Thank you Sarah Palin for showcasing Tina Fey’s comic genius. Thank you Barack Obama for showcasing American meritocracy at work.
You ran an impeccable campaign and I am proud to have a President who knows what the word impeccable means. But most of all thank you for inspiring us to get involved in politics. It has meant the world to me and to many Arab-American democrats.
Let me share with you what I saw:
I saw Arab-Americans young and old volunteer their time. They donated money like many other Americans who responded to your message of hope. They urged their friends and families to become registered voters. Many voted for the first time in their lives.
On election day I saw young kids with loud speakers cheer for Obama on the streets of Paterson, New Jersey. I honked my horn and was happy as a lark. It felt good to be on the winning side for a change. It feels good to be an American. I know this isn’t possible in Europe.
But don’t get me wrong. It hasn’t been all good: Read More »
November 10, 2008 – 4:59 pm
Picture courtesy of Lilia Araj.
Come on Jordan, this is it.
This is your chance, change the world for the better.
Contribute to society as society has done for you.
Change Jordan, Change Jordan, Change.
My questions are almost finished, so show me the answer. Read More »
November 3, 2008 – 11:17 pm
This is a review of Daniel Barenboim’s Everything is Connected: The Power of Music. Weidenfield & Nicolson. 2008.
A great number of tremendously gifted Jewish musicians occupy the highest places in the world of classical music. Lorin Maazel, Leronard Bernstein, James Levine and Daniel Barenboim are familiar names for any classical music fan.
Barenboim, however, stands out from the rest.
The former director of the Chicago Symphony and now the director of La Scala in Milan, Italy, Barenboim routinely condemns the excesses of the Israeli occupation and is interested in nurturing musical talents amongst Arabs as well as Jews. Read More »
November 3, 2008 – 10:46 pm
Hey Jordan.
Three things you should know
Life is nothing more than a series of random occurences picked out of an infinite list
Literature is nothing more than a series of ultimate values
An artist’s job is to show us what an eye and camera can’t.
What are you gonna do with your life? Read More »
October 27, 2008 – 9:19 am
Hey Jordan! Over here.
Last night was fun, we should go out more often.
My mothers washing my clothes, if you’re wondering why I’m naked. Read More »
October 15, 2008 – 10:16 am
Most Arab Americans I know resent the United State’s intimate relationship with Israel and the adverse affect it has on Palestinians. Most Arab Americans I know (myself included) are voting for Barack Obama.
It’s not that we have forgotten Obama’s AIPAC blunder or that we disregard Biden’s outspoken support of Israel. It’s that unlike Senator McCain, Obama’s campaign does not thrive off of the fear-mongering and finger-pointing shamelessly practiced by the Republican campaign. As proof, take the latest McCain ad which falsely accuses Obama of lying about his relationship with “terrorist Bill Ayers.”
Yet too many Arab Americans still associate with the GOP. And this association may prove disastrous for our future as citizens and members of society.
Along with American Muslims, Arab Americans suffered the consequences of the politics of fear; with increased terror alerts came a decrease in their civil liberties, a blow to their reputation (both at work or in social groups), and sometimes even threats to their personal safety. The fact that Obama does not rely on the played-out terrorist card should be reason enough for Arab Americans to support him.
Here is another:
Last month, the Clarion Fund, a supposedly non-profit organization funded by a $400,000 dollar grant from a “secret donor”, paid 70 newspapers in 14 of America’s swing states to distribute their DVD, “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West.” Read More »
October 10, 2008 – 4:52 pm
Hey there. Hey Jordan! Come over to my table, lets have a drink.
Its nice out tonight, ay?
Its been a while!
Hows everything been going?
I think I dreamed of you last night.
Or maybe I didn’t, maybe I saw you. Maybe I was with you. Not sure actually, I think I loved you. Read More »
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