American Educational Trust

A Year After 9/11, the U.S. Has Become...

A tough neighborhood for Arab- and Muslim-Americans, and for visitors to this country from the Mideast and Islamic world. The civil rights and freedoms of all Americans no longer seem inviolable, as the media issue daily warnings that suspicious Arabs are stealing uniforms and vehicles in order to pose as law enforcement officials, rescue personnel or airline crews. This must make it hard for our many proud Muslim- and Arab-Americans in uniform to carry out their work.

Pilots Citing “Security Risks”...

have refused to fly some Arab Americans (and even a few Israeli officials!). U.S. authorities are investigating Muslim- and Arab-owned stores and businesses searching for any money transfers to international groups sponsoring resistance—now deemed “terrorism.” Even Muslim charities sending food, equipment or financial aid to beleaguered clinics and schools in the occupied territories have had their assets frozen and their records seized. This issue’s “Islam in America” column offers a retrospective of the past terrible year—by someone whose own annus horribile includes weeks of detention in Israel. Somehow the war on terrorism has been perverted into a mission to help Israel quash the Palestinian uprising.

Palestinians Are Under Siege...

In the land of their birth, and their supporters in the U.S. and Canada are getting squeezed. Israel’s propaganda apparatus in the U.S. is spinning wild tales and its lobby is working triple time to silence American condemnation of “heavy-handed” occupation tactics. In these hard times...

Politicians Accepting Donations...

From American Muslims are pilloried, although contributions pouring in from Christians or out-of-state Jews don’t raise an eyebrow. Pro-Israel campaign contributions have obviously bought critical foreign policy votes, as evidenced by the voting records of our elected officials on pp. 24-37. We hope that these voting records, along with the final pre-election installment of pro-Israel PAC contributions, to appear in our next issue, will help you make your decision when you go to the polls in November.

The Drumbeats Are Rolling...

As Israel-firsters frantically try to distract the president, Congress, the media and, above all, the American people from addressing the Israel-Palestine issue. After months of unremitting insistence that the U.S. must attack Iraq whether weapons inspectors are allowed back in or not (see pp. 12-14 of this issue) comes the claim that Saudi Arabia is “against us” (p. 15). The war party in this country is trying desperately to convince Americans that the war on terror is a war on Islam. Clearly, the news in the Middle East and the U.S. is very bad. Fortunately, however, we also have some good news.

People Who Care About Peace....

Are working overtime demonstrating, holding teach-ins, boycotting Israeli goods, signing petitions, waging letter-writing campaigns, and becoming politically active.

Thank You for Your Generous Response.

Our Angels’ List (pp. 112 and 113) has more than doubled in size from the last issue. We are especially grateful because, as a result of skyrocketing postage rates and the advertising slump, many magazines are folding. Your donations make it possible forÐus to stay afloat, embark on extra projects to promote peace and understanding, and even take some risks to attract new readers. If subscribers could dig even deeper we might finally stop fearing the abyss.

Our Readers Also Came Through...

When we asked for help to get the brochure “Who Will Save the Children?” into caring hands. Subscribers phoned, e-mailed and wrote us to send copies of the pamphlet to people of conscience. We now have only one pallet of brochures left. Let us know if you can think of more opinion-molders who need to put names and faces to the terrible statistics of children—Palestinian and Israeli—who have been killed in the current intifada.

Our Ad Campaign Is a Raging Success...

As newspaper and magazine advertising departments around the country have called to say they are downloading the ready-made Washington Report ads available on our state-of-the-art Web site (<http://wrmea.com/adcamp/>). Again, our marvelous subscribers have come through, sponsoring advertisements to educate Americans on: Palestinian Refugees, House Demolitions, Human Rights Abuses, or Occupation. Because each ad also gives us a plug we’ve had many calls for samples or subscriptions.

Some Apologies Are in Order.

In the midst of putting this issue together we had one of our office walls torn down and replaced in hopes of ending a recurring flooding problem. (After waiting for years, we’ve yet to receive an order for a soggy book.) Our book department had to relocate temporarily, so processing orders took longer than usual. Our hardworking staff was spread very thin, moving furniture and equipment as well as the usual mountains. In fact, since the latest intifada, and then Sept. 11, our very small staff has been...

Overwhelmed By Calls...

from both subscribers and others seeking books, information, statistics and the latest bad news. Many readers have called us to share their disappointment or fury over our government’s actions, ineptitude or plain disinterest when it comes to the Middle East and the subcontinent. Remember, when you call our office to commiserate, you are speaking to the choir. While we love to hear from our readers and get your leads, ideas and encouragement, we just don’t have the staff to handle long telephone calls. Whenever possible, please write or e-mail us instead.

Interns Are Urgently Needed!

To help us out, we could use some highly qualified interns who plan to pursue a career in journalism, but don’t mind answering phones, sorting mail, attending conferences and other administrative work along with intensive writing and research duties. Please fax résumés to: (202) 265-4574 or e-mail them to: <admin@wrmea.com>. To be honest we are desperate for another full-time paid editorial assistant, but we need an angel to help finance this position. This angel will not only save our sanity at the Washington Report but also help educate a top-notch journalist.

Print Orders Are Soaring...

Thanks—again—to our dedicated readership. You help us find potential subscribers by asking us for free magazines to hand out at conferences, rallies and teach-ins. And it’s thanks to your donations that we can afford increased postage and printing bills.

Newsstands Sales Also Are Expanding.

Distributors for both national and international bookstores and newsagents are steadily increasing their orders. This introduces the Washington Report to people who care about U.S. politics and foreign policy here and overseas. Please ask your bookstore to carry your favorite magazine.

“Where Have You Been All My Life?”

Asked 80-year-old Marianne from Haverford, PA on the phone as we went to press. The New York Times and her local newspapers were making her high blood pressure worse, she said. So she searched her local Barnes and Noble bookstore for an even-handed publication—and found the Washington Report. Instead of watching the news that night, she said, she sat down and read it cover-to-cover. She couldn’t wait to subscribe, and asked us to mail sample copies to all her relatives. While we’re not sure reading this magazine will help her blood pressure, we are delighted that she’s found a magazine that makes her feel like she’s not alone in her views. She and all our other loyal readers have helped...