Ariane Tabatabai . Courtesy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Ariane Tabatabai . Courtesy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Ariane Tabatabai . Courtesy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Ariane Tabatabai . Courtesy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Biden appointees of Arab and Muslim heritage face bigoted comments and attacks


Willy Lowry
  • English
  • Arabic

Online attacks against Arab, Iranian and Muslim Americans appointed to prominent positions by US President Joe Biden sparked outrage and alarm in Washington.

Last week, Ariane Tabatabai announced she was joining the US State Department as a senior adviser to the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

Ms Tabatabai has years of experience working on Middle East issues.

She reads Arabic, speaks Farsi and French and was most recently an adjunct professor in the security studies programme at Georgetown University.

By most accounts she is an excellent addition to the State Department.

But almost immediately after Ms Tabatabai made the announcement on Twitter, right-wing commentators started attacking her on the social media platform.

They took aim at her Iranian heritage and even attacked her father, Javad Tabatabai, a well known and respected Iranian philosopher.

“There are specific allegations made about her, made about her family and about her associations and motivations that are baseless and grossly inappropriate,” said Tamara Wittes, a senior fellow in the Centre for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution.

The online attacks prompted State Department spokesman Ned Price to tweet: “We strongly condemn online harassment of State Department personnel.

"While we welcome debates on key policy issues, ad hominem attacks on US officials, or anyone, based on ethnic background are unacceptable. We call for civil discourse, diplomacy, and constructive dialogue.”

Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland. He says it is hard to see the attacks as anything but racist and bigoted.

“I think it is really hard not to conclude that that is what it is,” Prof Telhami said.

He is pleased with the department’s unwavering support so far of the people attacked.

“They are not even concerned in any way," Prof Telhami said. "They’re sticking with the people that they’ve hired.

"They’ve already vetted them. They are comfortable with them and they are categorically holding firm.”

Ms Tabatabai is not the only official who was attacked online.

Maher Bitar was named the National Security Council’s senior director for intelligence programmes by Mr Biden.

The right-wing Jewish News Syndicate published an opinion piece with the headline: Biden puts anti-Israel BDS activist in charge of NSC intel.

The right-wing American website Breitbart published a similar article titled "Biden names anti-Israel activist, Adam Schiff aide Maher Bitar to senior intel role".

Mr Bitar, who went to Oxford and Georgetown, was most recently representative Adam Schiff’s top legal adviser.

"I am thrilled to see him in his new post, though we will certainly miss him on the committee," Mr Schiff told Politico.

In November, Mr Biden picked Reema Dodin, a Palestinian American, to be the White House’s deputy legislative affairs director.

Ms Dodin, who has worked in the Senate for years, was attacked by some right-wing media outlets alleging that she supported “suicide bombers”.

It was a mischaracterisation of a speech she gave at a campus event in Lodi, California in 2002.

The attacks also outraged Jewish groups. J Street, a progressive pro-Israeli, pro-peace group based in Washington, condemned the attacks.

“This seemingly endless cycle of smear campaigns is clearly rooted in the bigoted idea that public servants from these backgrounds are somehow inappropriate or unfit choices to work on important issues of foreign policy and national security, or that they somehow pose a threat to their fellow Americans,” J Street said.

The attacks are unlikely to deter the appointees but may have that effect on others.

“This kind of bigotry is a deterrent to people going into public service and that is tragic and that's why it is so important we call it out,” said Ms Wittes of Brookings

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

Tips for used car buyers
  • Choose cars with GCC specifications
  • Get a service history for cars less than five years old
  • Don’t go cheap on the inspection
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  • Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
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  • Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
  • If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell

Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

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RESULTS FOR STAGE 4

Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.

Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)

Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)

Who's who in Yemen conflict

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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

Five expert hiking tips
    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Types of policy

Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.

Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.

Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.

Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.

Results:

6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 2,000m - Winner: Powderhouse, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 2,200m - Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.40pm: Conditions Dh240,000 1,600m - Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash

8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 2,000m - Winner: Key Bid, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 1,200m - Winner: Drafted, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

9.25pm: Handicap Dh170,000 1,600m - Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5