community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Arab American Leadership Conference a Huge Success
by Richard Coduri
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 at 11:44 AM
aaialert@aaiusa.org Arab American Institute, 1600 K Street, NW Suite 601, Washington, DC 20006
Some media outlets decided to focus on the unfortunate outburst of a few, many of whom were not Arab American, instead of focusing on the rest of the conference which was a very positive experience.
October 21, 2003
Arab American Institute's National Leadership Conference
Richard Coduri, Political Analyst and Researcher
This past weekend, the eyes of the nation were focused on Dearborn, Michigan and the Arab American Institute's National Leadership Conference (NLC). The event was a huge success, and marked a significant milestone in the growth of Arab American political empowerment. The turnout of community leaders from across the country and the incredible response from both national political parties demonstrated the recognition of the community. Less than twenty years ago, candidates for president were rejecting the endorsements and contributions of Arab American groups. We've come a long way.
Seven of nine Democratic candidates for president, as well as Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Governor Marc Racicot, chairman of President Bush's reelection campaign, addressed the conference. An eighth candidate, retired General Wesley Clark, canceled his appearance at the last minute due to illness. The candidates and Governor Racicot were generally well received by the attendees of the NLC, despite the fact that they did not always take positions the audience wanted to hear. Senator Joseph Lieberman received some adverse reaction from the crowd over some of his comments about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. As was to be expected, some media outlets decided to focus on the unfortunate outburst of a few, many of whom were not Arab American, instead of focusing on the rest of the conference, which was a very positive experience.
Here are some links to important articles regarding the NLC:
- New York Times, "Arab-Americans Gain a Higher Political Profile," by Lynette Clemetson:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/19/politics/campaigns/19ARAB.html?ex=1067140800&en=fae179bc2cfa53a7&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
- Washington Post, "Dean Greeted Warmly by Arab Americans," by David S. Broder:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46756-2003Oct18.html
- Boston Globe, "Dean sees Clinton as Mideast Envoy," by Raha Mishra:
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/dean/articles/2003/10/19/dean_sees_clinton_as_mideast_envoy/
- Detroit News, "Presidential Candidates Court Arab-Americans," by Mike Martindale:
http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0310/19/b01-301431.htm
Among the highlights of the NLC were its plenary sessions, which concentrated on the most important issues to Arab Americans and featured some of the most knowledgeable experts from across the nation and the political spectrum. The opening session featured James Zogby and ADC President Mary Rose Oakar, displaying a common commitment to mobilizing the Arab American community.
Friday's lunch forum on the ethnic agenda in the 2004 elections included Cecilia Munoz of the National Council of La Raza, Amber Khan of South Asian-American Leaders of Tomorrow, and Aram Hamparian of the Armenian National Congress.
Saturday's civil liberties plenary featured constitutional scholar and Georgetown professor David Cole, Kary Moss of the Michigan ACLU, Joseph Zogby of the Senate Judiciary committee, and Rev. Wendell Anthony of the NAACP. Also on Saturday, the media and message plenary featured pollster John Zogby, political strategist Rick Davis, and Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist. This diverse group of scholars, activists, and strategists set the stage for what was a series of important and educational discussions focused on empowering Arab Americans in the upcoming elections.
The NLC also featured a variety of meetings designed to train Arab Americans in how best to increase the political participation of their communities to help achieve full recognition as an ethnic constituency. The NLC was an important step in meeting that goal.
Of Note...
Please tune in and check out "Inside Mecca," which premieres on October 22 on PBS nationwide (check local listings).
Sure, if you consider an anti-Jew hate rally a "success"
by Yassar Datsmibebe
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 at 1:09 PM
So do you really believe that the anti-Jew/anti-semitic racism espoused at the conference in Detroit qualifies it as a �success.� Maybe you call it a success, but for those terrible biased misrepresentations of the conference by the �Jew Controlled Media.� Sen. Joseph Lieberman (just in case you missed it, he�s the Jewish Presidential candidate) put in a campaign appearance in at the Arab American Institute conference. It was, to say the least, a hostile crowd, as the Los Angeles Times reported:
"Go home to Tel Aviv," one woman called in disgust as Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, cast Israelis as victims of Palestinian terrorism. . . .
"He makes me so mad," said Hanan Rasheed, a Palestinian activist from Danville, Calif. During Lieberman's speech, she derided him under her breath, at one point muttering: "He is such a Jew." Later, she said: "He's running for the wrong office. He should be running for the prime minister of Israel." . . .
"Lieberman? I hated him," said Tawfiq Barqawi, president of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Greater Philadelphia.
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-forum18oct18,1,3792537.story
The New York Sun offers more insight of your �success�:
�[The conference] saw a former Jesse Jackson aide, Robert Borosage, appear on a panel and say, "one of the reasons that we have been unable to talk sense about the Middle East is that we had a very organized Jewish community that made it known to legislators that if you stray, we are going to punish you." . . .
"When Joe Lieberman got up, my blood was boiling," said a Republican from California, Michael Farah, who is chairman of the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce of North America. "The Israelis, if they want to build a wall, let them build it on their own damn land."
Mr. Farah referred to "the Israeli PAC, which is extremely powerful."
He wasn't the only one in attendance who seemed to have trouble differentiating between American Jews and Israelis. Samear Zaitoon of Baton Rouge, La., a civilian translator of Arabic for the Department of Defense who just returned from six months of service in the Middle East, sat next to this reporter Friday night at a dinner addressed by [Dick] Gephardt and by the chairman of the Democratic National Committee,Terry McAuliffe.
"You don't know about Americans of the Jewish faith having two passports?" Mr. Zaitoon asked. By way of explaining the Israeli-Arab conflict, he said, "Our problem is a civil war inside Judaism between Orthodox and Reform, and it's spilling over." A quick check of the Internet turns up a letter to the editor from a Samear Zaitoon of Baton Rouge, La., asserting that "the Zionists--Jewish and their misguided so-called 'Protestant Christian' supporters (who are really Jews in church pews)--have succeeded in hijacking not only Palestine but also America. . . . Jewish Zionist terrorists have hijacked two whole countries!"
http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMail&Type=text/html&Path=NYS/2003/10/20&ID=Ar00100
To be fair, the Times does quotes some conference-goers who had positive things to say about Lieberman. But it also seems fair to observe that the Democratic presidential candidates (John Kerry and Howard Dean also addressed the group) are trying to appeal to a constituency within which there is a strong and troubling current of anti-Semitism.
Bush in a yamulke
by Yassar
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 at 1:18 PM
Lieberman is just a Hebrew version of Bush, although unlike the current occupant of the White House, he can speak English.
Just more evidence that the two parties are one in the same.
I hate Lieberman too...
by yakov chodosh
Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 at 7:11 AM
pghyakov@yoohoo.com Sq Hill
I'm a very active Jew, and in general an Israel-supporter, and unfortunately I hate Lieberman too.
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