Gaza has seen some of its worst violence in years, after tensions flared with Israel earlier this summer. AFP Photo
Gaza has seen some of its worst violence in years, after tensions flared with Israel earlier this summer. AFP Photo
Gaza has seen some of its worst violence in years, after tensions flared with Israel earlier this summer. AFP Photo
Gaza has seen some of its worst violence in years, after tensions flared with Israel earlier this summer. AFP Photo


Calling me anti-Semitic for defending Palestine is a personal tragedy


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  • Arabic

July 26, 2021

Last week, I spoke at a conference on anti-Semitism and anti-Arab racism hosted by the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications, which was co-sponsored by the Arab American Institute (AAI), as well as a number of national American Jewish organisations. Because both communities have been victimised by negative stereotyping and hate crimes, I believed that the conversation was both timely and necessary.

For me, this topic is deeply personal.

I grew up learning about anti-Semitism. When I was quite young, my mother read me excerpts from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. She also read me Letters from my Godfather, a Second World War infantryman, describing his experiences entering concentration camps liberated by Allied forces at the war's end. And one of my most striking memories about my mother was of her crying at the news reports of Ethel Rosenberg’s execution. When I asked why she was executed, my mother said that while the government said Rosenberg had spied for the Soviet Union, she felt in her heart that it was because she was Jewish. Mum also told me part of what prompted her tears was that the Rosenbergs left two children, who were the same age as me and my brother.

Being sensitised at an early age to the vulnerability of the Jewish people as I grew to adulthood, I was angered by the use of anti-Semitic tropes such as "the Jews own the banks, control the media, or run the country", or accusations made against individuals based on them being Jewish, as if there was something inherently evil or untrustworthy or dishonest about that community.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed in the US for spying for the USSR, a punishment that orphaned their two children. Wikimedia Commons
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed in the US for spying for the USSR, a punishment that orphaned their two children. Wikimedia Commons

Anti-Semitism was a problem then and continues to be one now, with Jewish people and institutions subjected to defamation, negative stereotyping, threats of violence and actual violence.

When it came to addressing anti-Arab bigotry, I noted the problems of defamation of Arabs in the media and popular culture, and the pain it has brought to my community – especially to our children. The hate and violence Arab-Americans have experienced over the decades and the traumatic backlash we faced when terrorists struck at home or abroad, whether they were Arab or not, the latter being the case during the Iranian hostage crisis and the Oklahoma City bombing.

I also chose to use this opportunity to address what I believe is the way anti-Arab bigotry was combined with a false definition of anti-Semitism to be used against Arab-Americans.

Growing up in a diverse immigrant community, I did not experience anti-Arab sentiment per se until my graduate school days at Temple University in the late 1960s and early '70s. Ironically, the source of this discrimination came largely from members of the Jewish community. My life was threatened by the Jewish Defence League. I was dismissed from a teaching job because some Jewish parents were concerned that their children were being taught by an Arab. Interviewing for my first full-time college teaching position, I was told that I would be limited to courses in religion, because it would be ‘too controversial’ for someone of my ethnicity to teach about the Middle East. And on too many occasions I was forced to defend my right to work in political coalitions, or even attend certain meetings because some Jewish organisations objected to my presence.

What was especially troubling about each of these instances (and I could cite many more) was that I was called anti-Semitic – simply because I had called out the injustices done to Palestinians by Israel.

Over the next several decades, I founded and ran several organisations: the Palestine Human Rights Campaign, which, like Amnesty International, took on the cases of Palestinian victims of torture, detention without charges, expulsion and home demolitions; the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which documented and combatted defamation and disinformation in the media and popular culture against Arab Americans; and the AAI, which supports Arab Americans in politics and advocates for their concerns.

In every one of these efforts we faced the problem of exclusion or defamation, pushed in large part by some major American Jewish groups who routinely conflated being pro-Palestinian or opposed to Israeli policies with being anti-Semitic. This had serious consequences that have been hurtful to my community and damaging to our ability to fully participate in the political process. Coalitions were pressured to reject our involvement. Candidates were pressured to return or reject our contributions or endorsements. Members of our community were denied employment or political appointments. And, in too many instances, Arab-Americans were accused of being anti-Semitic, even supporters of terrorism, something that fuelled hate crimes against us, often as serious as death threats or violence.

The good news is that we have become sufficiently empowered to protect ourselves against these damaging charges, and we are now being defended by law enforcement, civil rights groups and a host of progressive Jewish organisations. But with a number of major Jewish groups pressing legislators to equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism and who are intensifying attacks on public figures who speak out against Israeli behaviour, we realise that more must be done.

That is why I welcomed the opportunity to speak at the conference at the University of Southern California and to make the point that anti-Semitism must be condemned and opposed, but also clearly defined and never weaponised to silence legitimate criticism of Israel, or to defame individuals who do so.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The specs

The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Eyasses squad

Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)

Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)  

Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)

Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)

Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)

Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)

Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)         

Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)

Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Milkman by Anna Burns

Ordinary People by Diana Evans

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Circe by Madeline Miller

Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
​​​​​​​Scribe

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

Updated: July 27, 2021, 12:35 PM`