WASHINGTON: Inaugural balls have been a key part of US presidential inaugurations since George Washington took the oath of office in 1789. President Barack Hussein Obama will host 10 official inaugural balls whose tickets were sought by prospective revelers like gold nuggets.
Hundreds of unofficial galas also marked the historic inauguration. Traffic filled downtown streets as millions of people descended on Washington D.C. for yesterday’s inauguration, while many were trying to get to the pre-inaugural balls hosted by states all over town.
The Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community, hosted its ball at the Fairmont Hotel. The gala included a bevy of star-studded celebrities in the Arab-American circle as guests dined and spent the evening celebrating this historic moment in American history.
The AAI crowd was a bi-partisan group from the area as well as from other parts of the country. It was a who’s who of Arab society in the United States, and all of them had something to share about yesterday’s historic swearing-in ceremony.
“I was never as excited in my life to vote as I was for this election, or as excited as to witness the swearing in,” said AAI founder and head James J. Zogby. “He faces more challenges than any other president and more problems than any other presidency, which comes as the United States fights in two wars, joblessness soars and the economy crumbles.” Anwar Salha, a Lebanese-American dentist who came to the US 20 years ago, said Obama’s election was a “huge event.” Obama, he said, “inspired everyone, especially the minorities and immigrants, including myself. I just wish him good luck with the crises he has to deal with in this country.”
“It’s really important he remembers to support the Lebanese government, so we can have democracy and an opportunity for freedom,” he added. “Also, he has to work to solve the Palestinian problem, which we are all waiting for, with a fair judgment, as we all expect him to do.”
Salha said he was able to get tickets and planned to be on the Mall by 8 a.m. “I’m going to record it and pass it along to my children,” he said. Fouad Sleem, also Lebanese-American, has lived in the US 36 years. “People needed change. All the Bush administration did was against the spirit of the American Constitution,” he said.
“This war in Iraq was not constitutional. The first words that came out of the White House were lies, and they ended the administration in the same manner... What this administration did to destroy the US economy is unbelievable. They also destroyed America’s reputation. Their foreign policy made enemies, not friends.”
Adele Azar-Rucquoi, from Sanford, Florida, said she and her husband came up specifically for the inauguration. “Eight years of pain, sorrow and tragedy (with the Bush Administration) will now disappear,” she said.
“I have hopes that our new president can, because of his skills as a diplomat and negotiator, do something radically different from this no-peace pattern of America with Israel,” she said.
Azar-Rucquoi described herself as an “Arab American and Jewish ally” who rejects the notion that Arabs and Israelis can never get along. “I hope (Obama) will work to establish a real Palestinian homeland, unlike our past president,” she added, pointing out that the stance of not negotiating with Hamas is unrealistic and that an international presence at the border dividing the Israelis and Palestinians will be necessary.
“Obama said one of his first plans is to put together a Middle East team,” she said. “God willing it will be impartial.”
Nada El-Eryan, Palestinian from Springfield, Va., said Obama’s message of change and hope is “very important.” “It’s giving the whole country — not just Arab Americans — a new perspective on how great this American government can be, not just for the American people but for the world,” she said, expressing hope that the situation in Gaza will force Middle East negotiations to be a high priority.
Joseph Ayoub, a career civil servant with the federal government, offered a unique perspective regarding the Obama presidency.
“I’m excited to see the increased interest in federal government service among young people as a result of the Obama campaign. This is very important to me because as a federal manager, my job is to bring in new people to government,” he said. “The second positive influence is that Obama has stated that he was going to make sure that the criteria that he uses to fill the service government appointments will be merit only.”
George Salem, AAI chairman, reminded the Arab Americans to remember the “majesty of American democracy is how smoothly we transition our presidency from one president to the next.”
He also asked for prayers for “our Palestinian brethren in Gaza,” and spoke about different Arab American organizations helping in with provisions to the people of Gaza, “many of them funded by American Christian churches.
“Obama comes to office with what many presidents didn’t have — and that’s with a lot of support from throughout the country and the world,” said Salem.
William Corcoran, president of the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), had Gaza on the forefront of his mind.
“During the past few weeks we have been going through an emotional roller coaster - seeing Gazans’ collapsed buildings, crushed lives and destroyed dreams,” he said. “The response of the Arab-American community has been overwhelming.”
Corcoran said that many teens have called to ask what they can do - perhaps part of that new spirit of public service that is represented by the new administration. Omar Khader, chairman of the board of Pal Tech, Planning & Learning Technologies, Inc. of Virginia, said that Obama has raised “our vision about what is possible.”
“He’s the genuine article; people believe in him, he isn’t just enthusiasm and charisma. He is spelling out his vision of where he wants to get accomplished,” he said. “When he talks about poverty in America he talks about the details, about breeching the disparity between the rich and poor in this country. What the first thing he’s going to do to change this? He’s going to lower the taxes of the middle class.”
Khader said that Obama has “said all the right things” regarding the Middle East: “Make Israel secure but give the Palestinians a state, restore their dignity - and he’s appointing the right people to make it happen.”
He didn’t mince words about the current Israeli leadership.
“We’ve never had anything like the current Israel leadership. They are the worst leadership in the history of Israel,” he said. “No one seems capable of measuring their performance with global standards of civility, and you expect more from Israel. We have got to stop Israel from creating enemies for America; we can create our own, we don’t need their help.”
