Iowa legislator urges Arab-American state candidates to focus on local issues first

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Updated 13 August 2023
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Iowa legislator urges Arab-American state candidates to focus on local issues first

Iowa legislator urges Arab-American state candidates to focus on local issues first

CHICAGO: Iowa’s first elected Arab-American legislator, Sami Scheetz, said that he believes candidates who run for statewide offices should focus on local issues and leave Middle East issues to national office-holders.

In many instances, Arab and Muslims elected to local and state office have sought to address or impact foreign policy issues in the Middle East.

But Scheetz, whose mother is Syrian and Palestinian and whose father is white ethnic, is very proud of his Arab-American heritage and culture, which he said has had a long presence in Iowa, a Midwest, mostly farmland, state.

“Having that multicultural background I think was something that was extremely formative in shaping how I viewed the world and how I viewed politics, and through the lens that I view advocacy and organizing,” Scheetz told Arab News.

“I think having that different experience is extremely important to the work that I do at the Iowa House of Representatives. And being elected as the first Arab-American of the House of Representatives, or the legislature in general, here in Iowa, was extremely heartwarming for me. Because we in Cedar Rapids have over a 130-140-year history of a really prominent and really proud Arab-American community. We have the oldest mosque in North America, in Cedar Rapids. And in my legislative district we have an Arab-Christian church that has been around for generations. It is a part of the community here in Cedar Rapids that has been vocal, prominent and a group that I am very, very proud to be a product of.”

Scheetz, whose parents work helping immigrants, added: “Obviously growing up in an Arab household and having Arab relatives, there is no way you can get around not knowing what is going on in the Middle East and hearing a thousand different opinions on what is happening and on which country. It is something that is always in the back of my mind.”

The National Park Service identifies the Mother Mosque in Cedar Rapids, which dates from Feb. 15, 1934, as the first building to house Muslim services in America.

A Democrat, Scheetz was elected in November 2022 to represent the Iowa 78th House District, which has about 60,000 constituents and includes the city of Cedar Rapids. He said that his Arab heritage was not a major campaign issue in Iowa’s legislative race, although it was “extremely important” to him.

Scheetz said that voters he spoke with were first and foremost concerned about local issues in that state election and not on Middle East politics, which he said is something that states should not engage in and should leave to Federal office-holders.

“When I knock on doors and listen to people, even Arab-Americans included, the majority of what I heard about were things that we all talk about on a state level and national level campaign — it was our public education system, it was our health care system. It was at the time record inflation that people were facing and how that was impacting their family’s ability to buy basic things like groceries and gasoline or baby formula for younger parents. Those were the conversations that I was hearing over and over again and that is mostly what I focused on when I was running. It was focused mostly on Iowa in the Iowa legislature,” Scheetz said.

“That was the kind of message that I was discussing and listening to when I talked to voters. Middle East politics; I can argue not just the Middle East but foreign policy in general is not something that is on top of mind for a majority of American voters.”

He said Arab-Americans who do run for legislative seats or even local public offices should make issues that directly impact their constituents and their districts their priority and leave foreign policy to the nationally elected members of Congress and to the president.

“It just shouldn’t be the role of a state legislature to get involved in directly, really important US national security and foreign policy decisions. That is what we elect our Congress people for, our senators, and that is why we elect our president to lead and enact those foreign policy objectives. And there is a host of reasons why different communities including the Arab community should be organizing and activating around these issues,” Scheetz said.

Scheetz won without ever holding prior public office. He graduated from Georgetown University and worked on the re-election campaign of former president, Barack Obama. His experience also includes working to support US President Joe Biden, but he became familiar with many Middle East issues through his family life and while working in Dubai for the US State Department.

“It is an incredible part of my identity that I am extremely proud of. And I am very proud of, like I mentioned earlier, being the first Arab-American in our legislature from the community in Cedar Rapids, that has had such an old and proud Arab-American community,” Scheetz said.

“So, it is something that I think about all the time. It is something I am very proud of. But when it comes to the daily work of the state legislature, big foreign policy issues and issues like the census are not in our purview ... You wouldn’t want the state of Alabama, the state of Iowa and the state of Illinois all having different foreign policies on some of these (Middle East) questions that are extremely important to US National Security and Foreign policy.”

Scheetz criticized the failure of the US Census to identify Arab-Americans but said that they have been a strong presence in Iowa since the 19th century, with Christian and Muslim immigrants initially coming in large waves from Lebanon and Syria.

“It’s more of a federal issue that the United States Congress needs to address because the census is federal. Now that we have more Arab-American representation in Congress, I think hopefully that is something that can get passed,” he said of the absence of an Arab category on the US Census.

But he stressed: “Most foreign policy is in the purview of Congress and the president.”

Scheetz made his comments during an appearance on The Ray Hanania Radio Show, broadcast on the US Arab Radio Network and sponsored by Arab News, the voice of a changing region. The audio podcast of the interview is available at ArabNews.com

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.