I’d really like to know why people seem to think that the Boycott Divest and Sanction Movement (BDS) is anti-Semitic. I’d also like to know why anti-Semitism is exclusive to Jews. Christians and Muslims live in the “Semitic” region. If its anti-Semitic, then by the very nature of the word, it is also anti-Arab. If […]
Author: Shirin Zarqa-Lederman
Shirin Zarqa-Lederman was raised in NJ by her Palestinian Muslim parents and later married her Russian Jewish husband. Together they have five interethnic children who experience the traditional customs of both cultures with their extended interethnic relatives. Shirin is also Licensed Professional Counselor, focusing on Child & Adolescent Psychology, and has written her own children’s picture book series, "The Trotters of Tweeville," which is focused on demonstrating kindness to children. The series is available wherever books are sold.
One-State, Two-State, Red State, Blue State
Though midterm elections night focused heavily on the polarizing politics of a two-party system, the winners of the night–whether republican or democrat–were those of us who know that the United States is a land built by, and for, immigrants. When the newly elected 116th U.S. Congress convenes in January 2019, it will finally look like […]
Nikki Haley: Not confused? Possibly Delusional
Every time I hear Nikki Haley’s voice, something happens. Even as a psych student, I am not sure that I can explain it. It kind of feels like a Minotaur lives inside me and awakens in screams at the sound of her voice. I’m pretty sure it’s not normal, but then neither is Nikki Haley. […]
Taking Hummus Back
In case you haven’t noticed, the Israeli PR machine has this rabid reaction when the rhetoric surrounding Palestine has the slightest twinge of favorability to Palestinian statehood. They’ve been a bit sensitive since 128 countries voted against making their land grab of Jerusalem official. So when James Zogby of the Arab American Institute called Rachel […]
Settlements are far from settling
Each time I hear a commentator say that Israeli “settlements do not impede peace,” I throw up in my mouth a little…for a couple of reasons. First, the land wasn’t “unsettled” like 19th-century western America (which was still kinda “settled”, though, yes, it sounds eerily familiar). These Israeli settlements are developments and neighborhoods, and the word […]
Palestein in my house
So our favorite “smart and funny” Arab, Amer Zahr, gave you a utopian society in which Palestinians and Israelis get rich together, share the same food, and cultivate those olive branches with peace in a land known as “Palestein.” Impossible, right? Well, not in my family. My father told me stories of Palestine before 1948. In that […]
Secretary Kerry, there could have never been a two-state solution
Though many rejoiced listening to Secretary Kerry’s speech at the end of December, I’ve been walking around rather disenchanted. There’s no denying that his 72-minute diatribe in response to Netanyahu’s discontent with the United Nations Resolution 2334 is a refreshing twist to the traditional Israel-has-a-right-to-defend-itself US policy. For the first time, the United States admitted that […]
The facade of freedom
On election night, I fell asleep early. I was certain my candidate was not going to win. I knew that the world was not ready to address real national security threats like climate change and perpetual warfare. Yup, I voted for Jill Stein, because other than the Green Party, no one was offering any real […]
Childhood in the Holy Land
The path to school is one of those things that almost everyone can agree needs to be safe. Everyone except for Israel, that is. Palestinian children are terrorized and humiliated on their daily walk to school and home. A study done by the Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove found at the end of the 2007-2008 […]
I’m a Dem, but Hillary is no champion to me
The Democratic convention is over, and my grieving process has began. I became an “unaffiliated” voter. It sort of brought a tear to my eye, as I thought about the Democratic nominee. Not tears of joy or elation for a “female nominee of a major political party,” but those of sadness and grief for all […]
Hillary and Donald, BFFs forever and ever
According to the Center of American Women in Politics, in 2012, 64% of women and 60% of men voted. Racial demographics according to the Pew Research Center estimate that by November 2016, the voting public will consist of 70% whites, 12% Hispanic, 12% Blacks and 6% Asian. For a racist (a.k.a. Trump), it seems like it […]
This election is a reality show, and Bernie isn’t a contestant
Hillary Clinton supporters seem to miss a fundamental difference between her and Bernie Sanders. It’s called integrity. Integrity is a value that is fundamental to the development of trust, and thus, when one is seeking a relationship with a people, trust becomes a rather imperative value. In order to build trust, one must implicitly and explicitly […]
Hillary strikes out in New York
New York, its time to talk baseball. It’s the World Series. It’s the bottom of the ninth inning and the bases loaded. Who do you put in the batter box? Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) or Derek Jeter (The Captain)? If you chose A-rod, then vote for Madam Secretary, because as great as A-rod’s record is, with […]
They don’t hate our freedom
I’m not sure I will ever understand the double standard. I’m not sure that I will ever understand what makes one life more valuable than the other. Each time something happens in the world – an attack, an earthquake, a plane crash, something that unexpectedly takes human life – we react as though we’ve witnessed the […]
My Arab American vote? Trump before Clinton
Why would anyone vote for Trump over Clinton? Why would a minority vote for Trump? Truthfully? Revenge! Madam Secretary stood by while 500 Palestinian children were ripped apart by flechettes (which are illegal according to international law, which is meaningless because no one is held accountable anyway). Not only is Hillary Clinton supported by every pro-Israel, pro-Zionist organization under the […]
An Arab American in the voting booth
Growing up Arab in America colors the lens of my worldview. Regardless of where your “Arab in America” journey began – the ghetto, the burbs, or farm country – we all seem to share a common, possibly even intrinsic, obligation to protect our ancestry and share our culture. Doing so validates our experiences, corrects that […]