Merry Christmas from Times Square- from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) which was founded in 1980 in response to stereotyping, defamation, and discrimination directed against Americans of Arab origin.

New York Times Square!   https://x.com/adc

 

Merry Christmas from Times Square! From all of us at the @adc family!

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 https://adc.org/ 

In 1980, Senator James George Abourezk founded the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in response to stereotyping, defamation, and discrimination directed against Americans of Arab origin.

ADC is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the U.S. We defend civil and human rights, fight discrimination, promote understanding of Arab history and culture, and partner across communities to advance social justice.

Billboard published after Pope Francis’ passing praising his Palestinian solidarity.

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

Every person in the U.S., including students, workers, immigrants, and protesters, has the right to speak freely, peacefully assemble, and challenge injustice.

Our Issues

Since 1980, the ADC Legal Department has worked to simultaneously address a consistently heavy caseload and serve as a staunch advocate for the rights of Arab Americans on a number of salient policy issues. See a few of our key issues and information below:

• 

  Hate Crimes

  Report incidents and access support to protect yourself and your community.
• 

  Immigration

  Get guidance on delays, detention risks, and filing assistance. Know your rights.
• 

  Israel Travel Experience

  Share your entry and exit experience to help document discriminatory treatment.
• 

  Surveillance and Profiling

  Understand your rights and how to challenge unlawful surveillance or profiling.
• 

  Violent Extremism

  Learn how ADC counters harmful CVE policies that target our communities.
• 

  Voting Rights

  Know your voting rights and how to report problems at the polls.

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

ADC: American Arabs on Pope Francis "WHILE WORLD LEADERS REMAINED SILENT, HE NAMED THE TRUTH: THERE IS A GENOCIDE IN GAZA, AND THE WORLD MUST STOP LOOKING AWAY"

ADC National

@adc

ADC mourns the passing of Pope Francis, a global voice for the oppressed, a truth-teller on Palestine, and a moral leader who never flinched in the face of power. His legacy lives on in our fight for justice.

To our Arab Christian sisters and brothers, to Christians everywhere, and to all people of faith who seek to uphold the true intentions of faith

News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2025
media@adc.org 

Washington, D.C. | Yesterday, millions of Arab Christians celebrated Easter with Christians across the world. We offer warm greetings to those who recently celebrated. For centuries, the vital presence of Arab Christians, whose devotion to peace, justice, and compassion has long enriched both the Middle East and the global community. Despite a common misconception, Arab Christians constitute a vibrant and integral part of our shared heritage, underscoring the diversity that has long been a hallmark of the Arab world.

Unfortunately, Arab Christians, along with other religious minorities in the Middle East, are targeted for how they worship or who they are. In what should be a time of celebration in Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity, Arab Christians are under constant bombardment from Israel. The historic Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City—one of the world’s oldest Christian churches—was bombed on October 19, 2023, killing 18 displaced civilians sheltering inside. Many Christians have sought refuge in the few remaining churches, relying on them for basic necessities and a measure of safety. Before the genocide, Gaza’s Christian population numbered around 2,000, mostly Greek Orthodox. Sadly, that number continues to dwindle as deaths and displacement mount.

Israel has destroyed over 200 cultural and historical sites, and more than 340 mosques—among them the iconic 700-year-old Great Omari Mosque. At least three churches have also been severely damaged, including St. Porphyrius Church itself. At least 16 cemeteries have been desecrated. And Christians across the Middle East face similar threats, with key sites damaged in attacks that further endanger this small yet longstanding community.

While many Christian leaders and groups in the U.S. justify the genocide, Pope Francis, who passed away earlier today, made nightly calls to Gaza’s Christian community from the onset of the genocide, boldly amplifying their voices when much of the world looked away. We mourn his loss, as his persistent stand against the ongoing oppression of Christians in Palestine—and of all those enduring occupation and violence—remains a testament to moral courage.

ADC calls on all world leaders to protect religious minorities by condemning violence against any faith community and holding perpetrators accountable, ensuring that no one is targeted for how they worship or who they are.

In this spirit, ADC remains devoted to our mission, urging those in power to reject genocide, end cycles of violence, and protect the dispossessed. May hope and resilience guide us forward as we strive for the day when every community—regardless of creed—can celebrate in peace. 

https://adc.org/pope-francis/

ADC National

@adc

“He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities… and by his bruises we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5 This verse speaks of a suffering servant — one who bears the wounds of injustice to bring peace and healing. Easter isn’t just about resurrection — it’s about resurrection through suffering. And nowhere is that more alive today than in Palestine — the land of Christ’s birth, life, and death. As Palestinian Christians face relentless attacks — churches destroyed, worshipers displaced — we witness a people whose faith refuses to die. No nation shows the power of resurrection, the depth of hope, and the endurance of love more than Palestine. This is the true meaning of faith. This is the true message of Easter. #EasterInPalestine

https://adc.org/

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) As Palestinian Christians face relentless attacks — churches destroyed, worshipers displaced — we witness a people whose faith refuses to die. No nation shows the power of resurrection, the depth of hope, and the endurance of love more than Palestine. This is the true meaning of faith. This is the true message of Easter.

 

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

esoopnrdtSch5c0i90175i7luacm2010lgghglaul03mm0t8u1m20uh686ii  ·

“He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities… and by his bruises we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5

 

This verse speaks of a suffering servant — one who bears the wounds of injustice to bring peace and healing.

 

Easter isn’t just about resurrection — it’s about resurrection through suffering. And nowhere is that more alive today than in Palestine — the land of Christ’s birth, life, and death.

 

As Palestinian Christians face relentless attacks — churches destroyed, worshipers displaced — we witness a people whose faith refuses to die.

 

No nation shows the power of resurrection, the depth of hope, and the endurance of love more than Palestine.

 

This is the true meaning of faith.

 

This is the true message of Easter.

 

#EasterInPalestine

Decades of spying and repression: the anti-Palestinian origins of American Islamophobia - It’s often assumed that Islamophobia is the driving force behind US anti-Palestinian bigotry. In fact, it’s the other way around

 "In 1985, a series of linked bombings targeted the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which advocated prominently for Palestine. The organization’s Boston office was bombed, injuring two people, and later that year, Alex Odeh, the west coast director, was killed when a pipe bomb exploded as he opened the door to his office. Two suspects in Odeh’s assassination, associated with the Kahanist Jewish Defense League, fled to Israel, where they have since lived openly in West Bank settlements. One of them, Andy Green (who now goes by Baruch Ben-Yosef), has also been identified as a lead civilian organizer of recent protests blocking humanitarian aid shipments into Gaza."

‘Anti-Palestinianism manifested into a generalized anti-Arab racism, which only later – especially after 9/11– morphed into the more widespread Islamophobia.’ Illustration: Mona Chalabi/The Guardian

Moustafa Bayoumi with illustrations by Mona Chalabi

Thu 23 May 2024 08.00 EDT

Last modified on Thu 23 May 2024 15.04 EDT

One evening last Thanksgiving weekend, three 20-year-old Palestinian college students were strolling around Burlington, Vermont, when they were suddenly gunned down by a stranger. One of the victims, Hisham Awartani, is now paralyzed from the waist down. Since they were wearing keffiyehs and speaking Arabic and English, speculation ran high that the young men had been victims of an Islamophobic attack.

The BBC noted that the attack “comes as the US deals with a surge in Islamophobia and antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Gaza war”. Vermont’s Middlebury College described the shooting as evidence of “a marked increase in Islamophobic acts on American campuses and beyond”. A White House statement mentioned how “far too many people live with the fear that they could be targeted and attacked based on their beliefs or who they are”.

But that’s not how Elizabeth Price, the mother of Awartani, seemed to understand the attack. She told WNYC radio that she had raised three children in the West Bank, where children routinely encounter Israeli state and settler violence, and she never believed Hisham would be targeted in the US. In the US, she said, she thought he “would be somewhere safe … I had not realized that to be Palestinian is to be unsafe... READ MORE      https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/may/23/islamophobia-us-palestine-history 

  [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

His name is Wadie Al Fayoume. He was just killed- murdered at the age of 6 for being Palestinian and Muslim in America... Stabbed 26 times in his Chicago area home.

His name Wadie Al Fayoume. Killed at the age of 6 for being Palestinian and Muslim. Stabbed 26 times in his Chicago area home.

Abed A. Ayoub

@aayoub

His name Wadie Al Fayoume. Killed at the age of 6 for being Palestinian and Muslim. Stabbed 26 times in his Chicago area home. 

 

The Administration, elected officials, and the media for the past week have ignored Palestinians, and sold the general public lie after lie. 

 

Day after day we warned about the uptick in hate crimes, and how hate rhetoric will lead to hate violence. 

 

When @sarasidnerCNN goes live on air on @cnn  and pushes a debunked lie of beheaded babies, what do you think will happen? 

 

When networks give airtime to racist Israeli leaders to demonize our people, and push the talking points of a right-wing foreign government, this is the result. 

 

You have vilified the entire population of Arabs. 

 

This didn't have to happen. 

 

The sad reality is that it may happen again.

President Hosts Arab American Meeting Ahead of Middle East Trip

Today, President Obama met with Arab American community leaders in advance of his trip to the Middle East.

We are pleased to have shared with President Obama our recommendations for the vital message that he should convey to the Palestinian people.  Today’s meeting was an important opportunity for Arab Americans to share our views, and continue to serve as a bridge between the US and the Arab World.

Our meeting underscored the President's recognition of the importance of our community's contributions to discussions of policy in the region.

The United States, through sustained, balanced, constructive engagement, can facilitate a peaceful, lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--a resolution that is essential to long-term security in the Middle East. We thank President Obama for engaging Arab American leaders in this critical dialog, and we look forward to using this meeting as a springboard for robust ongoing conversations on US policy in the Middle East.


American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Federation of Ramallah Palestine
American Task Force for Palestine
Arab American Institute

ADC Supplements NY Times Report on Tax-Exempt Funds Aiding Illegal Settlements

ADC Supplements NY Times Report on Tax-Exempt Funds Aiding Illegal Settlements

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | July 6, 2010 | ADC welcomes the NY Times article, which reemphasizes ADC's on-going campaign in addressing the role American NGO's play in funding illegal Israeli settlements. The article titled, "Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in West Bank," highlighted the issue of American non-profit organizations (NGO's) funding illegal settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The full article can be read here.

Although the article is fair and balanced, there are more components pertaining to the legality of the issue, which supplement the claims raised by the NY Times. Two key points not mentioned at length in the article are the engagement of the NGO's in discriminatory practices and deceptive fundraising. Research by ADC has uncovered that these NGO's are engaged in discriminatory practices by funding projects and activities which cannot be used by Palestinians. Such discriminatory practices are against American public policy, and NGO's are prohibited from engaging in such activity as described in the US Supreme Court Case of Bob Jones University v. The United States. In the case, the High Court agreed that the IRS can disqualify organizations that act contrary to public policy from receiving tax-exempt status from the federal government. The court upheld the IRS's disqualification of Bob Jones University as a tax-exempt organization, despite its educational mission, because its racially discriminatory practices were found to be contrary to public policy.

Further, many American NGO's are engaging in deceptive fundraising. These organizations solicit donations by claiming they are raising funds for things such as "educational purposes" or "community development" when in reality the funds are used in some cases for the purchase of weapons and paramilitary material. Deceptive fundraising can lead to an organization losing its 501(c)(3) status, as well as possible criminal actions against those perpetrating the fraud.

The article attempts to distinguish between "outposts" and "settlements;" however, it is ADC's position that there is no difference between the two, as both are illegal under international law and amount to a continuous and unjust occupation of the OPT. Any peace agreement must include the immediate freeze and dismantlement of all settlements.

ADC has been engaging with a broad range of coalition partners in addressing the issue of illegal funding of settlements. Over the past year, ADC has filed numerous complaints with the Department of Treasury against organizations believed to be in violation of their 501(c)(3) status.

Prior releases about ADC's work on this matter:

March 2009 release

August 2009 release

January 2010 release

ADC will continue looking into American NGO's funding of illegal settlement activity, and hopes to file more complaints in the very near future.

For more information about the campaign, please contact the ADC Legal Department by calling 202-244-2990 or via e-mail to aayoub@adc.org.

###

Contact: legal@adc.org

202-244-2990

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.

ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI) | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-333-3980 | E-mail: media@adc.org

ADC Thanks Ms. Helen Thomas for Legendary Service

http://www.adc.org/media/press-releases/2010/june-2010/adc-thanks-ms-helen-thomas-for-legendary-service/

ADC Thanks Ms. Helen Thomas for Legendary Service

Washington, DC | June 9, 2010 | www.adc.org | Helen Thomas, 89, Dean of the White House Press Corp, and lauded as a "Pioneer Journalist" and Trailblazer for female journalists," apologized for her May 27, 2010, response when she was asked "Any comments on Israel...?" and she responded "Tell them to get the [] out of Palestine." Upon further prodding, Ms. Thomas stated that "Remember these people are occupied and it's their land..." and those who are the occupiers should "...go home" to "Poland, Germany...And America and everywhere else."

In her apology, Ms. Thomas wrote: "I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heartfelt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) thanks Ms. Thomas for her legendary service, and acknowledges Ms. Thomas' apology. ADC believes that Ms. Thomas should be judged on her "50-plus years of probing journalism, and not on a 30-second sound bite," as stated by Mr. Zool Zulkowitz, who represents American Jews defending Ms. Thomas. Mr. Zulkowitz further said that, "We are clear what Helen Thomas meant to say, which is that Israel should cease its occupation of Palestine..." And, as Mr. Paul Jay wrote: "Not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism...Helen Thomas' isn't."

As President Obama recognized in his historic address in Cairo on June 4, 2009, the Palestinian people - Muslims and Christians - have endured the pain of dislocation for more than 60 years. "Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations - large and small - that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable ..."

It is our hope that other journalists would rise in Ms. Thomas' place and espouse her courage in asking the hard questions. As Ms. Katrina Vanden Heuvel wrote yesterday in the Washington Post: "...isn't there room for someone who made a mistake, apologized and wants to continue speaking truth to power and asking tough questions?" We certainly hope so. We also hope that we will continue to celebrate Ms. Thomas' lifetime of courageous, frontline journalism; and that she will not be intimidated by the recent hateful accusations or deterred from her insightful questioning and reporting.

###

Contact: Sara Najjar-Wilson, President

media@adc.org

202-244-2990

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.

ADC Commemorates al-Nakba: 62 Years of Palestinian Dispossession (1948 - 2010)

ADC Commemorates al-Nakba: 62 Years of Palestinian Dispossession (1948 - 2010)

On May 15, Palestinians across the world mourn al-Nakba, the destruction of historic Palestine and the massive displacement of Palestinians by Israeli forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Al-Nakba was not a singular event; displacement continues to this day affecting thousands of Palestinians throughout the Middle East. There are approximately seven million Palestinian refugees and 450,000 internally displaced persons, representing 70% of the entire Palestinian population worldwide (9.8 million).[i]

Internal displacement continues, unabated, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced as a result of the building of the wall, home demolition, and eviction orders. The threat of displacement hangs over those who remain.

Similar patterns of forced displacement are found in Israel, where urban development plans for the exclusive benefit of Jewish communities are displacing indigenous Palestinian communities in places like Naqab (Negev) and Galilee.

More recently on March 9, 2010, the Netanyahu government approved the development of 1,600 new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem, a policy condemned by the U.S. This development will forcibly displace several families from their land.

Palestinian refugees in host countries are also vulnerable to forced displacement. For instance, as a result of the U.S. led invasion of Iraq, persecution has forced over half of the approximately 34,000 Palestinian refugees residing in Iraq to leave the country. Additionally, over 31,000 people were displaced from Nahr al-Bared camp in Lebanon in 2007, and most have not been able to return. Palestinians constitute the largest and most protracted refugee situation in the world.

Sixty three years after their initial forced displacement from their homeland, Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons still lack access to voluntary durable solutions and reparations -- which include return, restitution, and compensation -- based on international law and UN resolutions.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is mandated to provide assistance to 1948 Palestinian refugees, and on an emergency and temporary basis to1967 Palestinian refugees and to those displaced as a result of subsequent hostilities. UNRWA faces many difficulties in implementing its mandate due to funding shortages and armed conflicts in the region, in particular Israel's military occupation.

ADC is committed to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Any peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict requires the following: The dismantlement of the Israeli Wall which is being constructed through the illegal annexation of Palestinian lands; the cessation and dismantlement of settlements; an end to the collective punishment imposed on the Palestinian population as a result of Israeli occupation policies; the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state; and the upholding of the right of return of the Palestinian refugees under international law. ADC will continue to advocate the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom, equality and self-determination in an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

For more information visit www.badil.org and www.adc.org/organizing/2009-resolutions

---

[i] Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights

###

Contact: media@adc.org

202-244-2990

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.

ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI) | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-333-3980 | E-mail: media@adc.org