Reports of the Hamas police grabbing young men from the streets of Gaza to give them a haircut have been making the rounds. This practice is foreign to the Palestinian experience and most local human rights have spoken out against such an invasion of privacy and...

Bassem Youssef, the famous host of an Egyptian satire news show, is being sued. Bassem is no hero of mine, and there are countless others who share my view. Facebook is riddled with pages and groups who declare their lack of affection for Bassem...

In the not too distant past when I went to visit my family, they would ask me to bring them some gifts from the United States. They all look forward to bragging about having something from America -- other than something that blew up their home. I love to bring...

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have...

On Facebook, I spotted pictures of my older sister Hannah in the forefront of a peaceful protest to promote national unity and offer political prisoners some support and encouragement, as a large number of them are on a hunger strike. It was a surprise to me, because when I left...

A few days ago, a homeless man walked into my office and grabbed my smartphone -- he snuck it in his jacket and as he walked away thanked me for some reason. A few minutes later, I learned he had stolen my phone. I hope he gets arrested for his...

Ever since the embarrassing loss of the 2012 elections, the GOP is wondering how they can win over minority voters. I feel that they are genuine and well meaning in their quest to widen their base and attract those voters who have traditional sided with the Democrats.

Yet when the...

Members of Congress and the president are working toward giving illegal immigrants a legal status. But what will it take for an immigrant 'illegals' or otherwise to becoming an American?

In 2000, I left the Gaza Strip and came to the United States for education. I left our...

Arabic music does not often come to America, and when it does, it is usually in the form of pop songs that have little appeal to the casual American listener. Yet Arab music is a perfect tool to build bridges of understanding and appreciation. As someone who has taught Arabic...

My two-year-old nephew Omar had been confined to a small apartment with six other screaming children and their families since Israel began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Shortly after a cease-fire was announced on Wednesday, he and his parents returned to our family home in Bait Lahia. My mother,...

My mom is the matriarch of our family. She is the family's central bank and the great mother and a grandmother you would want for your own kids. While Israel was waging its war on the civilians in Gaza, my mother Fatema was busy keeping her 30 grandchildren...

The anti-Islam film responsible for provoking protests across the Muslim world over recently was, to say the least, a bad idea. This is a project with a lot of vile motivations behind it that must be uncovered. At the same time, violence as a response to a film is certainly...

So now that I have passed my driving test and feel that I have practiced enough to consider buying a car, I have to wrestle with what kind of car to buy. My wife and I live in the city, so a small car seems the sensible way to go....

To be sure, I wish we Muslims could shed our tendency to get so worked up over the things that offend us. Rage can be used against us and it certainly can be used to harm others among us. If we get upset every time a moron makes a vile...

The Muslim holiday of Eid is almost upon us (this Sunday by most accounts), marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims abstain from many things including food and drinks from dawn to sunset. Eid is the day we no longer have to fast and we can...

I am going to try to keep this blog post just about fish.

When I was in Gaza in the summer of 2009, my parents took my fiance-at-the-time and me to a fish restaurant on the outskirts of Gaza City. My family home did not have power then, and my...

On Thursday, June 21, 2012, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) will hold its annual Convention in the heart of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. Members and friends from across the United States will attend and participate in the four-day event. Convention goers attend each year and are expected to get...

When I was in Gaza, I was amazed with how local family councils were able to establish rules and handle situations that some of us in the United States might expect the state or police to deal with. Each family in Gaza has an elder who represents them, speaks on...

Pranks are popular in the Arab world, and they are often known by the name "Hidden Camera". Egypt is often the best place to pull such stunts, as their people have an unmatched sense of humor in the Arab world. But in most Arab countries, filming such a show might...

I called my older brother Mazin the other day, but he was not at home. I learned that due to the power shortage in our town, he has been spending more time at his workplace. They have a generator, and thus he can utilize actual electric light bulbs there. Most...