11-03-16 Obama failed to deliver on promises to Arabs, Muslims & Palestinians

Obama failed to deliver on promises to Arabs and Muslims

President Barack Obama grew up politically in an environment that included many prominent Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims before rising to national politics and becoming president. His background having a father who was raised Muslim (who later converted to Anglicanism and later became an atheist) sensitized him to the plight of the Palestinian people and to the challenges against Arabs and Muslims in America. But despite all that, Obama has been ineffective in championing their causes and has abandoned them to the wayside

Published in the Arab News in Saudi Arabia, Nov. 3, 2016

By Ray Hanania

When it comes to the issues of peace, justice and human rights in the Middle East, President Barack Obama is an enigma.

No other president has promised more to Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians and achieved so little.

It’s an important lesson for Arabs in American politics. It’s not what it claims to be.

I’m not just talking about any president. I’ve covered American politics for more than 40 years. Obama has had more personal and professional exposure to the rights of Arabs and Palestinians than any other successful American politician.

Obama matured in close proximity to prominent Arab and Palestinian activists in Chicago, which has one of the country’s largest Palestinian populations.

Nearly one-third of Americans believe Obama is a “Muslim.”

Click here to read the full column in the Arab News ...

This is Ray Hanania’s column commentary Podcast … Hanania’s columns are published each week in newspapers throughout the United States and in the Middle East.

He writes on American politics and life in Chicagoland every week in the Des Plaines Valley News,Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, the Reporter Newspapers,NewsAmericaNetwork.com, and IllinoisNewsNetwork.com.

Hanania also writes a weekly column every Thursday for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. And, writes news and features for his website at TheArabDailyNews.com.

An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter named Best Ethnic Columnist by the NewAmerica Media, and recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for writing, Hanania is of Palestinian Arab heritage. 

You can reach him and share your opinions and thoughts by emailing him at rghanania@gmail.com. All his columns are archived at RayHanania.com.

This podcast is available at Podbean.com and also for free subscription on iTunes.

(An award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and columnist. American Palestinian Arab, Hanania writes a weekly column for the Arab News at www.ArabNews.com. He also writes each week for several mainstream American newspapers on American politics and life in Chicagoland. Reach him at rghanania@gmail.com.)