Ihsan Alkhatib

 From left Former FBI director John Bell, former US attorney Jeff Collins, Imad Hamad, recognized for their BRIDGES involvement. In the picture is current US attorney Barbara L. McQuade The Reasons They Piled on Imad Hamad and ADC: Dialogue with the U.S. Government, Opening Up to the Gulf A who’s who of “progressive” and “leftist” Arab American activists piled on Mr. Imad Hamad, the former Michigan regional director of the American Arab anti- Discrimination Committee (ADC), with unexpected viciousness. In hindsight, it is expected viciousness. For many reasons - reasons that have nothing to do with the stale harassment claims, the 15- year- old claim of Rashida and the 8- year- old claim of Rana- or Rashida Tlaib and Rana Abbas. There are two key reasons for this viciousness- one domestic and one international. “Sin” # 1: Dialogue with the Government The domestic reason is the engagement and dialogue with the government that Imad Hamad adopt...

Former ADC President Sara Najjar-Wilson Former ADC regional director Mr. Imad Hamad     An “Open Letter” to MR. IMAD S. HAMAD        December 4, 2013     Dear Imad,   It is my understanding that on November 22, 2013, you retired as Senior National Advisor of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Regional Director of ADC-Michigan.    It is regrettable that your retirement occurred on the 50 th Anniversary of the assassination of President john F.   Kennedy.   As you probably also know, November 22 is also the date of Lebanon’s Independence Day.   Accordingly, it is with heartfelt sadness that I find myself writing you this thank you letter, but (at the same time) maintaining a sense of hope that you will now have the independence and freedom to continue serving the community at large in some other capacity.   For the entire time that I have known you...

Prince Al Walid Bin Talal     Prince Al Walid Bin Talal is a half Saudi, half Lebanese billionaire. That’s enough for the "leftists"[who knows what it means in today's Lebanon] Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper to dislike him.   They have the right to dislike him. However, they don’t have the right to misrepresent his views and in doing so add to Sunni-Shia tensions that are already at sky high levels.   al-Akhbar accused the prince of speaking in the name of all Sunnis. He never claimed that and he cannot claim it. They claimed that he spoke in the name of the Sunnis advocating cooperating with Israel against Iran and the Shia.   The prince is a highly successful businessman. He did not become this successful and rich by dwelling on sectarian issues. He merely provided a descriptive picture of the unfortunate reality in the Muslim world. Anyone who peruses Gallup survey numbers and PEW numbers knows that what the prince sai...

        The Imad Hamad and the ADC Saga* The Lack of Credibility of Rashida Tlaib and Rana Abbas   On Rashida Tlaib Nothing to Smile About: Rashida Tlaib, Sexual Harassment, and ADC   Imagine this. You feel that you were wronged by an organization. You wait 15 years to come forward with your grievance. You feel that you are wronged and you have waited too long because it is too painful to come forward and you are fearful of the stigma and the reaction you would get from your Arab and Muslim community. But in pursuing what you feel is justice you end up undoing years of the work of well-meaning people who had nothing to do with that perceived wrong. Normally you would feel torn. It's a serious matter, isn't it? How do you seek justice while not inflicting injustice? Many things- but cracking a huge smile to the camera while pursuing your “justice” mission is not one of them. The smile communicates all the wro...

      Longtime Community leader and ADC regional director Imad Hamad Retires Palestinian American Attorney Fatina Abdrabboh New ADC Regional Director A New Chapter for ADC Michigan           Below is The Forum and Link's news item that appeared on November 26, 2013 on the topic of the retirement of Mr. Imad Hamad from ADC.              Imad Hamad Retires, Abdrabboh Assumes Leadership of   ADC Michigan     The Forum and Link newspaper, the staff and the writers, thank Mr. Imad Hamad for 17 years of distinguished service of the American Arab anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and the community. Throughout these years Mr. Hamad built ADC Michigan, with limited resources and in the face of pushback from other community and parochial organizations, into a formidable presence in Michigan. Under his visionary leadership ADC esta...

News publisher Osama Siblani                      Paper’s Headline: Hamad “leaves” and Abdrabboh to “head local chapter” After months of immense pressure, of a coordinated smear campaign of Imad Hamad and the American Arab anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Imad Hamad retired. The ADC appointed attorney Fatina Abdrabboh, a Palestinian American attorney as the new ADC regional director. The Orchestrated Campaign of Osama Siblani and the “Arab American” News Many things are still not clear about the agenda and the motivations of the accusers and their supporters. However, to many people, including myself, one thing is crystal clear: The "Arab American" News and its publisher Osama Siblani played a major role in the crusade against Imad Hamad and ADC. From day one Osama Siblani claimed that ADC “dropped the ball on us” and that ADC has a “credibility problem.”   See ...

    Dr. Imad Salamey       Interview with LAU’s Dr. Imad Salamey The Government and Politics of Lebanon*   Interviewed by Ihsan Alkhatib, PhD Dr. Imad Salamey, a professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon has written a textbook on the politics of Lebanon, The Government and Politics of Lebanon. Dr. Salamey is a former resident of the Detroit area. The Forum and Link (F & L) interviewed Dr. Salamey via email regarding his book and the political situation in Lebanon. Below are excerpts. -F & L: Thank you Dr. Salamey for doing the interview and congratulations on your new book. Tell the reader a little bit about yourself. Salamey: I am an associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Lebanese American University (LAU), President of the Center for Arab Research and Development (CARD), and Executive Board Member of the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Security and...

Rana Abbas's head, Imad Hamad's hat       Below is my response to the “Cease and Desist” Letter of Mr. Youmans. I have added subheadings that were not in the original letter for ease of reading.   Dear Mr. Youmans: I am writing in response to your Cease and Desist letter sent by email to my work email. Please have all future communication sent to [Personal address and email removed] And since I have a PhD please address me as Dr. Alkhatib.   On Rana Abbas- Nothing Personal As you are probably aware, I have nothing personal against your client Rana Abbas. I have known Rana since 2001 and we considered ourselves good friends until this unfortunate ADC crisis. Our relationship took a nosedive due to the Imad Hamad and ADC matter that she was involved with. I admit that in questioning her story, challenging her credibility, her timing and her motivations I have written entries that are unflattering to her that may reasonably cause her ...