BY GAIL ALFAR

According to the online “Globes: Israel’s Business Arena” no reason was given by the Harvard University Management Company as to why all the Israel share holdings that the University had were sold.
This is notable that one of the world’s best known and consistently highest ranked leading academic institution has chosen to eliminate every one of its Israeli based investments.
The article states that shares in “Teva Pharmaceutical” were sold, that were valued at 30.5 million dollars. Teva has been a target of the BDS movement for years, it manufactures many generic drugs such as generic Prilosec (Omeprazole) and generic Allegra (Fexofenadine HCI), to name just a few.
Shares valued at almost 1.7 million were sold in “NICE Systems Ltd.” NICE is a large Israeli firm engaged in wiretapping and surveillance systems for private and government clients, with several contracts in South Africa through Transnet. Orsus was contracted by Transnet to connect three nerve centers in Johannesburg, Richard’s Bay and Cape Town. Their surveillance technology is an example of the type of high-tech ‘security systems’ that are regularly deployed against, and often tested on, Palestinians under occupation.
Harvard University Management Company also sold its shares in Israeli Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., valued at 3.6 million. Check Point’s software is reportedly developed on the basis of knowledge and experience directly acquired from military applications, the company “was founded by veterans of IDF communication, intelligence and computer units.”
Two other companies also lost Harvard’s endorsement: Cellcom Israel Ltd. and Partner Communications Ltd. Harvard University can no longer be accused of funding settlement activity through investments in Cellcom Israel Ltd. TIAA-CREF, the US pension fund giant, divested from Cellcom about one year ago, selling all of its shares for about $257,000. Harvard’s sale of Cellcom was valued at about $1,000,000, a significantly larger amount.
Partner Communications, whose motto is “I am free, I am orange,” took a blow for $1.8 million. Partner Communications claims it supports human rights through employing people from “all the nationalities and congregations of the Israeli society” in its mission statement. A complete neglect of the rights of Palestinian people, who are indigenous to the land, is poignantly obvious.
Is it possible that Harvard University has clauses that bind the university to standards of human rights, international law and democracy? Israel is in clear violation of these three conditions and global parties to investments, agreements and projects with Israel have to be challenged as their relations with Israel are clearly infringing upon their own rules and principles. Could Harvard University have, unofficially, just divested from Israel?
It should be impressed on the signatories of agreements (such as investing) with Israel that all those agreements inherently support the occupation, apartheid and human rights abuses in Palestine.

By: Michael Gillespie

United for Justice and Peace, the largest peace coalition in Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, met at the Friends Center in Cambridge on June 19 to explore responses to Israel’s continuing siege of Gaza in the aftermath of the massacre of peace activists taking part in a Free Gaza flotilla on May 31. About 50 activists attended.
The three-hour meeting featured a panel discussion with Ann Wright (Col. U.S. Army, Ret.), a distinguished U.S. foreign service officer who resigned in protest from the Department of State in March 2003, the day before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and Husam Zomlot, a Palestinian scholar and diplomat. Zomlot served as PLO Representative to the UK from 2003 to 2008 and is currently a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The discussion was moderated by Jeff Klein, a retired machinist, union leader, and activist with Dorchester People for Peace.
“The sequence of events has been quite remarkable in the last two years,” said Wright. “The international community is putting pressure on the Israelis and the Egyptians and the American government to end the siege of Gaza.”
“It’s taking the people of the world, it’s a citizens’ action that is forcing governments to listen to the people. We in the United States have had a particularly bad run of governments listening to us over the last 10 years. The Bush administration didn’t listen to us on anything, and, tragically, the Obama administration is not listening to us much either,” said Wright.
“I’ll tell you what: When the citizens of the world start getting together on these things, well, things happen. What happened with the Gaza Flotilla, where we had six ships that finally started sailing toward Gaza, was tragic. All were attacked in international waters 70 miles off the coast of Gaza in an act of piracy, an act of kidnapping, an act of murder, an act of theft, all crimes by anyone’s estimation.
“That’s what happened on six ships, three of which were passenger ships, two of which were cargo ships. Passengers numbered 600 on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ferry boat that was leased by a huge Turkish international NGO, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH). If you go on their web site, www.IHH.org.tr, you’ll see that in contrast to what the Israeli government talks about this IHH as being a terrorist organization that does nothing but support Hamas, you’ll see that that organization that brought over 400 people from Turkey and over 200 people from other countries in the region, it is an organization that has world-wide reach similar to CARE, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee, all of those organizations that work internationally, IHH is one of them,” the retired U.S. Army Colonel and foreign service officer told her audience.
“[IHH] does work in Gaza, and, like virtually every organization that works in Gaza, it has to have dealings with the government, and that’s [the basis of the false Israeli charge that] IHH is an international terrorist organization.
“Actually, the U.S. government calls other people terrorists. We have three Congressmen and women now who are calling people like me, who were on the flotilla, and like you, who have been to Gaza, people like you all who support the right of Palestinians to have a life, we are called terrorists by Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Brad Sherman (D-CA-27), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-14). Sherman demanded that we be arrested and that we be charged with crimes of terrorism for taking part in the Gaza flotilla, so, last Thursday we had a giant protest in his office, but they refused to arrest us!
“It was really good. We had media like you wouldn’t believe. They were there to see what was going to happen when a U.S. Congressman calls for the arrest of American citizens. So we said, ‘OK! Arrest us! Come on!’ We had a press conference in the hallway. The police [that] were there, said ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ and we said ‘We’re going in the Congressman’s office. He wants to arrest us. We’re presenting ourselves!’
“It all goes to show that now we’ve got people on the run. We’ve got an Israeli government that, after that attack—it was a criminal attack—it was an attack that did not have to happen. If the Israeli navy wanted to stop those ships, there were other ways. As a military officer, I know there are other ways to stop ships besides boarding them forcefully and using live ammunition and killing people—killing nine unarmed people!
“There were no weapons on any of those ships. If there had been, we would have seen them. The Israeli military would have been parading them. Instead the only photos are of kitchen knives that were on the ship because they part of kitchens to feed 600 people. There was one ax that was onboard, an ax that every boat is required to carry because in case lines get tangled you have to chop them,” explained Wright.
Wright said there was violence on the Mavi Marmara after fire from the Israeli helicopters killed and wounded unarmed activists on the ship. Three masked Israeli commandos who rappelled onto the upper decks were overpowered and beaten, but the Captain of the ship and the director of IHH put a stop to all physical resistance and ordered that the three Israelis be treated by doctors onboard and promptly returned to Israeli control, said Wright.
“The tragedy on the Mavi Marmara was that the Israeli commandos killed people, shot people. They could have stopped the boat in a variety of other ways but the Israeli government chose to have a major confrontation, a confrontation that has really backfired on them, a confrontation that has governments of the world, to include by some miracle the United States government, finally saying that the blockade, the siege of Gaza is ‘unsustainable’ and that the deaths were ‘regrettable.’
“That’s in contrast to what the White House has been saying about Helen Thomas’s comments that [have been described as] ‘reprehensible.’ You would think that perhaps murdering people would be called ‘reprehensible,’ but no, that’s not quite where the U.S. government has gotten yet,” said Wright in part.
Zomlot began by offering his heartfelt thanks for all the people who have given their lives for the sake of a resolution of the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, and condolences to their families.
“The attacks on the flotilla and what happened with Ann and her group have really broken through to the core of the issue of the blockade of Gaza. These heroic acts of universalism, people coming together as civilians to break the siege, one of the most draconian sieges of modern history, are already bearing fruit. The siege, as we speak, is crumbling,” said the Palestinian scholar and diplomat.
“The moment I heard of what happened on the high seas off of Gaza I knew that it was the end of one of the most illegal, inhumane blockades of modern history. Your message has been heard. While your goods, your humanitarian supplies, your gifts for the Palestinian babies of Gaza, your pencils and tablets for schools, your medicines did not arrive, your message has arrived.
“It is a very loud and clear message. The message is that the agony and the suffering of the Palestinians is not only Palestinian. It is universal,” said the Palestinian diplomat, who noted that he was born in Gaza and lived there for many years.
Zomlot offered a brief overview of Israeli policy in Gaza, which he noted had always had two elements. One has been the effort to stifle Palestine’s economy.
“The Israeli policy has always been to ensure that Palestinians, as a political society, would not have an economy they could rely on. From 1991 onward until today, there was a policy of closure, a policy of individual deprivation and collective deprivation. … All those who wish to leave or enter Gaza, all those who wish to import or export from Gaza, would have to obtain an Israeli permit. And believe you me, that was not easy to get. It was extremely difficult. The last three or four years has only witnessed a heightening of that system of closure,” said Zomlot.
“The second goal of Israeli policy is political and geographical fragmentation. This is a classic policy of divide and rule as we all know. This policy has been in place at least since the Oslo Accords. Unfortunately, with the help of some major international actors, it has borne fruits of Palestinian political and geographic divisions,” said Zomlot, who added that rather than speak about the morality or the legality of Israel’s policies, he would address instead the practicalities.
“What is it you seek by creating a poor, deprived, leaderless, divided neighbor? What is it? Is it really to soften their position to strike a deal with them? It doesn’t work. You can always defeat an army, but you can’t defeat a nation, a society of mothers and teachers and lawyers. And even if you want to soften their position and you want to crush their will and their determination, what is the alternative you are offering? What is it that Palestinians are asked to concede? More than they have done so several years ago, conceding 70 percent of their land? It is very impractical, because we are all witnessing the backlash!” said Zomlot.
The Israeli goal was to isolate Gaza from the West Bank and divide the Palestinian people, said the Palestinian diplomat. “That’s the main policy!”
“I believe that if Israel intends to liquidate the Palestinian polity, the Palestinian society, for the sake of finishing off the job they started in 1948, then [Israeli policy] makes sense, and what is happening now makes a lot of sense. But if Israel intends to really strike a deal with its neighbor and create the two-state solution that Israel has been talking about all these years, then what is happening does not make sense,” said Zomlot.
The Palestinian scholar and diplomat told his audience he fears that Israeli leaders have no intention of striking a deal with Palestinians on any terms, that they have no intention of allowing a viable, peaceful Palestinian state.
Zomlot identified four principles as a way forward. Palestinians, he said, are moving toward national unity. “Everybody realizes that fragmentation of our polity and out land is only playing into the hands of those who do not wish us well.”
As Palestinians move toward national unity, they are adopting a policy of non-violent popular resistance, said Zomlot. “It’s a universal Palestinian conclusion that non-violent resistance that is popular and peaceful—the best example is the flotilla and what happened—is the most effective way of confronting Israel.”
Third, said Zomlot, is national institution building. “The most important thing right now is to try and empower Palestinians to continue living on their land by creating institutions for health, education, etcetera that will enable Palestinians to survive, to be steadfast where they are.”
“And last, and most important in my opinion, is you,’ said Zomlot. “All of you. That is, the International Solidarity Movement, justice groups, peace groups. This new movement, that we see everywhere in Europe, in the U.S., in Australia, in Asia, and in Africa is forming and taking a very solid shape. Believe you me, the more assertive you are, the more vocal you are, the more strong you are, the more united you are, the more Palestinians are reaching into the non-violent side of the story. Because this alliance brings strength to face the violence that Palestinians are suffering,” said Zomlot.
“This movement is growing,” declared moderator Jeff Klein, “not as big and as fast as we would like, but nevertheless it is clear that this movement is growing.”
Klein reminded his audience that it wasn’t so long ago that many activists who recognized the importance of a just resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict were reluctant to speak out and engage on the issue in the larger peace movement and at the big antiwar rallies.
“I’m happy to say I think that’s largely over with. The Palestine issue has become one of the core issues of the activist community on the Left, and that’s a big step forward,” said Klein.
One result of the solidarity movement to break the siege of Gaza its unexpected and powerful effects in the Middle East, noted Klein.
Subsequent events underscore Klein’s remarks and those of Wright and Zomlot. As counterproductive wars and a failed U.S. foreign policy driven by a bloated defense industry and the malignant influence of Tel Aviv and its pro-Israel lobby play havoc with Washington’s legitimate interests in the Middle East, Ankara’s principled policies and diplomatic initiatives are finding favor as Turkey’s influence in the region and beyond increases.
On July 8, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said during a visit to London that Israel would have to lift its blockade and be “held accountable” for its attack on the aid ships of the Gaza flotilla or face gradual stages of disengagement if it did not respond to Turkey’s demands. Ankara has closed Turkish airspace to Israeli military aircraft, withdrawn its ambassador to Israel, and said the envoy will not return until Israel meets Turkish demands.
“Time is running out for a two-state solution. It is in Israel’s interest to make sure that it is still possible,” warned British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Hague described the blockade of Gaza as “unacceptable and unsustainable,” according a report in the Guardian (UK) by Ian Black, Middle East editor.
Wise diplomats and statesmen are now working for the welfare of all humanity, even as they strive to promote the interests of their own national and racial groups. They recognize that selfish political sagacity is ultimately suicidal, destructive of all those enduring qualities that insure planetary group survival.

By: Michael Gillespie

Anthony Manousos of Culver City, CA spoke to a small but keenly interested gathering of Iowa peace and social justice activists in the basement of the Des Moines Valley Friends Meetinghouse on June 28.
Manousos, a former English teacher and editor of Fellowship and Prayer, told his audience that has been interested in other religions for many years. That interest, said the California-based activists, moved him to live and study for nine months in a Zen Buddhist center and later to become involved in a variety of interfaith activities and organizations. He serves on the boards of the South Coast Interfaith Council and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace in the Los Angeles area and is vice-chair of the executive committee of the Southern California Committee for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. Manousos is also active in the Quaker Christian and Interfaith Relations Committee of the Friends General Conference, a national organization.
Manousos is currently touring the USA speaking about the growing interfaith movement and the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
“After 9/11, I felt led to fast during Ramadan,” said Manousos. “That was my entrée into the Muslim community. I told Muslims I was fasting and they were so excited. They invited me into their homes. I decided to continue fasting during Ramadan and have done so now for 10 years.”
“I study the Koran and I hang out with Muslims,” said Manousos with a smile that is infectious.
“When I heard about the Parliament, I knew I needed to go. The Parliament is kind of like the Olympics of interfaith. It’s held every five years and it attracts major religious leaders and spiritual leaders,” said Manousos.
Australia had not been high on his list of places he wanted to visit, said Manousos, but when he learned that the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions, the world’s largest interreligious gathering, would convene in Melbourne, he was intrigued.
“I e-mailed Quakers in Australia and got such a friendly response that I ended up staying for six weeks. I went not only to Melbourne but to Canberra, Sydney, and eventually to Adelaide where I spent a week at a national Quaker conference,” said Manousos.
Using an upside down map of the world as a visual aid, the Quaker peace activist pointed to Australia, featured at the top of the map, and noted that our world is upside down in more ways than one.
The Parliament was taking place in December and January, but that’s during the summer in Australia, said Manousos.
“Upside down meant something to me in a spiritual sense, too,” declared Manousos.
Donald Kraybill wrote a book titled The Upside Down Kingdom in which he argued that Jesus turned upside down all of the worldly values when he talked about the kingdom of Heaven. When he talked about the kingdom of Heaven, what he was talking about was a world where the meek, not the strong, were most important; where the poor, the disempowered, and the disenfranchised were important, not the powerful rich, said Manousos.
“It was turning upside down a whole set of assumptions that we live by in the world, about religion, we get the impression it’s all about sexual scandals, terrorism, suicide bombers, fanaticism. We don’t hear about the religious leaders who are trying to make the world a better place, who are working for peace and justice,” noted Manousos.
At that point, one of his listeners spoke up.
“We did hear about Martin Luther King when he was alive, of course, and Mother Theresa, but they were kind of the exceptions,” noted Sherry Hutchison, clerk of the Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee.
“That’s right,” said Manousos. “When I came back from the Parliament I asked people if they’d read about it on the front page of the New York Times. You know: ‘Six thousand religious leaders come together from all over the world to find ways to end poverty and war.’ No, it didn’t get into the New York Times.”
“You know the reason why! No one took a pot shot at the Dali Lama. A bomb did not go off at the convention center. So therefore there was nothing newsworthy that took place,” said Manousos.
“So the Dali Lama was there?” asked long-time Des Moines peace activist Charlie Day.
“Oh yeah,” replied Manousos.
“How many Americans were there?” asked Day.
“I don’t know, but a significant number,” said Manousos adding that he was the only official Quaker representative from the United States.
Manousos quoted the founder of the Quaker faith tradition, George Fox, and his close friend and fellow Quaker William Penn, with regard to the spirit of interfaith conversation and cooperation.
“Walk cheerfully over the earth answering to that of God in everyone.” – George Fox
“The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhere of one religion, and when death takes off the mask, they will know one another though the diverse liveries they wear here make them strangers.” – William Penn
“That’s pretty radical for the 17th century, when Christians not only weren’t talking to each other, they were killing each other. He was saying that Jews, Muslims, Christians, all of them, were of one religion, but they’d have to wait until they die [to understand that]. That’s where we’re more fortunate than William Penn–we don’t have to wait until we die. Thanks to the interfaith movement, we can see that truth right here in our own time,” said Manousos.
The Quaker peace activist treated his listeners to a brief overview of the history of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which first convened in Chicago in 1893, the largest of several congresses convened in conjunction with an early world’s fair, the World Columbian Exposition. The Parliament of the World’s Religions did not convene again for 100 years. In 1993, the Parliament met again in Chicago, where many religious and spiritual leaders among some 8,000 people who participated endorsed the principles set out in Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration, a paper drafted primarily by Swiss Catholic priest and theologian Hans Küng. The document was instrumental in setting the tone of the Parliament’s discussions.
“Hans Kung was at the 1993 Parliament. He is very committed to interfaith dialog. He came up with what is really, I think, the slogan of the interfaith movement. He said, ‘There can be no peace in the world without peace among the religions. There can be no peace among the religions without dialog, and there can be no dialog without a common ethic.’” said Manousos.
“So, what is a common ethic that all religions share? The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated,” said Manousos, referring to the ethic of reciprocity.
“We can construct a common ethic. We can’t construct a common theology. There are too many differences in doctrine. So, we try to find areas where we can agree. The goal of the Parliament is not unity of all religions but harmony. And, we can celebrate our differences and find areas of commonality where we can cooperate and work together,” said Manousos.
“The Parliament of 1993 was such a success that it was decided to hold it every five years in a major city. So it was held in Cape Town, South Africa and in Barcelona, Spain. Each time it drew between 7,000 and 9,000 people. Then it was held last December in Melbourne, where it drew about 6,000 people, which was very good given the [distant] location and the economy. A lot of conferences were cancelled, but this one went on because there was a lot of strong feeling, especially since 9/11, very strong feeling that this one needed to go on, a lot of passion,” said Manousos.
The theme of the Melbourne Parliament was “Helping each other, healing the earth,” said Manousos.
The Quaker peace activist, author of a pamphlet published by the Friends Bulletin and titled Islam from a Quaker Perspective and Friends and the Interfaith Movement (Updated 2008), told his Des Moines audience that he had spoken about the Israel/Palestine crisis and his experience in the Holy Land in the context of his presentation about the Listening Project at the 2009 Parliament.
The Parliament features hundreds of lectures, workshops, forums, and panel discussions by people from all the various religions. Manousos mentioned several religious leaders from the USA who attended the Parliament in Melbourne including Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun and internationally renowned author and lecturer on peace and justice, spirituality, and women’s issues, and Michael Lerner, a rabbi, political activist, and editor of Tikkun magazine, a progressive Jewish and interfaith journal.
And we now have a Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Council for the Parliament of the World’s Religions who is a Muslim, Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, said Manousos.
Manousos says he is encouraged that so many people from so many different faith traditions are interested in the rapidly expanding interfaith conversation.
“You can’t turn around the whole world overnight, but what we can do is be supportive when people are moving in the right direction,” said Manousos, paraphrasing a comment he had heard at an interfaith event.
Manousos blogs at http://LAQuaker.blogspot.com. He has published a report on his experiences at the Parliament in Melbourne in Universalist Friends, the Journal of the Quaker Universalist Fellowship, which is available on-line at http://www.universalistfriends.org/journals.html.

By: Gail Alfar

The fight against Arab discrimination just took a huge step backwards in May 2010 in Austin, Texas. Some of the new changes are designed to strategically target Texas public middle school and high school students with an anti-Arab and anti-Muslim agenda.
The strategy works in this insidious manner:
• The Texas State Board of Education has approved the following curriculum changes, which are not evidence-based:
113.42 section C 13 F – Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict.
113.42 section C 14 – The development of radical Islamic fundamentalism and the subsequent use of terrorism by some of its adherents, Palestinian terrorism, and the growth of al Qaeda.
• Textbook companies will make bids next year in a frantic effort to get school districts to “adopt” their history books. This means that if they can prove that their book “correlates” to all of the new standards, better than their competitor’s books do, then they stand to gain millions of dollars in profits.
• Other companies will need to find outlets for their books that “lost” the bid. Those books are likely to end up in classrooms, even if their states did not adopt the same standards.
• The books will eventually be sold, hence, the racist anti-Arab agenda could easily spread, especially in the southern states close to Texas such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Mr. Ibrahim Ashrawi, representing the Board of the Palestinian American Cultural Center of Houston, talked directly to the Texas State Board of Education Committee at the Full Board Meeting on May 19, 2010:
“Throughout the standards, the only religion linked to ‘terrorism’ and ‘fundamentalism’ is Islam. Any religious group could have members or subgroups that commit terrorist acts. Many religious groups have factions that present a danger to democracy. To name only this religion is contradictory to free thought, good community relations, and economic development.
People live in Palestine, but people join al Qaeda. Throughout the entire proposed standards, the only nationality linked with ‘terrorism’ is Palestinian.
This group should not be singled out for criticism. And the study of this nationality should not be boiled down to ’terrorists.’
Palestine has a rich and beautiful heritage on every level, and deserves deep study. Linking Palestine with al Qaeda is like linking the U.S. with the Ku Klux Klan. The standards imply that all Palestinians are Muslim, furthering the inaccurate notion that the entire reason for an Israeli-Palestinian conflict is religious, which is not the case,” states Mr. Ashrawi. He continues, “We also object to this wording: ‘explain how Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict.’
To boil down the ‘ongoing conflict’ to ‘Arab rejection of the State of Israel’ ignores the complexity of the situation. Thousands of people have lost their lives, their land, and their livelihood due to the undemocratic occupation of Palestinian lands. Several United Nations resolutions talk about the illegal nature of many Israeli acts.
The standards do not promote discussion of European expansionism and imperialism after 1914. To understand conflicts in the Middle East, discussion of 20th and 21st century colonialism, including the occupation of Palestinian territories, is a must.
This does not have to be an ‘either-or’ situation. We should teach our children both sides of every issue and let them decide for themselves. That kind of discussion is what education is all about.
Please remove Don McLeroy’s amendments, or delay the vote until such time as impartial specialists may present a more accurate description of the historical events of Islam and events that took place in historical Palestine. Thank you.” (As a member of the State Board of Education, McLeroy, a Republican, formerly represented District 9 in Anderson, Brazos, Camp, Cherokee, Delta, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grimes, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Kaufman, Lamar, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Navarro, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker, and Wood counties, as well as parts of Collin County.)
Dana Fisher Ashrawi’s comments to the board are summarized:
The Arab-American groups such as Palestinian American Cultural Center, the Arab American Educational Foundation, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Friends of The Way (Sabeel) are concerned that some of the revisions to the standards will reinforce existing stereotypes and hostilities that foster expressions of bigotry, acts of discrimination, and hate crimes against students of Arab and Muslim heritage in our schools.
Students need not have their heritage so exclusively associated with fundamentalism and terrorism. They need to feel that the curriculum is relevant through its inherent respect of all cultures and faiths in all standards, more in line with standards about the positive influence of Islam on world culture.
A relevant education for a celebrated diverse population creates motivation to learn, leads to success, encourages business investment, and adds up to good economics. If this type of goal is the focus of all the standards, we will build the best possible future for all Texans, honoring life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Dana has extensive experience in public school education, a master’s degree in curriculum with 15 years of public school teaching experience and a genetic predisposition to be passionate about democracy and freedom. She is the child of a first generation Polish-American who taught her never to tell ethnic jokes of any kind and an American whose ancestors came to Massachusetts in 1635. She is related to Captain Parker of the Lexington Minute Men, Reverend Theodore Parker, the 19th century anti-slavery minister, and a suffragette. She is the mother of three children.
What can concerned parents do?
Any parent of any background who is concerned about this issue can follow these recommendations:
Be sure to vote, when school board elections come up. Make it a priority; be on email notification lists because typically, only 5% of Texas’ registered voters cast a ballot in school board elections. Read your kids’ history textbooks; be aware of what they are being taught.
Volunteer to be a guest speaker at your local middle/high school. Most teachers welcome the break. You can visit http://sites.google.com/site/lessonplanpalestine/ for ready-made guest speaker lesson plans, select elementary, middle or high school printable lesson plans. It usually only takes 30 minutes but can make a huge difference.
Palestinian people have culture, history and roots in the land Israel forcibly occupies… this is not going to be erased by the Texas State Board of Education.

By: Frank Scott

Our heads are filled with stories about the danger of trillions of dollars in debt and deficits with little if any mention of the real problem they represent. It is not the debt but what we are indebted for that threatens the future of our nation. If we owed hundreds of trillions of dollars – which may soon be the case – and every American was employed, housed, educated, cared for without question in time of ill health or economic need and safe from warfare and violence from inside the nation or out, such debt would not be any problem at all.
Borrowing today and paying back tomorrow shouldn’t mean we lavishly spend most of the borrowed money on weapons, waste, cosmetics and pets, causing us to scrimp on health, education and social life while complaining that we have too much debt. We have to control our spending on things only a minority of us actually want or really need, and begin changing priorities to satisfy the shared needs and wants of the great majority. This can’t happen under the domain of forces that mislead us into social divisions that exaggerate differences and minimize similarities to protect a perverse commodity culture and a degenerate political order that defines minority rule as democracy.
The present renewal of the drive to dismantle Social Security and turn it over to private profiteers is one among many of the lies and distortions offered as solutions for our problems which will only make them much worse. Increasing budgets for inhuman war and decreasing budgets for human service only make sense to anti-social forces which profit from divide and conquer policies. These reduce Americans, especially the working majority, to special interest and identity groups whose common cause is sacrificed to private competition while ruling minorities practice a lucrative socialism at their expense.
Our imposed common condition of privately shaped ignorance needs to become a liberated common cause of social democracy in order to transform our economy before it transforms us into a totally failed society.
All people need housing, safe communities, health care, education, transportation and the free time necessary to pursue interests other than simply working to maintain those needs. But we are socialized to accept a lack of any and all of those things for far too many of our number, believing that those who don’t have them are simply undeserving. This divisive condition is part of the political economy that replaces citizenship with consumerism and substitutes anti-social competition for social cooperation.
When people seek community in religious gatherings where they worship deities that call for solidarity and love among humanity, and leave those places to practice competitive individualism and economic warfare amongst themselves, the society in which they practice this split personality is suffering more than a collective mental disorder. That disorder is part of the economic foundation that is taught to us as a natural order of what is called god’s universe, except when god is being communed with at church, ashram, temple or other place of worship of the beautiful immaterial ideal in order to escape the ugly material reality. This fractured dualism makes it possible for a society to be in great debt in order to make war, create poverty and destroy the natural environment, while lacking the material and spiritual sustenance of life for a majority of the human community.
If we are all god’s children, as many believe, we need to stop treating some of our kin folk like excrement. The human family is dysfunctional under profit and loss rules in which values that sound good in words about love, compassion and brotherhood turn out to be deeds of hate, waste and mass murder. We cannot be ethical people practicing high minded morals in the midst of a collectively immoral economy that trashes ethical behavior with murderous attack on humans and all other parts of the natural environment.
The earth is treated as a profit making commodity and we see it erupting in gushers of oil that threaten far more than the profit margin of one petroleum company. Humans are treated as nothing more than commodities by the same system, and it cannot and should not be blamed on individual corporate CEOs or political and media gas bags who simply follow the systemic dictates of creating profit for some at the expense of all. That is the religion of the market under private control, creating benefit for a minority at enormous cost for the great majority. That cost is being reflected in greater numbers of personal lives as this economy suffers what is called a recession, but even more telling signs are revealed in the rapid breakdowns in life support systems that can no longer withstand the ravages of being treated like marketable commodities rather than what they are; the substance of our lives.
Nature is our nature and not some product which we can simply market and sell for profit at the mall. When we incur colossal debts in order to create massive destruction of nature, we are destroying the very substance of ourselves. That cannot go on and will only be changed by a motivated and informed public that demands service to humanity – itself – before service to a private commodity market. The growing numbers who profess that another world is possible are voicing the necessity, not just the possibility. We will have that other world or we will not have any world at all. And creating that future organism is worth going into far more debt than any we have incurred for generating this present grotesque antihuman and rapidly failing mechanism.

BY Rashad Al-Dabbagh
“What do Costa Migra Mayor Allan Mansoor and the city of Anaheim have in common? They both do a poor job of recognizing their Arabic heritage!” wrote Gabriel San Roman on the popular Orange Juice blog.

        Mansoor, who is currently running for California State Assembly’s 68^th district, is known for his tough anti-immigration stance as Costa Mesa Mayor.  He also tends to hide his Egyptian heritage. 

        The district – which includes all or parts of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, Stanton, Anaheim and Newport Beach – is home to a large Arab American community, interesting given that Mansoor tends to hide his Egyptian heritage. Though they are not known to be vocal, Arab Americans continue to grow rapidly in the cities that make up the district. Mansoor cannot afford to continue to ignore Arab Americans, let alone be ashamed of his Egyptian heritage as he tries to emphasize his Swedish half.

        So will Arab Americans stand aside or will they take action during November’s elections?

        Many view political newcomer Phu Nguyen, a Little Saigon businessman, as the right candidate to support. “Phu cares about us,” says Fountain Valley resident Alan Abdo. “Not too many candidates pay attention to the needs of the Arab American community, and Phu is one of few who are reaching out to us.”

        During the 2009 “Meet the Professionals” dinner held by the Network of Arab American Professionals of Orange County (NAAP-OC), keynote speaker Gustavo Arellano, known for his witty “Ask a Mexican!” column, expressed his disappointment the lack of Arab American involvement in Orange County politics.  During the 2008 elections, the only Arab American running for political office in Orange County was, sadly, Allan Mansoor, Arellano pointed out.

        The lack of Arab American participation in the Orange County political process will only further alienate the community. “There are perceived misunderstandings of the Arab American community that, in certain times, might lead to intolerance and prejudices,” Nguyen said in an interview with The Independent Monitor.  “The way to overcome these misunderstandings is to participate in politics so that you can have the voice and leverage to better educate people about Arab American issues.”

        It appears that this year, Arab Americans are more enthusiastic about the election, especially in Anaheim, where candidate Bill Dalati, an Arab American, is running for city council with high chances of winning.

        While Mansoor publicly refused to be called an “Egyptian American” on his own blog, Nguyen recognizes the value of cultural diversity. “We have a very diverse district … my opponent has chosen to take extremely anti-immigrant positions,” he said. In July 2005, Mansoor disbanded the 18-year old Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee, a group of volunteers who sought to promote peace and tolerance amongst communities and addresses acts of discrimination.

        Nguyen wants to bring communities together and is in touch with the diverse cultures in the district. He runs a family-owned money transfer business servicing the Vietnamese community in Little Saigon, and he supports NAAP-OC’s initiative to designate Anaheim’s Brookhurst corridor as “Little Arabia.”

        Phu is the breath of fresh air this district needs. If you live in the district, vote for him. If not, donate to his campaign or volunteer. I’m doing both. 

        To donate or volunteer, visit http://www.votephu.com.

BY SAMI BISHARA MASHNEY
Editor-in-Chief, Anaheim, CA
 
  When I immigrated to the United States at age 23, I arrived in Jacksonville, Florida, in the height of the Iranian hostage crises when Americans were being held in Tehran in the aftermath of the Iranian overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
 I have to admit that I was quickly unnerved by the anti-Iranian-and-Muslim frenzy, maliciously whipped by the so-called “mainstream” media whose one of its major objectives is to create animosity and hostility between the American People, and the various peoples of the Middle East—Israel, of course, the “Chosen” State, is exempted as usual.
 Although I’m neither Iranian nor Muslim, as a Palestinian Arab recent immigrant, I looked Middle Eastern enough to be concerned with the high-pitched xenophobia, whose flames were fanned every 15 minutes with an unstoppable barrage of more and more “Breaking News,” etc.
 Being naive and fresh of the boat, I thought then that if I pretended to be Greek, I would face less hostility from an average uninformed Jacksonville redneck, who, after consuming several Budweisers, engages me in an unsolicited and heated political debate at the local discotheque.
 So my name became Sam Mashnikopolous who just emigrated from Greece. Of course, I was secretly loathing the likelihood that some random Greekophile would checkmate me by engaging me in a spontaneous Greek conversation, because, Greek, for lack of a better term, was still Greek to me.
 A few months went by and I regained my self-assurance, dropped the Greek act, and started and continue to audaciously refer to myself as an Arab American.
 To me, being an Arab is congruous with being an American. Both characteristics are compatible without any contradiction or dual loyalty problems, in the same manner as being Italian, Irish, Russian, are compatible with also being an American. As a matter of fact, our law allows naturalized Americans to have dual nationality.
Throughout my life in the USA, I infrequently encountered fellow Arab Americans who vehemently deny their Arab heritage. Some do so on myopic religious grounds, some on mindless regional ones, and some out of shear and unadulterated misguidance.
 When I founded the Network of Arab American Professionals of Orange County (NAAP-OC), I had to do a lot of convincing to persuade a fellow Arab American professional of Arabic Christian extraction that he can be a Christian, an Egyptian, a Lebanese, an Iraqi, an Arab, and an American, all at the same time since none of these designations are mutually exclusive to each other.
 I always use myself as a textbook example of someone who is a Palestinian, an Arab, a lapsed Catholic Christian, an American, and a human citizen of Earth.
While I’m very proud of choosing to be an American,   I am also equally proud of being Palestinian and Arab. When I look around me and see successful immigrant Americans, I can’t help but notice that no community reached its maximum potential by denying its very own existence!
 I once dealt with a government agent investigating my Lebanese Christian client for alleged membership of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Muslim Party of God. When I attempted to explain to the agent that my Christian client cannot be a member of an Islamic party, he laughed at me and said, “Christian, Muslim, Shiite, Sunni, all Arabs are the same!” The funny thing is that my client had no affiliation or affinity whatsoever to Hezbollah and was someone who would have considered Hezbollah a rival!
 So, irrespective of how we feel about our religious and regional differences, when we live in America, we are all perceived as “Arabs,” whether we like or not. So, we might as well positively assert our Arabness as a rallying point instead of apologizing for it and hiding it in the dark ethnic closet.
 This brings me to Allan Mansoor, Mayor of Costa Mesa, CA and candidate for the 68th Assembly District of California. Mansoor descends from an Arab father and a Swedish mother.
Mansoor wrote on his blog: “My father, though born in Egypt and with an Arabic name, was greatly influenced by European culture.” “I am taking exception to being classified as ‘one of three Arab-American candidates in city elections.’”
 I lived in Egypt five years when I went to Pharmacy School at Cairo University. There, I met all sorts of Egyptian People whom I liked and quickly became accustomed to. As an inexperienced 16 year old coming from sleepy Ramallah, I was quickly befriended by many Egyptian friends who quickly made it clear to me that they are Coptic Christians. I later learned that my Christian middle (father’s) name “Bishara” announced my Christianity to them and that’s why they befriended me!
 I got to know these friends very well and they were all proud to be Egyptians, Arabs and Coptic Christians. They did not consider being Christian inimical to being an Arab.
Well, Allan Mansoor, excuse me but I too take exception to your taking a weenie exception to being called an ‘Arab’ American. I am giving my vote to Phu Nguyen, a candidate who is not afraid to refer to himself as a “Vietnamese” American.
 As we say in Arabic, he who forgets his origin has no origin. That is the case of Allan Mansoor, who, in pursuit of success and influence, made the conscious decision to deny his origin, just like Peter and Judas denied Christ. Peter repented and went to heaven. Will Mansoor repent and stop denying his Arabic heritage?!

BY Mike Nally

The Miss Asia USA Fashion Extravaganza held July 18 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel had a decidedly Middle Eastern flavor to it. The fun, energetic, and exciting runway show featured the traditional, lavish parade of national costumes. The spectacular outfits and dress were worn by young women representing such countries as Lebanon (Natalia DiNatale, 19), Armenia (Trayfena Zambre, 16), Iran (Jasmine Naziri, 19 as well as Saghar Sadri, 24), and Kyrgyzstan (Elvira Osmonova, 26). Other traditional Asian countries with contestants or delegates included the Philippines, Cambodia, Japan, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, and even a couple of young women representing Mongolia. The runway show also featured sassy collections from SCALA, InVein Clothing designer line, and BG Haute. And for the always sensational swimsuit competition, the young ladies wore Malibu Dream Girl. The entertainment between change of wardrobe included young singers, a 13 year old Mongolian body contortionist, and a belly dancer called Flower from Glendale. Flower was dressed in what I would call an Oakland Raiders (black & silver beaded) harem outfit, and when she shook those curvy hips of hers in rapid succession, you felt the motion! Cal Tech reported small tremors in the Burbank/Pasadena area. The Fashion show held at the Sheraton is a prelude to the Miss Asia USA 2010 pageant which will be held on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at the La Mirada Performing Arts Theater. Miss Asia USA is the premiere cultural pageant for Asian women (at least 25% Asian ancestry, naturally born female 16 years old and up, never married or had any children) who can trace their ancestry to the 58 countries considered part of the Asian continent. According to pageant promoter, Virgelia Villegas, one of the goals is “to unite the 58 countries and regions of the Asian continent in a friendly competition which promotes leadership, personal growth, camaraderie, and strengthens cultural values.” The 30 some delegates in this year’s pageant go through rigorous rehearsals, training workshops in poise, walking, modeling, public speaking, fashion and wardrobe coordination, goal setting, and interview skills. The contestants also listen to motivational speakers to inspire self-confidence, and help the young women to be the epitome of beauty, elegance, intelligence, class, and grace. For competing, the contestants get to keep three sets of swimwear, a beautiful cocktail dress, rhinestone shoes, embroidered sash, beauty and hair products from James Albert Beauty Salon as well as a $9,500 scholarship from Albert. Back in 2007, Hanin Hawatneh (18 years old, 5′7) was one of the first young women to represent Jordan, and was sponsored by. Dr. Grewal of Valenica and Amani Carpets of W. Hollywood. Remarked Hawatneh at that pageant: “The experience of representing my country, Jordan, with pride and honor was beyond amazing!” Another contestant, boistered by the esteem of participating in the Miss Asia USA pageant, reiterated a famous quote: “Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.

” For show ticket information you can call 818-891-5556 or e-mail: info@MissAsiaUSA.org.

By Yossi Melman,

Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and The Associated Press

A former NASA scientist was arrested on Monday for offering to pass along classified information to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer. Read the full story

By Michael Gillespie,

Contributing Editor

 Zoya, a 28-year-old member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), travels the world to speak out against the Northern Alliance, the Taliban and the U.S./NATO occupation of her country.  Representing RAWA’s Foreign Committee, Zoya spoke at the Des Moines Public Library on Oct. 6. Read the full story