ISIS a fringe group that believes it is saving the soul of the Islamic world. It believes that its lands have been poisoned by outside, corrupt, polluted forces. It sees itself as the true representative of true Islam, however unhinged from reality that view may be. It carries out this worldview through domination and violence. […]
Author: Amer Zahr
Amer Zahr is a Palestinian American comedian, writer, professor and speaker living in Dearborn, Michigan. He is also the editor of "The Civil Arab."
We have no right to be shocked
What happened last night in Charleston triggered a range of emotions. President Obama said he felt “heartache,” “sadness,” and “anger.” We all feel those things and more. Fear. Anxiety. Concern. Dread. Violation. Loss. Despair. Panic. Abandonment. Terror. But none of us, not one of us, has the right to be shocked. That would mean that […]
A Palestinian’s guide to Palestine
I have just returned from a two-week trip to Palestine. I am quite sorry that I was not very active online during that time, but Palestine can really eat up one’s time. Family and friends took up about half of my trip. The other half was spent on hummus. Let me make a quick note […]
After 67 Years, Palestinians are finally cool
Today is Israeli Independence Day. We Palestinians call it “Nakba Day.” “Nakba” translates from Arabic into English as “catastrophe.” Independence. Catastrophe. You say Po-tay-to. I say Po-tah-to. Now this could easily be a sad day for us. We Palestinians have every reason in the world to be depressed. Our land was stolen. The vast majority […]
Some advice for Pamela Geller
Dear Pam, I’ve been watching you. Now, I don’t mean that I’ve been “watching” you in the same way the FBI watches us Arabs and Muslims. I just mean I’ve been following you. Wait, I don’t mean I’ve been “following” you the same way those crazy guys followed you to Texas. I just mean I’ve […]
Welcome to the Black Spring
Sidi Bouzid is a modest city of about 120,000 in central Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi was a fruit vendor on its streets. He never graduated from high school, toiling every day, earning about $150 a month, supporting his mother, uncle, and younger siblings. He was even able to put one of his sisters through college through […]
Why do some people hate America so much?
I’m noticing something going on in my country. America is under attack. This week, at the University of Michigan (my alma mater), Arab and Muslim (American) students protested against the showing of “American Sniper” on their campus. Now, they weren’t simply protesting the movie being screened on campus. They were protesting against it specifically being […]
Aren’t “terrorists” depressed too?
The media has damaged me. I must confess something. I was watching CNN last week when the first reports of the Germanwings tragedy hit the airwaves. The crash killed 150 people, including students, teachers, children, and the perpetrator, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz. As an Arab American, I did what I always do when the news informs […]
A quick lesson on “allah”
Last week, in upstate New York, many residents of a small town got all bent out of shape. Pine Bush High School decided to celebrate National Foreign Language Week by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in a few different tongues. The plan was to have students narrate the pledge in Italian, Japanese, French, Spanish, and… […]
When racism is a minor offense
Imagine this. A ninth-grader sits in school every day. He has no disciplinary problems. He is the only black student in his French class. His teacher constantly refers to him, in front of other students, as “the thug.” On one occasion, she says, “Look, the thug is here.” On another, she calls on him by […]
She wished there were more Palestinians like me
This past Monday night, I participated in a panel debate at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The panel consisted of five Jewish Americans and me, a Palestinian American. The audience was almost entirely Jewish, with a couple Palestinians. Somehow, my eyes found them immediately. Basically, it was about […]
We need to talk about white people
We spend a lot of our time talking about immigrants, minorities, and foreigners. But we almost never talk about white people. And we should. After all, there’s so many of them. According to the 2010 US Census, the United States contains 223,553,265 of them. They make up 72.4% of the country’s population. (For some reason, […]
From ‘American Sniper’ to Chapel Hill
After Tuesday’s events in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, some are saying that the triple murder of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha was just an ordinary neighbor dispute with a horrific outcome. As Craig Hicks’ lawyer told a judge, “Unfortunately these victims were there at the wrong time at the wrong place.” (Someone will […]
Murdered for being Muslim, and the news is unfazed
The killing of young, promising college students would normally be a pretty big story. Shootings on or near campuses are usually a hot topic for cable news outlets. The horrific execution of three young Americans would ordinarily dominate our televisions. This morning I woke up to the tragic news of the murders of Deah Shaddy […]
There are no excuses for ‘American Sniper’
By most accounts, American Sniper depicts its Arab Iraqi subjects in a simplistic and shallow fashion. No one has accused director Clint Eastwood of portraying the Arab characters of the film in a manner that is nuanced or layered. And I don’t mean to be too elementary, but that is really all that matters. When […]
Why is Netanyahu crashing Congress?
The prime minister of Israel is coming to visit us. He’s not coming to meet with President Obama. He’s not coming to see Secretary of State Kerry. He’s not coming to give a lecture at a university or at a conference on international affairs. And he’s not coming to speak to some pro-Israel American organization. […]
Where do I apply for “terrorism expert”?
Terrorism. Islamic terrorism. Islamism. Jihadism. ISIS. Al-Qaeda. AQAP. Muhammad. Or just Islam. It is the top story in the news. In order to fully inform us, CNN, Fox News and the like feed us a long line of “terrorism experts.” Sometimes they even present three or four of them at once, creating an “expert roundtable.” […]
I refuse to condemn
I refuse to condemn. I refuse to condemn ISIS. I refuse to condemn Paris. I refuse to condemn 9/11. I refuse to condemn, not because I don’t condemn, but because you so badly want me to. I refuse to condemn something that you don’t condemn because it’s so damn obvious that you condemn it. I […]
Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, (Al-Quds)
Two weeks ago, I was in Jerusalem. I stayed in the Jerusalem Hotel, one block from the largest entrance to the Old City. I ventured through the city’s storied alleys, ancient stairways, and vibrant markets over and over during my few days there. I ate hummus, visited holy sites, and bought souvenirs. When I did […]
Headline: America still clueless about Islam
The events of the past couple weeks have confirmed something we Arabs and Muslims have known for some time: America is still clueless about Islam. Now, I’m a Palestinian Arab Christian Muslim American. My parents are both Palestinian Arabs. My dad is a Christian, and my mom is a Muslim. We affectionately call ourselves “Chrish-lims.” […]