From L to R: Art Husami, Dr. Jim Zogby, Sami Kandah,
Basheer Husami, Ridah Hamzeh, Sami Mashney.

By MIKE NALLY 

Former Mayor of NYC, Ed Koch, was known to walk the streets of the city and ask residents, “How am I doing?”

Now, Dr. James Zogby, founder of the Washington, D.C. based AAI (Arab American Institute), wants to know how Arab Americans — Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim — are doing, and just completed a telephone poll of 404 Arab Americans nationwide.

And what are the key issues on their minds as we approach an important mid term election in November?

For, 70% of Arab Americans, it is jobs and the economy. Followed by: the war in Iraq, Middle East Peace at 30%. Heath care scores high for 24% of Arab American voters. And on all these issues, respondents said Democrats would do a better job than Republicans by margins of more than two to one. President Obama’s approval rating is 51% favorable against a 48% unfavorable rating. On his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they are split evenly, with a plurality saying “it’s too early to tell.”

“What does emerge from the numbers we crunched,” Zogby told a group of 50 supporters who gathered at the Long Beach Marriott Hotel on Oct. 20th is, “a profile of our community that is increasingly proud, self-identified, and displaying a sophisticated and nuanced view of politics.”

Zogby, who for the past 35 years has been a tireless advocate for Arab Americans, also was on an 18 city tour to promote his new book, “Arab Voices: What They are saying About Us and Why” (Macmillan 2010).

Zogby was analytical, succinct, if not a bit weary (he confessed that our culture is in trouble and that he was tired of often “stupid TV debates” and the “crap” he had to put up with from Fox News and people like Liz Cheney and George Allen) because the media does not go directly to the Arab community and ask them what they really think.

“Instead I am asked dumb questions like: ‘Why don’t the Palestinians just stay where they are and have the Saudis buy them houses?’

He also mentioned he has had to rethink his own goals for AAI, in light of funding that has dried up.

“I sit down now and ask, ‘Why am I doing this? Do I need to do it? What do we have to change to reach a goal? Are there enough funds? We must consider on a limited budget what we can do or not do … or what we can afford to do. What tasks are essential and how we can make a difference. If someone else or agency is doing the same job, let’s eliminate it. Let’s admit things we don’t know, our blunders and deal with the problems that face our community and America.’”

Zogby added, “And let’s be proud of the things we have done right, and salute those people in our community who are role models for getting actively involved in causes important to Arab Americans. My poll is the first to ask what Arab Americans want. And it is an (overdue) response to Balfour who infamously declared: ‘The aspirations of some 7000 Arabs mean nothing to me; the Zionist movement is everything…’”

He pointed out that no one talked directly to the Iraqi people after the fall of Baghdad. “90% of them felt the US Army there was an occupation, not liberation. Why? Because there was no water, no power … and the U.S. was only interested in guarding the oil ministry.”

Zogby was critical of the fact that in some 2000 plus institutions of higher learning in America, only 60 offer courses in Arab American studies, and less than 1% of high schools offer an Arabic language program. Zogby estimated that there are some 3 and one half million Arab Americans, with a sizable portion here in California.

“Numbers are important,” he added. “First, I did the poll. Ask them what they thought and then respect what they had to say to me. These are real people with real needs and opinions … And then … in my book, I tell the stories of Arab Americans. Please support my book — get it to libraries, into the hands of elected officials, tell relatives and friends to read it. It has been a labor of love about the people I have known and the things we have accomplished.”

At one of the dinner tables, Wafa K., a Palestinian in hijab, from Corona del Mar, nodded vigorously in agreement. “I came tonight to get an autographed copy of Dr. Zogby’s book.”

At another table sat friends of 20 years, Farouk Kubba, 73, a retired engineer, and Musa Bathia, 60, a retired dentist from Newport Beach. Both are from Iraq. It was their first time to meet Zogby, but they had seen him many times on TV programs defending Arab Americans. Kubba had met Zogby’s brother in D.C. when Kubba was there to attend a wedding.

Kubba chuckled. “It was 2004 and Zogby predicted Kerry would win the election.”

Democrat Kerry, of course, lost that election. Kubba, a very genial, pleasant man and possibly a Republican, received a degree in mechanical engineering from Manchester University’s Institute of Technology. He moved from Iraq to Kuwait in the late 60s to work three years for the national oil company now named KOC. Then he heard the US Embassy would give green cards to any engineer who would come work in California’s booming aerospace industry.

“It was too good to pass up — an opportunity for an Iraqi to work in the U.S — so I took advantage of their offer,” said Kubba.. He came to California in 1969, and worked for the first ten years with Fluror Corp. based in Orange County.

His long time friend, Musa Bahia, the dentist, seated next to Kubba, also had an interesting background. Musa and his wife, Maha Yousif, who was also there at the dinner, left Iraq together back in 1977.

“My wife,” said Bahia, “has been involved in the Iraqi opposition to remove Saddam from power.”

Would he go back for a visit now to his country?

Bahia shrugged. “There is no reason to go back there now. It’s too bad about the situation in our country today. Once Iraq was at the crossroads of power in the world –with Muslims, Turks, Crusaders, and others passing through …Iraq has made its share of contributions to history. Who knows? Iraq prospers, it gets destroyed, and it gets rebuilt. You never know what can happen in another 500 years.”

He shares with me a happy time in his life when he used to fly MEA (Middle East Airlines) from Baghdad to Beirut during the summer months.

“It was too hot in Baghdad. So we took our vacation on the beautiful beaches of Beirut. My wife and I actually honeymooned in Beirut in 1975. But even paradise was marred by the beginning of a Lebanese civil war.

“We heard shots at night,” related Bahia’s wife, Maha. “They were shooting at each other from the tops of roofs.”

“It was then we started thinking about a better future, and America,” said Bahia, as he and his wife flew back from Lebanon to Baghdad.

At another table was Diane Shammas, whose father is Lebanese and mother Swedish, from Laguna Beach. Shammas teaches a course in Arab studies at USC, and has made at least two trips to Gaza to help the people there, the most recent one in 2009 for three months. She is fluent in Arabic, French, and Spanish.

She related how one of her students in her class at SC from Tonga asked: “Where is Gaza?”

But Shammas is clearly one of those outstanding, committed individuals that Zogby praises (she is a member of AAI) as one who teaches “positive activism.”

Especially to young people who learn how to hold a demonstration or a boycott, or getting people to register to vote.

At the same table as Shammas was Art Husami, who along with his wife, were the hardworking hosts for the dinner to honor Zogby. Husami is a tax and financial advisor in Long Beach. Very active in AAI and excited about a recent summit meeting held in Washington D.C. because people from State, the Hill, and law enforcement are paying more attention in a good way.

Husami passed out copies too of a Congressional Scorecard of the 111th Congress prepared by the AAI for 2009-2010.

Besides Zogby, and also making a pitch for funds and backing, was Bill Dalati, of Syrian descent, who is making a run for an Anaheim City Council seat. Dalati was critical of the Republican Party, so he left it back in 2004, to become a Democrat. “Too many Republicans view Arabs as terrorists.”

“People ask me ‘why, why, why?’” said Dalati. And he answered it was time for Arab Americans to step forward, be proud, contribute to society,

Dalati went knocking on Anaheim doors with his twin daughters, looking for votes and raising funds for his campaign though it has been tepid at best. I believe he mentioned less than $4,000 so far.

“Dalati cannot win with that,” remarked a publisher of an Arabic language newspaper in Glendale who was also at the dinner.

However, Sami Mashney, an attorney and publisher of the English language monthly, The Independent Monitor, based in Anaheim, said Dalati was “in second place right now to get a seat on the city council.”

There was also some good humor at the dinner when Art Husami remarked that “I’m still a Republican!” and Sami Mashney replied: “What about the Tea Party, Art?” And Husami shot back: “I prefer Scotch.”

Related posts:

1. To My Scattered and Asleep Arab American Siblings Overcome with blue tangled feelings of deep dismay and disappointment,...
2. Dr. Nabil Azzam and MESTO to perform at NAAPOC 10/22/11 Meet The Professionals Dinner Further serving the Arab-American Community in social, cultural and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.