Sharia-Free America Hearing marked by attacks on Muslim advocacy groups

by Jacques Abou-Rizk | May 14, 2026 | Featured, Politics

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) — Muslim civil rights groups denounced the second “Sharia-Free America” hearing this week after a group of House Republicans attempted to highlight the threat of Sharia law to the U.S. Constitution and institutions,...

Families of Americans Overseas Wrongfully Detained Bring Advocacy to Capitol Hill

by Jacques Abou-Rizk | May 12, 2026 | Featured, Foreign Affairs, National Security, Politics

WASHINGTON — American journalist Reza Valizadeh visited his elderly Iranian parents in March 2024 for the first time in 15 years. Valizadeh’s stories for Voice of America and other U.S. government-funded outlets often criticized the Iranian regime. So before...

Recognition of Arab Americans scrubbed from White House website, but celebration goes on

by Jacques Abou-Rizk | Apr 29, 2026 | Featured, Foreign Affairs

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Some time since President Donald Trump’s second term began, the White House removed a reference to April’s Arab American Heritage Month from its website. Former President Joe Biden’s 2024 proclamation now only exists in internet archives. As the...

As Middle East Wars Rage, Georgetown Gaza Lecture Series Highlights Conversations on Campuses

by Jacques Abou-Rizk | Apr 18, 2026 | Featured, Foreign Affairs

WASHINGTON – One by one, students inside the intimate lounge of Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies on Wednesday called their family and friends across the Middle East. The dozen students and faculty members watched TV screens tuned to Al...