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ADC & The Dismal State of Arab-American Organizations
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THE DISMAL STATE OF ARAB-AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS
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MER - Washington - 6/12/97
     ADC, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, now holding its annual convention in Washington and the largest of the Arab-American organizations, has essentially sold its sole to survive.
     The Arab Ambassadors and friends in Washington have purchased it at firesale pricing. And the trade-off is quite simple -- ADC stays alive but impotent and controlled; funding provided at the price of ADC not involving itself in anything politically serious or controversial -- precisely the things a serious, sophisticated, and independent Arab American voice is so desperately needed for in Washington.
     All that kind of important stuff is to be left to the despicable Jim Zogby at the Arab American Institute (AAI) and the pathetically weak Khalil Jahshan at the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA) -- two of the various kept women of the Arab establishment in Washington trotted out whenever someone is needed to speak to the press, escort some royalty or diplomat around town, of host one of those well-catered but disingenuous lunches.
     There's much more that needs to be and deserves to be said about this miserable state of affairs. And of course what's really involved here is how the weak and scared American-sponsored "client- regimes" of the Arab region make sure they keep Arab-Americans in their places and in their pockets -- controlling their organizations, determining who will speak to the press on their behalf, and propagandizing them with Saudi-sponsored cable TV (ANA).
     At the moment though, by way of background, this article from a couple of years ago. Incidentally, when copies of it were printed by some Arab Americans and left in the public areas of the hotel where ADC was meeting two years ago, the police were called to make
sure the article was confiscated and those distributing it ushered away.]
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A R A B - A M E R I C A N   Fantasies Collapsing
ADC almost closed... NAAA hardly exists... AAI despised...
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[Washington - 3/20/95]
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In reality there are no serious Arab-American organizations...no matter what you read in their newsletters or they say on Saudi-owned Middle East TV. Read on.
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Among the many misconceptions about contemporary Washington is that there actually are real Arab-American organizations with even a modicum of serious cultural or political clout to oppose the panoply of American Jewish groups that collectively make up the very potent "Israeli-Jewish lobby".
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There are many reasons for this situation of course; but at the end of the day the actual predicament is that those in the Arab-American community have nowhere to turn when it comes to effective and worthwhile organizational representation, especially when the issues are American foreign policy, anything relating to the Palestinians, or the corrupt regimes that control the Arab world.
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Just as the Middle East itself is saddled with a variety of corrupt and repressive monarchies and dictatorial regimes -- nearly all of which were imposed on the region and are maintained in place by Western manipulation and intrigue -- so contemporary Washington is littered with groups claiming but lacking legitimacy, following, programs, or most crucially, independence.
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Just as the Middle East itself has despised and incompetent "client regimes" in place -- explaining of course how some 200 million Arabs remain dominated by less than 5 million Israeli Jews -- here in Washington something similar is the micro case with the organizations that do exist in reality being "client organizations". It is precisely this long-time "client" status, of course, that has rendered these groups unresponsive, lethargic, and impotent, when it comes to the real concerns of those they claim to represent.
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The tragic reality of the situation is that of the various "client organizations" that exist, none has any serious impact on any weighty matters, and all are far more image than substance. Furthermore, they are all propped up by status quo overseas interests supportive of the "client regimes" that control the Middle East, all incompetent to get anything serious done, all on the make looking for one supporter or another at practically any cost and all too willing to alter their stripes to accommodate anyone who might back them.
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But even the term "client organizations"...obviously a take-off from the existence of "client regimes" throughout the Arab world....is actually considerable overstated, admittedly for dramatic impact. For even the former paymasters and patrons don't want to be bothered with these organizations anymore now that the "new world order" is upon us and a U.S.-Israeli-Client Regimes grip is being further consolidated on the peoples of the region.
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NAAA:
In short, the National Association of Arab Americans, NAAA, even more than other misnomered Arab-American organizations, hardly exists these days in reality. Down to two staff persons with little resources, few members, and no real activities, NAAA is on its death bed. It has been drained of money and energy by a succession of self-serving Boards of Directors and Executive Directors who have driven it into the ground. A decade ago David Saad was paying himself over 6 figures a year and most of those involved were looking for business contracts and consulting deals with the Arab establishment. Then Jawaad George spent most of his time getting health benefits and covering up the reasons for his deadly illness. And in recent years Khalil Jahshan has led NAAA nowhere and now apparently only keeps it going to give himself a meal ticket to events around Washington. As a good "client organization" looking to the wealthy Arabs to keep it afloat NAAA was used in the past for abit of pseudo-lobbying on Capitol Hill and as an escort service for a few Arab visitors around town. With the PLO's collapse and the convenient "donor fatigue" from those in the Gulf who remain shell-shocked by events of recent years, NAAA is now totally irrelevant. Just two people can even be found at the offices these days and practically nothing is being done other than waddling around town pretending there is an organization to represent.
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ADC:
Major turmoil has also brought ADC to its knees in the past year.
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Its difficult, of course, to get specific details but some facts have leaked out and many rumors are beginning to surface. What seems to have happened of late is as follows:
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ADC Founder James Abourezk actually recommended to the Board a few months ago that ADC be closed. Abourezk had gone on a desperation fund-raising trip to the same old rich Arab countries; but this time found interest and support practically non-existent. Worse yet many people weren't even willing to meet with him as unknown to Abourezk some long-time ADC personalities, Wafa Nasser among them, had actually undermined his visit in order to wrest control of ADC back from the new Executive Director, Candice Lightner. It seems the old-timers who had been covering up ADC's hollowness for a long time felt terribly threatened when Lightner, at Abourezk's insistence, came on board and starting trying to clean up and straighten things out. But the powers that be, weak and meager as they are, prevailed and Lightner's resignation has followed Abourezk's. Rather than accept Abourezk's recommendation to bring ADC to a close, the Board instead encouraged Abourezk to gracefully retire, promising him a nice going away banquet at the annual conference, then decided to get rid of the new Executive Director who had just been hired with much fanfare, and then sent its members a newsletter papering over everything with smiles and misrepresentations.
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Admittedly the situation wasn't helped by Lightner's amazing naivete about both Arab-American affairs and the Middle East situation. Bringing her on board after Albert Mokiber jumped a sinking ship was itself a desperation move by Abourezk who knew the organization was collapsing all around him.
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There was a very telling incident late last year in Falls Church, Virginia, at which Nasser actually verbally fought in front of everyone with Lightner attempting to prevent her from speaking at a community event honoring ADC and insisting he would instead represent ADC. Says one respected Arab American insider of Nasser: "I see him as some one who you shake hands with and you have to go home quickly and take a shower!" But another long-time observer of the ADC scene comes to Nasser's defense saying he's not as bad as many others and legitimately felt that Lightner had to be gotten out at any cost -- even that of founder Abourezk's resignation.
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When things begin to come apart, of course, its hard to know who is being sincere and who is trying to just save their own skins. About a major article Lightner wrote for an Arab publication, one respected person very much involved in community affairs said this: "This woman was oblivious of the goals and purposes and methods of ADC!" And yet...it was the very founder and Chairman of ADC who felt the need to bring Lightner on and then who resigned with her!
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Whatever the details of the inner intrigues, ADC is now down to four staff persons and is relying on volunteer help to arrange its annual conference -- an event attended by most as a social function...but little more than that.
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AAI:
While the plights of ADC and NAAA are bad, the entity known as "The Arab-American Institute" is far worse. AAI is a total sham...an attempt by Uncle Tomish Arab-Americans to claim the mantle of Arab-American representation for themselves at a time when they are actually far more despised than respected.
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James Zogby, AAI founder and President, has positioned himself as a "client organization" for Washington's power brokers after failing to keep support sufficiently alive from his overseas benefactors. No matter who has power in Washington Zogby is there prostrating himself, having his picture taken, and passing along tidbits of gossip and intelligence to any who will give him a boost. In recent years Zogby has cozied up to the Israelis and has been accused, for a long time, of a variety of intelligence connections.
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Not that long ago it was Zogby who actually publicly complimented the incoming Clinton Administration for its "excellent" choices of officials to handle Middle Eastern matters, including the first time ever that a President had chosen an official of the Israeli lobby to work in the National Security Council. For this Zogby was loudly condemned and a petition insisting that AAI cease even claiming to represent Arab-American circulated.
What was in it for Zogby? Access to the new Democratic Administration in Washington and a financially beneficial role in "Partners For Peace", the new American-Israeli effort to build up a coterie of Palestinian businessmen to be used to support Arafat and provide "insights" into how to keep the Palestinians under control in their increasingly apartheid-like predicament.
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Saudi cable TV in the U.S. -- it has an official name but the backing and control are far more important -- still promotes Zogby and AAI. The Arab establishment would rather deal with someone like themselves who they know won't interfere in important matters and will do what he's told. "Who calls into the program?" an astute Arab-American observer noted: "The same few people all the time and then people from his office call saying 'congratulations on your wonderful show!'... This guy (Zogby) is a despicable scum bag and a carpet bagger! Nobody wants to be involved with Zogby! Everybody hates him! If a few people still work with him they're desperate!"
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Just a few months ago Zogby was in Gaza pleading with none other than Yasser Arafat to make some phone calls on Zogby's behalf and to find money and support to keep AAI going. Reports have leaked out that Arafat reacted harshly to Zogby, pointing his finger in his direction and telling Zogby to his face that he knew the kinds of things Zogby does in Washington and that he had no intention of helping him! Imagine...even Yasser Arafat has Zogby's number!
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AAI's annual conferences have been very sparsely attended in the past, and Zogby's Uncle Tomish status is becoming more well-known. Even so AAI's latest venture is to claim it is transforming itself into a membership organization. Hey, for $5 you can get a membership card and the AAI newsletter! But probably no annual convention invitation will be sent out, however, for it seems there isn't going to be another of these for awhile -- they've been too much of a bust in the past and besides you don't want people to start comparing notes and figuring out what's really going on, do you?
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Better yet though, just send on your fax number to MER and you'll get on your fax machine the very funny and highly revealing spoof newsletter titled "Illusions" about the "Any Dogby Institute (ADI)" prepared last year by Arab-Americans who have Zogby's number too!
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Just a few tidbits from that newsletter:
  • "For a bridge near Jericho Just call ADI Toll Free at: 1 900 New SCAM!"
  • "Where there is pain, there is profit -- and where there is Profit, You'll Find Dobgy!"
  • "Also in this issue: Dr. Dogby Support Indyk Appointment Dr. Dogby Condemns Indyk Appointment Dr. Dogby Support Gulf War Dr. Dogby Opposes Gulf War"
  • "At Vice President's request, Dogby and Melvin will lead the new organization, 'Panderers for Piece'..."
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    UPA & JPS
    Both of these were set up as Yasser Arafat shops and both have proved disastrous.
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    The so-called United Palestine Appeal, UPA, has been rocked by scandal; more than half a million dollars swindled. The Jerusalem Press Service, JPS, having never really had a reason for being other than as a way to funnel far too much money for the little work being done to Gabi Taweel, is gone. Gabi Taweel? Son of Ramonda Taweel. Ramonda Taweel? Mother-in-law of Yasser Arafat.
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    PAS
    The Palestine Aid Society (PAS) is rather different from the above-mentioned groups. PAS people are on the whole honest, sincere, and even hard-working. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean PAS is effective in any significant way or that they are not subject to ongoing flights of fantasy. Here too the sad realities are that PAS is able to contribute practically nothing to those back on the reservations of Palestine as it is primarily busy keeping itself alive on the U.S. scene. Recently at a public forum the President of PAS complimented the organization, but at the same time implicitly belittled it, by saying the following: "We are proud to be the only Palestinian organization in the United States that is supported financially by its members; and we even have a little bit left over to send to Palestine."
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    Sadly, the yearly walkathon, the trinket sales, and the occasional talks are far more beneficial to those who participate in them -- giving them a false sense of "doing something" -- than to anyone back in Palestine. Sincere concern and honesty -- however much these qualities stand out when speaking of the panoply of otherwise "client" Arab-American organizations -- are nevertheless no substitute for actually having an impact. And unfortunately, one of the reasons PAS has avoided the "client" fate is that they aren't doing anything that really matters to anyone other than themselves; certainly not to those living in occupied Palestine for whom the quality of life continues to degenerate at a rapid pace.
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    PAS means well; but PAS refuses to face the basic dilemma that aiding the Palestinians for real cannot be done with hopeful words, incestuous meetings where the same things are said to the same people ad infinitum, or yearly bake-sales and walkathons.
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    By Mark A. Bruzonsky.     Bruzonsky received his J.D. degree from New York University where he was a Root-Tilden Scholar and an M.P.A. degree in international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.  He has visited the Middle East nearly 200 times and his articles and interviews have appeared widely in publications throughout the U.S., Europe and the Middle East -- see  Bruzonsky bio and publication list.   He currently hosts the weekly "Mid-East Realities" Program.
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    To receive MER columns regularly send a message to MER@MIDDLEEAST.ORG with the words "Send MER". Further distribution by email is encouraged. For publication in any print publication, which is required, contact MER at: MER@MiddleEast.Org - Fax (202) 362-6965 - Phone (202) 362-5266, Ext 638. To speak with Mark Bruzonsky personally call between 4 & 6 pm on weekdays.
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