How much power do Arab and Muslim voters have in the next US elections?

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Updated 18 August 2024
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How much power do Arab and Muslim voters have in the next US elections?

How much power do Arab and Muslim voters have in the next US elections?
  • ‘Even among fifth-generation kids who still have an eighth Arab American in them, the Palestinian issue is in the bloodstream’: John Zogby

CHICAGO: Veteran pollster John Zogby, president and founder of the polling company John Zogby Strategies, has said Arab and Muslim voters have more influence today than they have ever had since first settling in this country, and that the issue driving their vote is Gaza.

Zogby noted that the public needs to look at polls not in terms of who is “winning” or leading the race, but rather in which way the voter popularity of a candidate is trending.

Recent polls show that the majority of Arab and Muslim American voters favor third Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party, but that significant support is also shown for Vice President Kamala Harris who is expected to be named as the Democratic Party candidate for president at the Chicago Convention next week.

“I think the sun, moon and stars are aligned. The issues are there. There is broad support on that issue (Gaza), not only in our community but among young people and progressives. And I can’t believe all the calls I am getting about where Arab Americans stand,” Zogby said, noting the community is more together today than in past elections.

Zogby noted that his brother Jim Zogby, the president and founder of the Arab American Institute, was instrumental in strengthening the voice of Arab and Muslim voters in the 1984 and 1988 presidential elections by defining issues on the Democratic Convention platform in alliance with the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, who ran for president.

That was the first time that the convention included a platform that called for support for the Palestinians and the two-state solution. Conventions since have excluded issues advocated by Arab and Muslim Americans.

“This time around is different; we hold some cards,” John Zogby said, noting that the voices will be heard more at the ballot box on Nov. 5, 2024.

Speaking during the taping of “The Ray Hanania Radio Show,” sponsored by Arab News on the US Radio Network and to be broadcast on Thursday at 5 p.m. EST, Zogby said that Arab and Muslim voters have come together more than they ever have in the past in this election, due to the conflict in Gaza and the need for candidates to address concerns more openly and without fear of pro-Israeli rebukes.

“Even among those fifth-generation kids who are named Scotty and Heather (and) who still have an eighth Arab American in them, the Palestinian issue is in the bloodstream,” Zogby said.

“It is a fundamental injustice; it is a fundamental example of colonialism. I love it when I hear the kids on campuses saying this is colonialism, this is genocide. This is what it is and this is how we see it," he added, noting there are many variables at play.

Despite many domestic issues driving the election, for Arab and Muslim voters “There are still some core issues and Gaza is in fact one of those issues.”

Zogby said polling he did in April, just before President Joe Biden withdrew from the election, showed that the Biden administration’s failure to stop the carnage in Gaza had a tremendous impact on weakening support for Democrats among the Arab and Muslim community.

Zogby pointed out that April saw “almost a destruction of the Democratic brand among Arab Americans and Muslim Americans because of Gaza.”

Arabs and Muslims should recognize that American political candidates will say one thing during an election but will tone it down or change it after being elected, the pollster said, adding that that polling changes frequently as it is driven by issues, and many trends.

“I think what we need to strip away from our minds is that ‘the poll says someone is going to win.’ All a poll does is say that somebody is ahead. Somebody is behind. They are tied. That is a snapshot at the moment,” Zogby said.

Polling puts a spotlight on issues, and may show the impact third party candidates such as Stein and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy might have on the major candidates.

“Yes, they (Kennedy and Stein) can have an impact. Right now, Kennedy is having more of an impact on Trump than he is on Harris. Jill Stein is having a slight impact, as she was on Biden.

“I don’t have any real new numbers that tell the story but she is locked in at about 1 percent and Kennedy is about 8 to 10 percent.

“However, for those who might be inclined to go with Bobby Kennedy and make a statement, his position on Israel and Gaza is as bad — frankly, if not worse — than both Biden and Trump. If that is the dominant issue, he was doing fairly well among younger voters, but this (Gaza) is a wall for me.”

Polling shows Stein is attracting the majority of votes from Arab and Muslim Americans, with Harris trailing behind and with Trump and Kennedy receiving insignificant community voter numbers.

Zogby noted Harris is currently leading the upward trendline (5), mainly because she is new entering the Democratic Convention and is enjoying a short honeymoon driven by her newness as a candidate. However, this popularity can change, he said. 

Listen to the entire interview on Thursday at 5 p.m. EST on WNZK AM 690 radio, or online at https://Facebook.com/ArabNews, or on the Arab News podcast site at www.arabnews.com/rayradioshow.

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Philippines says ‘we have not lost’ South China Sea reef after pullout

Philippines says ‘we have not lost’ South China Sea reef after pullout
Updated 6 sec ago
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Philippines says ‘we have not lost’ South China Sea reef after pullout

Philippines says ‘we have not lost’ South China Sea reef after pullout
  • Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including Sabina Shoal, despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no merit
MANILA: The Philippines insisted on Monday that it had not given up a South China Sea reef, two days after it pulled out a ship stationed there following a months-long standoff with rival claimant China.
Manila had deployed the coast guard flagship BRP Teresa Magbanua to Sabina Shoal in April to stop Beijing from building an artificial island there, as it has atop several other disputed features in the strategic waterway.
But the ship was abruptly called back to the western Philippine island of Palawan, with Manila citing damage from an earlier clash with Chinese ships, ailing crew members, dwindling food and bad weather.
“We have not lost anything. We did not abandon anything. Escoda Shoal is still part of our exclusive economic zone,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela told a news conference Monday, using the Filipino name for Sabina Shoal.
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including Sabina Shoal, despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no merit.
It has acted aggressively toward Philippine government vessels at Sabina and other disputed features in recent months, ramming, blocking, water-cannoning and even boarding them, causing damage and injuries.
The confrontations have sparked concern that the United States, a military ally of Manila, could be drawn into armed conflict with China.
With the Chinese harassing resupply missions, Tarriela said it came to a point that the BRP Teresa Magbanua’s water desalinator broke down, forcing the crew to rely on rainwater for drinking “for more than one month now.”
He said the crew were also reduced to “eating porridge for three weeks,” which “obviously is not nutritious.”
Following the ship’s pullout, China’s coast guard insisted on Sunday that Beijing “has indisputable sovereignty” over Sabina.
It warned the Philippines to “stop inciting propaganda and risking infringements,” adding Beijing would “continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities” there.
But Tarriela on Monday maintained the withdrawal from Sabina was “not a defeat,” rejecting comparisons to the Scarborough Shoal, which Manila lost to Beijing after a similar months-long standoff in 2012.
He said it would be “impossible” for China to totally stop the Philippines from sending its ships around the 137-square-kilometer (53-square-mile) Sabina Shoal.
“The coast guard can carry out whatever it takes for us to make sure that China will not be able to occupy and even reclaim Escoda Shoal,” he said.
“We have other coast guard vessels that, as we speak right now, may have been or may already be proceeding to Escoda Shoal,” Tarriela said without providing details, citing operational security considerations.
Sabina is located 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.

North Korea’s foreign minister leaves for Russia, embassy in Pyongyang says

North Korea’s foreign minister leaves for Russia, embassy in Pyongyang says
Updated 7 min 51 sec ago
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North Korea’s foreign minister leaves for Russia, embassy in Pyongyang says

North Korea’s foreign minister leaves for Russia, embassy in Pyongyang says
  • Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said in June that delegations from almost a hundred countries were expected at the forum

MOSCOW: North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has flown to Russia to attend the fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum and the BRICS Women’s Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s embassy in North Korea said on Monday.
“Russian Ambassador (Alexander Ivanovich) Matsegora saw off North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Pyongyang International Airport,” the embassy said in a post on its Vkontakte social network.
The embassy said that the minister’s speeches and participation in discussions are planned at the forum, which will take place Sept. 18 to 20.
Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said in June that delegations from almost a hundred countries were expected at the forum.
“We will strive to ensure a record foreign representation in the entire history of the Forum,” Matviyenko said in June, according to a transcript provided on the Council’s website.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended previous meetings of the forum, but the Kremlin is yet to announce his participation in this year’s forum.
Warming ties between the countries reached a new high this year when Putin signed a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defense pledge during a visit to Pyongyang.
The United States and its allies have accused North Korea of helping Russia by supplying weapons for its war in Ukraine in return for economic and other military assistance. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied this.


Death toll rises as torrential rain and flooding force evacuations in central Europe

Death toll rises as torrential rain and flooding force evacuations in central Europe
Updated 16 September 2024
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Death toll rises as torrential rain and flooding force evacuations in central Europe

Death toll rises as torrential rain and flooding force evacuations in central Europe
  • Several countries have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania
  • The floods have claimed six lives in Romania and one each in Austria and Poland, while four were declared missing in Czech Republic

PRAGUE: The death toll was rising in central European countries on Sunday after days of heavy rains caused widespread flooding and forced evacuations.
Several Central European nations have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Slovakia and Hungary might come next as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday.
The floods have claimed six lives in Romania and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said.
It’s not over yet
Most parts of the Czech Republic have been affected as authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. But the situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border.
In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to move to higher ground. Rescuers used boats to transport people to safety in a neighborhood flooded by the raging Opava River.
“There’s no reason to wait,” Mayor Tomáš Navrátil told Czech public radio. He said that the situation was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the “flood of the century.”
“We have to focus on saving lives,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech public television on Sunday. His government was set to meet Monday to assess the damages.
The worst “is not behind us yet,” the prime minister warned.
President Petr Pavel sounded more optimistic, saying “it’s obvious we’ve learned a lesson from the previous crisis.”
At least 4 missing and villages cut off
Thousands of others also were evacuated in the towns of Krnov, which was almost completely flooded, and Cesky Tesin. The Oder River that flows to Poland was reaching extreme levels in the city of Ostrava and in Bohumin, prompting evacuations.
Ostrava, the regional capital, is the third-largest Czech city. Mayor Jan Dohnal said the city will face major traffic disruptions in the days to come. Almost no trains were operating in the region.
Towns and villages in the Jeseniky mountains, including the local center of Jesenik, were inundated and isolated by raging waters that turned roads into rivers. The military sent a helicopter to help with evacuations.
Jesenik Mayor Zdenka Blistanova told Czech public television that several houses in her and other nearby towns have been destroyed by the floods. A number of bridges and roads have been badly damaged.
About 260,000 households were without power Sunday morning in the entire country, while traffic was halted on many roads, including the major D1 highway.
A firefighter dies as Lower Austria declared a disaster zone
A firefighter died after “slipping on stairs” while pumping out a flooded basement in the town of Tulln, the head of the fire department of Lower Austria, Dietmar Fahrafellner, told reporters on Sunday.
Authorities declared the entire state of Lower Austria in the northeastern part of the country a disaster zone, while 10,000 relief forces have so far evacuated 1,100 houses there. Emergency personnel have started setting up accommodation for residents who had to flee their homes due to the flooding.
The municipality of Lilienfeld with about 25,000 residents is cut off from the outside world. Residents were told to boil tap water as a precaution.
The situation is particularly dangerous along the Kamp River, which flows into the Danube. The Ottenstein reservoir on the river functions as a buffer, but exceeding its limits could cause more flooding, experts say.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the situation “continues to worsen.” He said 2,400 soldiers were ready to support the relief effort in Austria. Of those, 1,000 soldiers will deploy to the disaster zone in Lower Austria, where dams were beginning to burst.
“We are experiencing difficult and dramatic hours in Lower Austria. For many people in Lower Austria these will probably be the most difficult hours of their lives,” said Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria.
In Vienna, the Wien River overflowed its banks, flooding homes and forcing first evacuations of nearby houses.
Romania reports 2 more flooding victims
Romanian authorities said Sunday that another two people had died in the hard-hit eastern county of Galati after four were reported dead there a day earlier, following unprecedented rain.
Dramatic flooding in Poland
In Poland, one person was presumed dead in floods in the southwest, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday.
Tusk said the situation was “dramatic” around the town of Klodzko, with about 25,000 residents, located in a valley in the Sudetes mountains near the border with the Czech Republic. Helicopters were used to pick up people from roofs in a few cases.
In Glucholazy, rising waters overflowed a river embankment and flooded streets and houses. Mayor Paweł Szymkowicz said, “we are drowning,” and appealed to residents to evacuate to high ground.
A bridge in the town collapsed under the flood pressure and a police station building was knocked down in Stronie Śląskie, after floodwaters burst through a dam. Submerged cars could be seen in many places in the Kłodzko Valley region bordering the Czech Republic, while a new flood wave was expected there.
In the city of Jelenia Gora, which has 75,000 residents, downtown streets were flooded after one of the embankments burst on the Bobr River. City authorities have warned residents they may need to evacuate as more flooding was moving toward the city.
Energy supplies and communications were cut off in some flooded areas, and regions may resort to using the satellite-based Starlink service, Tusk said.
The weather change arrived following a hot start to September in the region. Scientists have documented Earth’s hottest summer, breaking a record set just a year ago.
A hotter atmosphere, driven by human-caused climate change, can lead to more intense rainfall.


Traces of this Pakistani megacity’s past are vanishing, but one flamboyant pink palace endures

Traces of this Pakistani megacity’s past are vanishing, but one flamboyant pink palace endures
Updated 16 September 2024
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Traces of this Pakistani megacity’s past are vanishing, but one flamboyant pink palace endures

Traces of this Pakistani megacity’s past are vanishing, but one flamboyant pink palace endures
  • Karachi’s population grows by around 2 percent every year and with dozens of communities and cultures competing for space there’s little effort to protect the city’s historic sites

KARACHI, Pakistan: Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn and the sounds of construction and traffic melt away as visitors enter the grounds.
The pink stone balustrades, domes and parapets look like they’ve been plucked from the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, a relic of a time when Muslims and Hindus lived side by side in the port city.
But magnificence is no guarantee of survival in a city where land is scarce and development is rampant. Demolition, encroachment, neglect, piecemeal conservation laws and vandalism are eroding signs of Karachi’s past.
The building’s trustees have fended off an attempt to turn it into a dental college, but there’s still a decadeslong lawsuit in which heirs of a former owner are trying to take control of the land. It sat empty for almost two decades before formally opening as a museum in 1999.
The palace sits on prime real estate in the desirable neighborhood of Old Clifton, among mansions, businesses and upmarket restaurants.
The land under buildings like the Mohatta Palace is widely coveted, said palace lawyer Faisal Siddiqi. “It shows that greed is more important than heritage.”
Karachi’s population grows by around 2 percent every year and with dozens of communities and cultures competing for space there’s little effort to protect the city’s historic sites.
For most Pakistanis, the palace is the closest they’ll get to the architectural splendor of India’s Rajasthan, because travel restrictions and hostile bureaucracies largely keep people in either country from crossing the border for leisure, study or work.
Karachi’s multicultural past makes it harder to find champions for preservation than in a city like Lahore, with its strong connection to the Muslim-dominated Mughal Empire, said Heba Hashmi, a heritage manager and maritime archaeologist.
“The scale of organic local community support needed to prioritize government investment in the preservation effort is nearly impossible to garner in a city as socially fragmented as Karachi,” she said.
Mohatta Palace is a symbol of that diversity. Hindu entrepreneur Shivratan Mohatta had it built in the 1920s because he wanted a coastal residence for his ailing wife to benefit from the Arabian Sea breeze. Hundreds of donkey carts carried the distinctively colored pink stone from Jodhpur, now across the border in India.
He left after partition in 1947, when India and Pakistan were carved from the former British Empire as independent nations, and for a time the palace was occupied by the Foreign Ministry.
Next, it passed into the hands of Pakistani political royalty as the home of Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of Pakistan’s first leader and a powerful politician in her own right.
After her death, the authorities gave the building to her sister Shirin, but Shirin’s passing in 1980 sparked a court fight between people saying they were her relatives, and a court ordered the building sealed.
The darkened and empty palace, with its overgrown gardens and padlocked gates, caught people’s imagination. Rumors spread of spirits and supernatural happenings.
Someone who heard the stories as a young girl was Nasreen Askari, now the museum’s director.
“As a child I used to rush past,” she said. “I was told it was a bhoot (ghost) bungalow and warned, don’t go there.”
Visitor Ahmed Tariq had heard a lot about the palace’s architecture and history. “I’m from Bahawalpur (in Punjab, India) where we have the Noor Mahal palace, so I wanted to look at this one. It’s well-maintained, there’s a lot of detail and effort in the presentations. It’s been a good experience.”
But the money to maintain the palace isn’t coming from admission fees.
General admission is 30 rupees, or 10 US cents, and it’s free for students, children and seniors. On a sweltering afternoon, the palace drew just a trickle of visitors.
It’s open Tuesday to Sunday but closes on public holidays; even the 11 a.m.-6 p.m. hours are not conducive for a late-night city like Karachi.
The palace is rented out for corporate and charitable events. Local media report that residents grumble about traffic and noise levels.
But the palace doesn’t welcome all attention, even if it could help carve out a space for the building in modern Pakistan.
Rumors about ghosts still spread by TikTok, pulling in influencers looking for spooky stories. But the palace bans filming inside, and briefly banned TikTokers.
“It is not the attention the trustees wanted,” said Askari. “That’s what happens when you have anything of consequence or unusual. It catches the eye.”
A sign on the gates also prohibits fashion shoots, weddings and filming for commercials.
“We could make so much money, but the floodgates would open,” said Askari. “There would be non-stop weddings and no space for visitors or events, so much cleaning up as well.”
Hashmi, the archaeologist, said there is often a strong sense of territorialism around the sites that have been preserved.
“It counterproductively converts a site of public heritage into an exclusive and often expensive artifact for selective consumption.”

 


Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s officials say

Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s officials say
Updated 16 September 2024
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Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s officials say

Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s officials say

KYIV: Russia launched a drone attack overnight on Kyiv, with air defense units engaged in repelling the strikes, Ukrainian military officials said on Monday on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters’ witnesses reported a series of loud explosions in what sounded like air defense systems in operation.