Ameen Rihani

Representatives Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia) and Charles Boustany (R-Louisiana) introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring the life of Arab American writer Ameen Rihani (1876–1940) and celebrating 100 years of the Arab American novel.

The resolution elaborates Rihani’s role in educating the American public about the Arab world at the turn of the century and describes his vision of a cooperative relationship between Arabs and Americans that emerged after his travels through the Arabian Peninsula in the 1920s. Rihani’s 1911 novel, The Book of Khalid, tells an extraordinary story of migration from Baalbek, Lebanon to Washington Street in Lower Manhattan. Washington Street was the home away from home for many Arab Americans.

We need you to help this resolution pass. Please urge your Member of Congress to co-sponsor House Resolution 608 honoring Rihani.


While you’re at it, please take a look at Save Washington Street, the effort to save what is left of Little Syria. So many of our ancestors walked along Washington Street. We need to preserve what remains for the next generations.

Free Oud Concert

Our concert by The Oud Hobbyists Association

Wednesday, April 25, 6:00 pm

Free, no tickets needed

Millennium Stage
Kennedy Center
Washington

Religion and Conflict in the Middle East - Capitol Hill Briefing

Religion and Conflict in the Middle East

The Arab American Institute is hosting a Capitol Hill briefing on the current situation of religious minorities in the Middle East.
11:30am – 1:00pm (lunch will be served), Wednesday, April 11.

1539 Longworth House Office Building, Washington

If you cannot make it to Washington, you can watch the event on the web by tuning in to AAI's livestream channel

After more than a thousand years of relatively peaceful co-existence, religious communities in the Middle East are increasingly threatened as a result of recent conflicts and political developments. The on-going violence in Iraq, Syria, and Palestine has created significant refugee outflows, particularly from targeted religious and ethnic communities including Christians, Sufis, and others. Can the trend be reversed?

Join the discussion this Wednesday.

Father Simon Faddoul – President, Caritas Foundation
Qamar-ul Huda – Senior Program Officer, US Institute of Peace
Dr. James Zogby – President, Arab American Institute

Fr. Simon Faddoul is the President of Caritas Lebanon, a Catholic Relief charity assisting Iraqi and Syrian refugees seeking refuge in Lebanon. Fr. Faddoul has had a distinguished career in the Maronite Church of Lebanon and he holds a Doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of Cincinnati. He is also Pastor of the parish of Jal Eldib-Bkennaya, Lebanon.
Qamar-ul Huda is a Senior Program Officer in the Religion and Peacemaking Center and a scholar of Islam at US Institute of Peace. His edited USIP book, The Crescent and Dove: Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam, provides a critical analysis of models of nonviolent strategies, peace building efforts, conflict resolution methods in Muslim communities. His research is on comparative Sunni-Shi’ite interpretations of social justice, ethics, dialogue, and the ways in which the notion of justice is used and appropriated.
Dr. James Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute, a Washington-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. Since 1985, Dr. Zogby and AAI have led Arab American efforts to secure political empowerment in the US. He is the author of Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why it Matters.

Please rsvp to Samer Araabi, Government Relations Manager – Foreign Policy at saraabi@aaiusa.org or 202.652.4984

American Task Force for Lebanon

Two years ago, the American Task Force for Lebanon received a challenge from the US Department of State - raise money for cluster munitions clearance in South Lebanon and the State Department will match it 2 for 1. The ATFL raised over $100,000 to trigger the maximum State Department match of $200,000.

Now, the State Department has another challenge - raise money and the State Department will match up to $50,000. This time, the money will be used not for clearance, but for assisting victims of exploded remnants of war in Lebanon. This campaign is a partnership among the ATFL, the State Department, the Marshall Legacy Institute, and the Embassy of Lebanon.

H.E. Antoine Chedid, Lebanon’s Ambassador to the US, said: “My country has acquired a great deal of expertise in clearing unexploded ordnance and dealing with injuries from landmines and cluster bomblets. Lebanon has the doctors, therapists, and technicians to care for and rehabilitate these people, but the Lebanese organizations that do this work often lack the resources. Foreign donor countries and NGOs, such as the American Task Force for Lebanon and the Marshall Legacy Institute, are truly filling a real need in this regard.”

Your generous donation will support two programs that survivors desperately need:

Medical assistance:
• Prosthetic limbs, limb fittings, and rehabilitative care for up to 30 Lebanese explosive remnants of war survivors
• Wheelchairs, walkers, and additional equipment
• Transportation for survivors for limb fittings and rehab sessions

Computer literacy training:
• Computer vocational training course for 60-120 mine/explosive remnants of war survivors
• Internet connectivity, computer instructors, supplies
• Transportation for computer class participants

Your contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more will change the lives and make productive the Lebanese civilians injured by landmines, cluster bomblets, and other exploded remnants of war.

ADC Alumni

ADC Intern Alumni -- One of the most important things you can do in strengthening and growing the ADC is to remain in contact with other ADC alumni. There are more than 500 of you!

The ADC is calling on all of you to participate in the newly-formed ADC Intern Alumni group which was established to serve as a resource to help connect you with fellow alumni and the entire ADC community. They count on support from friends like you to achieve their mission, so please let them hear from you.

It’s application time for the 2012 intern class. Please talk with students and recent grads you come in contact with and discuss the opportunities of the ADC intern program.

Email lmokhiber@adc.org with your name and contact info along with the semester/year you interned. You can also join the group on Facebook.

A reunion for all former interns is already in the works! More info to follow.

ADC summer interns in Washington

There have been more than 500 students who have participated in the Anthony Shadid Internship program in the past 31 years, Students gain practical training in community organizing, media relations, research and writing, legal issues, political action, educational outreach, and routine office while working alongside the ADC professional staff. The first few weeks of the summer program are centered on the annual ADC Convention which will be taking place June 21-24, 2012.

Qualifications

Candidates must have completed at least one year of college. They can be undergraduates, recent graduates, or graduate and law students. Interns must be or become ADC members -- student memberships are available at a discounted rate.

Summer internships are available in the following departments:
• Government Relations
• Legal
• Communication and Outreach
• Organizing
• President’s Office
• ADC Women's Initiative

Up to 15 internships are available this year at the national office. Interns are expected to work full-time during the eleven week program (early May to early August). There is a possible $1,500 stipend for undergraduates and $2,000 for graduate students. Those who receive course credit are not eligible for a stipend.

Applications for summer internships with the Legal Department are due by March 15. Later applications will be considered, but early applicants will be given priority.

What You Need to Apply

• Completed application form
• Resume
• Academic transcript
• Two letters of recommendation
• Two-page personal statement about your goals as an ADC intern and how your academic, professional, or campus and community activities or career goals are related to the position you requested.

Mail competed applications to:

Anthony Shadid Internship Program
ADC Research Institute
1732 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20007

If you have any questions, contact (202) 244-2990 or email adc@adc.org