Arab Americans ‘need to do more to balance relationship’ with African Americans 

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Updated 03 August 2023
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Arab Americans ‘need to do more to balance relationship’ with African Americans 

Arab Americans ‘need to do more to balance relationship’ with African Americans 
  • Equitable ties needed in Illinois, a leading Black legislator said on The Ray Hanania Radio Show sponsored by Arab News 
  • Illinois’ only two Muslim legislators, one who is Arab, should join the Black Caucus, said State Rep. Cyril Nichols 

CHICAGO: African Americans are perplexed that Arab Americans want to be identified as being “Middle East and North African” on the US Census yet fail to balance the support Blacks have given to the Arab community in the country, a leading Black legislator in Illinois said Wednesday. 

Illinois State Rep. Cyril Nichols — a member of the state’s large African-American legislative caucus of 21 members, which represents nearly one-third of the Democratic Party’s contingent — said African Americans support their counterparts twice as much in comparison to what they receive in return. 

During an interview on The Ray Hanania Radio Show, broadcast on the US Arab Radio Network in Detroit and Washington D.C. and sponsored by Arab News, Nichols said “an imbalance exists” and it “needs to change.”  

 

“When we work together, we can accomplish so much in a short amount of time. As you may know, about 70 percent of the gas stations in my district are owned by Arab Americans. We are not reinvested,” Nichols said.

“But the African-American community is reinvesting by doing business (with Arab businesses) in those areas where these gas stations (are located) and any other businesses for that matter. We in the African-American community are inclusive. We allow anyone to open up, be it Chinese food restaurants — it could be the gas stations, it could be cleaners. Oftentimes it is not African Americans that own these businesses. We just have to have a real conversation.” 

Asked to define the imbalance, Nichols said that on a scale of one to 10, African-American support of Arab Americans is at 10, while in return it is “an even five.” 

To achieve some “balance,” Nichols told Arab News he would convene a Town Hall-type meeting in October to bring the two communities together in Illinois. He said it should also be done in other areas with similar demographics. 

 

“When we are in our communities, because we don’t talk about it enough, because we want to bring in cultural identifiers that are not our culture, there are certain people who don’t want us to work together,” Nichols said, and expressed hope that Arab Americans and Muslims would attend. 

“When we work together, there is nothing we can’t do. There is literally nothing we can’t do. That is the way a community prospers, when people work together. Yes, there is not enough conversations. We should be meeting and convening weekly.” 

Nichols added: “We really need to bring people of leadership together, be it principals, be it business owners, be it clergy. We really need to come together, not to have a gripe session, but to have a real honest discussion with a solution. So, I don’t just want to come in and talk about nothing. I want to come in with a solution and develop legislation to support the solutions that we come up with. That’s the difference.” 

He said there was a long history of relations between Arab Americans and African Americans, citing several key milestones in this regard. 

In 1983, Chicago’s first Black mayor, Harold Washington, created the Advisory Commission on Arab Affairs, and placed several Arab Americans in key city positions, Nichols said. The commission was dismantled by former Jewish-American mayor, Rahm Emanuel, immediately after his election in 2011. 

Emanuel’s successors, former mayor Lori Lightfoot and incumbent Brandon Johnson, said they would reinstate the Arab Advisory Commission but this has not happened. 

In 1984 and 1988, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson gave Arab Americans roles in his attempts to become the Democratic Party candidate for president. Although Jackson did not win the party’s nomination on both occasions, Arab Americans won seats as convention delegates and had roles in defining the party’s national-issues plank. 

In 2022, Nichols introduced draft legislation seeking to recognize Arab Americans as a “minority group,” to qualify them for the Illinois Minority Business Enterprise system — that gives MBE members a first shot at up to 30 percent of the state’s annual contracts worth billions. This status has strengthened the businesses owned by Blacks, Hispanics, women and Asians, but Arab businesses have been left out. 

Nichols noted that instead of supporting the bill, which has not been signed into law yet, many Arab Americans were apathetic. 

“Both communities should be getting a lot more. If we work together we will, we will get a lot more. We have to work together. We have to stop some of these petty (people),” Nichols said, referring to individuals and groups that reject an inclusive approach. 

The 32nd District that Nichols represents has more than 120,000 residents, with a large Arab-American population on Chicago’s southwest side and various suburbs, including in Bridgeview where Arab immigrants built the state’s first prayer hall, the Mosque Foundation, in 1981. 

Last year, Nichols secured a state grant of $120,000 to support the Mosque Foundation’s Food Pantry which helps all needy families. 

Nichols said that nearly one-third of the state’s 78 Democrats in the 118-member Illinois General Assembly are African American and that only two members are Muslim — Nabeela Syed and Abdelnasser Rashid. 

Nichols said Rashid, who has Palestinian roots, and Syed, with Indian ancestry, should “absolutely” join the Black Caucus to address issues facing all the minority communities. 

 

“This is a very serious and real topic,” Nichols said. “When I look back and I think of this country, Black folk built this country. To think that our communities don’t work together more, then you are dealing with the idea of systemic racism, thinking that somehow your community is going to jump the Black community.  

“Our community has never thought of ourselves being first, second or third. We are just inclusive. And it is proven. We’re not making this up. It is proven. If we would just learn to work together and believe in what we worship, which is God, a lot of this stuff would not be issues. These issues we deal with are all man-made. These are not God-made issues. These are man-made issues,” Nichols said, adding that Blacks and Arabs can find common ground in terms of their religious beliefs and the struggle against racism. 

Nichols’ comments were made during an appearance on The Ray Hanania Radio Show broadcast Wednesday Aug. 2, 2023, in Detroit and Washington D.C. on the US Arab Radio Network and sponsored by Arab News. 

You can listen to the radio show’s podcast by visiting ArabNews.com/rayradioshow.


Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh ebbs as Azerbaijan moves to reaffirm control

Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh ebbs as Azerbaijan moves to reaffirm control
Updated 02 October 2023
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Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh ebbs as Azerbaijan moves to reaffirm control

Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh ebbs as Azerbaijan moves to reaffirm control
  • The Armenian government said Monday that 100,514 of the region’s estimated 120,000 residents have crossed into Armenia

The last bus carrying ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh left the region Monday, completing a grueling weeklong exodus of over 100,000 people – more than 80 percent of its residents – after Azerbaijan reclaimed the area in a lightning military operation.
The bus that entered Armenia carried 15 passengers with serious illnesses and mobility problems, said Gegham Stepanyan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman. He called for information about any other residents who want to leave but have had trouble doing so.
In a 24-hour military campaign that began on Sept. 19, the Azerbaijani army routed the region’s undermanned and outgunned Armenian forces, forcing them to capitulate. Separatist authorities then agreed to dissolve their government by the end of this year.
While Baku has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, most of them hastily fled the region, fearing reprisals or losing the freedom to use their language and practice their religion and customs.
The Armenian government said Monday that 100,514 of the region’s estimated 120,000 residents have crossed into Armenia.
Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said some people had died during the exhausting and slow journey over the single mountain road into Armenia that took as long as 40 hours. The exodus followed a nine-month Azerbaijani blockade of the region that left many suffering from malnutrition and lack of medicines.
Sergey Astsetryan, 40, one of the last Nagorno-Karabakh residents to leave the region in his own vehicle Sunday, said some elderly people have decided to stay, adding that others might return if they see it’s safe for ethnic Armenians to live under Azerbaijani rule.
“My father told me that he will return when he has the opportunity,” Astsetryan told reporters at a checkpoint on the Armenian border.
Azerbaijani authorities moved quickly to reaffirm control of the region, arresting several former members of its separatist government and encouraging ethnic Azerbaijani residents who fled the area amid a separatist war three decades ago to start moving back.
On Sunday, Azerbaijan prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan, who led the region before stepping down at the beginning of September. Azerbaijani police arrested one of Harutyunyan’s former prime ministers, Ruben Vardanyan, on Wednesday as he tried to cross into Armenia.
“We put an end to the conflict,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a speech Monday. “We protected our dignity, we restored justice and international law.”
He added that “our agenda is peace in the Caucasus, peace in the region, cooperation, shared benefits, and today, we demonstrate that.”
After six years of separatist fighting ended in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia. After a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back back parts of the region in the south Caucasus Mountains along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had captured earlier.
Armenian authorities have accused Russian peacekeepers, who were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh after the 2020 war, of standing idle and failing to stop the Azerbaijani onslaught. The accusations were rejected by Moscow, which argued that its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene.
The mutual accusations have further strained the relations between Armenia and its longtime ally Russia, which has accused the Armenian government of a pro-Western tilt.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan alleged Thursday that the exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh amounted to “a direct act of ethnic cleansing and depriving people of their motherland.”
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry strongly rejected Pashinyan’s accusations, arguing their departure was “their personal and individual decision and has nothing to do with forced relocation.”
A United Nations delegation arrived Sunday in Nagorno-Karabakh to monitor the situation. The mission is the organization’s first to the region for three decades, due to the “very complicated and delicate geopolitical situation” there, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Friday.
Local officials dismissed the visit as a formality. Hunan Tadevosyan, spokesperson for Nagorno-Karabakh’s emergency services, said the UN representatives had come too late and the number of civilians left in the regional capital of Stepanakert could be “counted on one hand.”
“We walked around the whole city but found no one. There is no general population left,” he said.


Philippines, US hold joint naval exercise as Manila seeks to boost territorial defense

Philippines, US hold joint naval exercise as Manila seeks to boost territorial defense
Updated 53 min 18 sec ago
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Philippines, US hold joint naval exercise as Manila seeks to boost territorial defense

Philippines, US hold joint naval exercise as Manila seeks to boost territorial defense
  • Drills take place as tensions rise between Manila, Beijing over dispute in South China Sea
  • Japan, Canada, UK, Australia, France also sending navy personnel to take part this year

MANILA: Philippine and US navies on Wednesday launched their joint exercise and were joined by seven partner countries, as Manila seeks to boost its naval warfare capabilities and readiness to confront security challenges in the region.

Exercise Sama Sama started off as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training in 1994 between the Philippines and America but changed into its current form in 2017. It seeks to increase interoperability, foster regional cooperation, and tackle non-traditional challenges.

This year, more than 1,800 navy personnel are taking part in the drills from Oct. 2 to 13, including from Japan, Canada, the UK, Australia, and France, while New Zealand and Indonesia are sending observers.

Philippine Navy Chief Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. noted that Sama Sama equips participating nations to “face an array of threats together,” from territorial defense to countering transnational crimes.

“For us in the Philippine Navy this activity serves as a vital platform for capacity building and empowers us to refine our naval warfare capabilities.

“This exercise enhances our readiness to confront a wide spectrum of security challenges,” Adaci said during his speech at the opening ceremony.

“This year, our interoperability exercises with the US Navy will center on warfighting serials, reinforcing our readiness for joint operations in the face of evolving threats.

“With this show of force and active engagement of our allies and partners, Sama Sama transcends (mere) military exercises. It is a symbol of our enduring partnerships and our shared commitment to security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.

The exercises are taking place as tensions continue to rise between Manila and Beijing over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and China have repeatedly sparred in the resource-rich South China Sea, as Beijing maintained its claim over the region in its entirety while other nations also have claims.

Vessels of the two countries have faced off several times this year in areas Manila said is part of its exclusive economic zones.

Sama Sama also reflects increased defense engagements between the Philippines and the US since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office last year, after relations ebbed during the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who leaned more toward Beijing.

Through Sama Sama, the Philippines was seeking to build relationships with allies and partner nations to boost its territorial defense capabilities, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said.

“When it comes to territorial defense, we cannot do it alone. So, we have to leverage our alliances and our partnerships with like-minded nations. So that’s what we are doing,” Brawner told Arab News.

“Part of our defensive posture in the West Philippine Sea is doing operations together with our partners. So, the joint sail, joint exercises, these are all part of that overall build-up of our defensive posture in the area.”


Nobel in medicine goes to 2 scientists whose work enabled creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19

Nobel in medicine goes to 2 scientists whose work enabled creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
Updated 02 October 2023
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Nobel in medicine goes to 2 scientists whose work enabled creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19

Nobel in medicine goes to 2 scientists whose work enabled creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
  • The secretary of the Nobel Assembly announced the award Monday in Stockholm
  • The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor

STOCKHOLM: Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
The award was given to Katalin Karikó, a professor at Sagan’s University in Hungary and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Drew Weissman, who performed his prizewinning research together with Karikó at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,” the panel that awarded the prize said.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Assembly, announced the award and said both scientists were “overwhelmed” by news of the prize when he contacted them shortly before the announcement.
The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was won last year by Swedish scientist Svante Paabo for discoveries in human evolution that unlocked secrets of Neanderthal DNA which provided key insights into our immune system, including our vulnerability to severe COVID-19.
The award was the second in the family. Paabo’s father, Sune Bergstrom, won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1982.
Nobel announcements continue with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday and the economics award on Oct. 9.
The prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million). The money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1896.
The prize money was raised by 1 million kronor this year because of the plunging value of the Swedish currency.
The laureates are invited to receive their awards at ceremonies on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death. The prestigious peace prize is handed out in Oslo, according to his wishes, while the other award ceremony is held in Stockholm.


Court rules against Italian PM over Tunisian migrant detention

Court rules against Italian PM over Tunisian migrant detention
Updated 02 October 2023
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Court rules against Italian PM over Tunisian migrant detention

Court rules against Italian PM over Tunisian migrant detention
  • 3 asylum-seekers who applied for international protection must be ‘immediately released’
  • Use of detention a breach of Italian and EU law but Interior Ministry will appeal

London: Italy’s detention of three Tunisian migrants awaiting asylum decisions has been ruled illegal under domestic and EU law by a Sicilian court, The Times reported on Monday.

The ruling is viewed as a rebuke to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is seeking to tighten controls on refugee intake. The Interior Ministry said it will appeal the court’s decision.

The three Tunisian asylum-seekers entered Italy on Sept. 20 and applied for international protection but were sent to a detention center in Sicily, in a move that a Catania court has deemed illegal.

A fourth Tunisian who withdrew his asylum request was not included in the court order, which called for the “immediate release” of the trio.

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party recently launched measures to stem the flow of migrants from the Mediterranean, with 133,171 people reaching Italian shores since the start of the year.

The detention of the three migrants, given their pending asylum applications, was determined to be in breach of Italy’s constitution and EU law.

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister, accused the Catania court of political bias. “Serious reform of the justice system is required,” he said on X.

The court’s findings come amid heightened tensions between EU member states over migration, and as the Italian government seeks to boost the number of detention centers nationwide.


Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak on record

Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak on record
Updated 02 October 2023
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Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak on record

Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak on record
  • Number of deaths so far this year was higher than every previous year combined from 2000
  • WHO has warned that dengue and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne viruses are spreading faster

DHAKA: More than 1,000 people in Bangladesh have died of dengue fever since the start of the year, official figures showed, in the country’s worst recorded outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.
Figures from the country’s Directorate General of Health Services published on Sunday night said 1,006 people had died, among more than 200,000 confirmed cases.
The agency’s former director Be-Nazir Ahmed said that the number of deaths so far this year was higher than every previous year combined from 2000, when Bangladesh recorded its first dengue outbreak.
“It’s a massive health event, both in Bangladesh and in the world,” he added.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last month the outbreak was “putting huge pressure on the health system” in Bangladesh.
Dengue is a disease endemic to tropical areas that causes high fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and, in the most serious cases, bleeding that can lead to death.
The WHO has warned that dengue — and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne viruses such as chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika — are spreading faster and further due to climate change.