ALO Foundation Roundtable: Oct. 11, Monterey Park, CA

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

***ADVISORY***

ALO CulturalFoundation presents

Cultural Diplomacy

Unraveling thepublicity machine to understand the identity and integration

of MiddleEastern-Americans

Co-hosted by

Hon. LeRoy D. Baca,Los Angeles County Sheriff

and

ALO Magazine,America’s Top Middle Eastern Lifestyle Magazine

Who:

LeRoyD. Baca, Los Angeles County Sheriff

WafaKanan, Publisher of ALO Magazine and Founder, ALO Cultural Foundation

Moderatedby Bill Overton, media consultant for WAO Communications, Inc.

InvitedPanelists include:

1.    SenatorDiana Feinstein, Suheil Bushrui, Professor at the University of Michigan; MehdiNoorbaksh, Associate Professor of International Affairs at HarrisburgUniversity; Octavia Nasr, CNN's Chief Middle East correspondent for 20 years;Farouk El-Baz, NASA Scientist and Professor at Boston University; Rima Fakih,Miss USA 2010; Joseph Haiek, Publisher of the Arab-American Almanac; Monte E.Perez, Ph.D., President of Los Angeles Mission College; Sameh Alfonse, TheLeague Arab States; Elizabeth A. Say, Professor at CSUN; and Anthony AlanBotto, US Department of State.

What:

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY brings together corporations, media,government agencies, educational institutions, community leaders and socialagencies to discuss the diversity of the Middle Eastern Culture, the mysterythat wraps around it, the misconceptions, perspectives and perception of theheritage in the mainstream. At the conclusion, the framework will beestablished to map a social plan for tolerance.

Whereand When:

Sheriff's Department Headquarters, MediaConference Room

4700 West Ramona Boulevard, MontereyPark,CA 91754

Tuesday,October 11, 2011, 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.

Why:Theunique roundtable will bring to light the positive economical and culturalimpact the Middle Eastern community has delivered to the U.S. It seeks toillustrate our similarities and distinctions, facilitate diversity issues through healthy and cross cultural relationshipsand expand the perspectives of an emerging community.

How: Apanel of experts from the diverse landscape of the United States will beassembled for policy-shaping collaboration. Along with Sheriff Baca, Kanan—oneof the foremost experts in cross-cultural tolerance and education—opens a frankand diverse discussion between an intimate gathering of cultural, media,business leaders, and educators that will ultimately lead to a greaterunderstanding of Middle Easterners in America.

ForFurther Information:ALO Cultural Foundation 818/727-7785

Aboutthe ALO Cultural Foundation: The Foundation is a 501(c)(3), nonpolitical,nonpartisan, non-profit corporation. Its mission of building stronger,healthier communities through social investment focused on cultural exchangeprograms, women empowerment, voluntourism, philanthropy, and diversitythrough the power of community outreach will foster friendship, knowledge, andunderstanding between these diverse people throughout the United States.

When will Israel protect the Christians?

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

6 September 2011

Bethlehem, Palestine

Dear Alumni and Friends of BethlehemUniversity,

Generally, I am delighted to writeto you with some encouraging news about happenings at Bethlehem University.Today, however, I have some disturbing and unfortunate news to share with you.

A Bethlehem University Professor andStudent Survive Two Separate Attacks by Israeli Settlers 

In the early morning hours of Monday, 5 September 2011, while travelling in theWest Bank between the Palestinian villages of Al-Lubban and Turmos Aya and nearthe Israeli settlements of Ofarim and Bet Ariye along the Nablus-Ramallah, Dr.Adwan Adwan, a faculty member in the Arabic Department at Bethlehem University,was the victim of a violent attack by some 20 Israeli settlers who threw rocksin his face, injuring his head, shoulder, and stomach. His car was blocked by apile of burning tires when he quickly came under what he said felt like awell-orchestrated ambush. Dr. Adwan eventually was able to speed away from thescene and get himself to a hospital for treatment. "I felt lucky to escapewith my life," he says.

On the same day and further alongthe same road, near the settlement of Shiloh in the Palestinian Territories,Miss Yara Odeh, a Bethlehem University masters degree student, was the victimof a violent attack by some Israeli settlers. Yara found herself stuck in whatappeared to be a traffic jam caused by Israeli settlers pelting cars withrocks. With the road blocked, she escaped from her car through the passengerdoor and ran toward nearby Israeli soldiers, calling for help. She reportsbeing refused help and being told to return to her car. "The settlersseemed not so much interested in damaging the car as they were in harmingme," she says of the incident.

The Bethlehem Universityadministration is extremely disturbed by these attacks on members of theacademic community. "We value the lives of our faculty and students,"says Dr. Michael Sansur, Executive Vice President at Bethlehem University."Each and every day our faculty engage our students in promotingdemocracy, peace, and justice. We are fortunate to have a campus atmospherethat is known to be an oasis of peace. These violent and aggressive attacks onour students and faculty from Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territoriesare horrifying and unjust. We are grateful for the well-being of Dr. Adwan andYara in surviving these traumatic events and pledge to continue in our effortsto prepare our graduates to take their place as ethical leaders in fosteringshared values, moral principles and dedication to serving the commongood."

As reported in the media and by theUnited Nations, there appears to be an increase in the number of Palestinianswho are being attacked by groups of Israeli settlers. The United Nations andother international human rights and aid organizations report that more than500,000 Israeli settlers, many of whom are armed, occupy the West Bank and EastJerusalem.

Please continue to keep us in yourprayers.

Blessings to you,

Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD
Vice President for Development
jcurran@bethlehem.edu

Bethlehem University in the HolyLand
Rue des Freres
Bethlehem - Palestine
Tel: +972-2-274-1241
Fax: +972-2-274-4440
www.bethlehem.edu

Israelis discriminate against non-Jews at Washington DC hotel

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

CAIR: Muslim Sues D.C. Hotel Over Bias During Israeli Delegation’s Stay

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/29/11) –- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today filed a lawsuit against a Washington, D.C., hotel on behalf of a Muslim employee who says he faced discrimination after he was barred from carrying out his duties on floors occupied last year by a visiting Israeli delegation.
To read the entire lawsuit, click here.
SEE ALSO: Muslims Criticize Handling of Israelis' Stay at D.C. Hotel (Wash. Post)
In its suit filed in U.S. District Court for the District Of Columbia against the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) alleges that in December of 2010, the American citizen of Moroccan heritage was forbidden to go to the 8th or 9th floors of the hotel because an Israeli delegation was staying there.
He was reportedly barred from those floors despite the fact that he had previously undergone an FBI background check and had carried out his duties for other foreign delegations and dignitaries, including former American presidents.
“No American should be treated differently or face discrimination by an employer because of his or her race, religion or national origin,” said CAIR Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili.
According to the suit, when the Muslim employee asked why he was barred from those floors, he was told by a supervisor, “You know how the Israelis are with Arabs and Muslims.” Another hotel supervisor allegedly stated that “the Israeli delegation does not want to be served by Defendant’s Muslim employees and that Defendant accommodates this preference because it does not want to lose the Israeli delegation as clients.”
The suit also alleges that hotel supervisors believed the Muslim employee “would particularly pose a problem for the Israeli delegation, because if they encountered him, members of the delegation would easily be able to see his name -- Mohamed -- written on his employee nametag.”
After the Muslim worker’s colleagues learned of the restrictions the hotel had placed on his duties, several of them ridiculed him as a potential terrorist, “poking him in the stomach to feign checking his body for explosives.”
CAIR’s suit also alleges that the hotel retaliated against the employee for complaining about the discriminatory treatment.
The lawsuit seeks diversity training for hotel employees, back pay for the Muslim worker, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and an order requiring the hotel to adopt a non-discrimination and retaliation policy and to establish an effective mechanism for receiving and responding to complaints of discrimination and retaliation.
CAIR offers a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," to help employers gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the workplace.
SEE: An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
Subscribe to CAIR's E-Mail List
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel

- END –

CONTACT: CAIR Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili, 540-514-2093, E-Mail:nalkhalili@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com