The 2002 Arab peace initiative, commonly referred to as the “Abdullah plan” after its chief author, then-Saudi crown prince Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz, constitutes the most significant and explicit collective Arab declaration in favor of a peaceful, mutually agreed-on resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict ever made. By adopting the plan at the March 2002 League of Arab States’s Beirut summit and reaffirming it in Riyadh in 2007, the collective Arab position towards the conflict has been modified in the direction of a more explicit recognition of Israel. Notwithstanding the ambiguities of the declaration, especially on the issue of Palestinian refugees, a shift is discernable. From complete rejection (the “Three Nos” of the 1967 Khartoum summit) to qualified acceptance (the 1982 Fez summit) to the current expressed willingness to declare an end to the conflict and establish normal relations with Israel, the Arab states have moved to an officially proclaimed acceptance of the reality of a Jewish state in the region. Attaining a proper understanding of the initiative, however, requires an examination of the larger contexts in which it was forged.
For New Yorkers who are angered and frustrated by the corruption that has plagued politics in Albany for many years now, the upcoming gubernatorial mid-term election races offer viable alternatives in terms of candidates. Having represented New York’s 2nd congressional district for four terms from 1993-2001, Republican Rick Lazio is challenging Democrat Andrew Cuomo for the state’s highest office. With a platform predicated on bold reforms and a concrete plan to battle corruption, I sat down with Mr. Lazio to discuss some issues effecting New Yorkers.
Official Palestinian Authority TV continues to teach children that all of Israel is “occupied Palestine.” A repeating message on the children’s show The Best Home, currently broadcast three times a week during the month of Ramadan, is that all Israeli cities are “occupied” Palestinian cities.
The PA TV host refers to cities in Israel alternately as “1948 occupied cities,” “occupied cities” or “occupied territories.” The Israeli cities described as Palestinian cities include Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramle and Acre. …
If you wanted to show the public that you mean business, and you’re the nation’s immigration enforcement agency, maybe you’d want to show some real results. Maybe you’d keep producing real results in a sustained manner. Maybe you’d think, “Hey, if we really, truly start enforcing the immigration laws and drop this de facto amnesty stuff, the public might be convinced that we’re sincerely trying to do the job we’re sworn to do.”
In the controversy over the “Ground Zero” mosque in New York and other issues, Muslims are often asked if they condemn terrorism, Iran, or Hamas and other revolutionary Islamist groups, along with other questions. The idea is to determine whether they are moderates or radicals. Each of these questions also has an unnoticed “internal Muslim” aspect as well that makes them all the more important.
Yet this question is often placed in the context of whether or not they support murderous attacks on non-Muslims or calls to wipe out Israel. This is a valid consideration, but it misses a key point about why Islamic activists should be asked and how they should answer such questions.
Years before his latest real-estate project ignited an uproar, Sharif El-Gamal racked up at least seven run-ins with the law, including a bust for patronizing a prostitute. …
His most recent arrest was for a Sept. 10, 2005, assault on a barber who sublet a Manhattan apartment from El-Gamal’s brother, Sammy. …
He pleaded guilty in 1994, 1998 and 1999 to disorderly conduct in Manhattan.
He also pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 1990, DWI in 1992 and attempted petit larceny in 1993, Nassau County prosecutors said.
Details were unavailable, but a source confirmed a 1994 arrest for patronizing a prostitute. …
A new History Channel documentary on Thomas Jefferson which premiered Tuesday, August 24 completely whitewashed Muslim North African barbaric piratry and flagrant disregard for free trade — and why the U.S. went to war to stop the Barbary States (c.a. 1801). The documentary never even mentioned the word “Islam” or “Muslim” even though certain Muslim beliefs were an integral part of the historical context in which President Jefferson built up our navy and went to war. The show only mentioned the word “pasha” (of Tripoli). In truth, the Founding Fathers found out exactly what the Barbary Islamists were: Violent, unprincipled, and arrogant — a pack of thieves. Sound familiar?
WASHINGTON (August 2010) — Over the past five years, the immigration debate has become a top priority for many voters, pundits, and politicians. Among conservatives and members of the Republican Party there has been disagreement over the path forward. Some consider support for an expansive immigration policy — including amnesty, loose enforcement, and increased legal immigration — as essential in order to court immigrant voters. Others believe that continued mass immigration is incompatible with the goals of shrinking government and, in fact, strengthens the hand of those calling for expanded government and more liberal social policies.
On Wednesday evening, August 18th, several hundred people gathered at the Park East Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for a most befitting tribute to the life and legacy of famed Zionist leader and visionary, Vladimir Ze’ev Jabotinsky on the occasion of his 70th yahrzeit. Due to the geo-political realities of the age of terrorism, security was tight at the venue as attendees went through airport style checks as they entered.
Sponsored by the Americans For a Safe Israel organization which has enduring roots in the Jabotinsky movement, the evening began with an introduction by AFSI chairman Herbert Zweibon who spoke of his organization’s efforts towards educating future generations of Israeli youth about Jabotinsky’s life and prescient teachings. “We have sponsored essay contests in Israeli high schools on what Jabotinsky stood for and we are proud to say that his legacy has now been incorporated in the high school curriculum”, Mr. Zweibon said.
I did not think that the pro-Muslim/pro-Islamist and anti-Western propaganda could get any worse — and yet it just has.
TIME magazine has an August 30 cover story titled “Is America Islamophobic?” Within, the article is titled: “Islam in America: It’s part of the fabric of life, but protests reveal a growing hostility to the religion of Muslims.”
The current debate over the roots of Islamist revolution, clashes in the Middle East, and conflicts between forces in that region and the West involves two critical issues of interpretation:
First, is there a threat to the West from groups whose members are Muslims or does the fault arise from Western policies and shortcomings which, if altered, would make any conflict disappear?
Second, if there is a threat does it stem from Islam as religion or Islamism as political philosophy?
With the official end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq, what bodes for Iraq’s future in terms of its relations to other nations in the Middle East? One useful way to examine this question is through the lens of what Daniel Pipes describes as the present “Middle Eastern Cold War.”
This new Cold War represents the current ideological division in the Middle East between the “revolutionary bloc,” led chiefly by Iran, Syria, and more recently Turkey, and the “status-quo bloc,” led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. While most Sunni Arab states align themselves with the “status-quo bloc,” there are notable exceptions in that Qatar and Oman back the “revolutionary bloc,” while Libya simply sits on the sidelines.
The big story of the moment is the announcement that there will soon be direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Perhaps, but for the moment Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has merely issued of an invitation to come and talk. Generally, such an invitation would only be issued when both sides have accepted and all the details are nailed down. Nowadays, however, such cannot be assumed.
In a recent article, I argued that the Ground Zero mosque is counterproductive to Islam. The following day, on August 5, the Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported that none other than Al Azhar — one of Sunni Islam’s most authoritative institutions — agrees. My translation of the relevant excerpt follows:
A number of Al Azhar ulema expressed their opposition to building a mosque near [where] the events of September 11 [occurred], convinced that it is “a conspiracy to confirm a clear connection between the strikes of September [11] and Islam.” Dr. ‘Abd al-Mu’ti Bayumi, a member of the Islamic Research Academy [of Al Azhar] told Al Masry Al Youm that he rejects the building of any mosque in this area [Ground Zero], because the “devious mentality” desires to connect these events [of 9/11] with Islam, though he maintains that Islam is innocent of this accusation. Instead, it is a “Zionist conspiracy,” which many are making use of to harm the religion. Likewise, Dr. Amna Nazir, professor of doctrine and philosophy at Al Azhar, expressed her rejection that a mosque be built near the World Trade Center, saying: “Building a mosque on this rubble indicates bad intention — even if we wished to shut our eyes, close our minds, and insist on good will. I hope it is a sincere step, and not a new conspiracy against Islam and Muslims.”
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