As'ad AbuKhalil: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:52, 2 December 2014
![]() | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (July 2012) |
As'ad AbuKhalil | |
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As'ad AbuKhalil | |
Born | As'ad AbuKhalil March 16, 1960 |
Nationality | Lebanese-American |
Other names | "Angry Arab" |
Occupation | Professor of political science |
Employer | California State University, Stanislaus |
Website | http://angryarab.blogspot.com/ |
As'ad AbuKhalil Arabic: أسعد أبو خليل (born March 16, 1960) is a Lebanese-American professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus.
AbuKhalil is the author of Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (1998), Bin Laden, Islam & America's New "War on Terrorism" (2002), and The Battle for Saudi Arabia (2004). He maintains a blog, The Angry Arab News Service.
Biography
AbuKhalil was born in Tyre, Lebanon, and grew up in Beirut. He received his B.A. and M.A. in political science from the American University of Beirut, and a Ph.D. in comparative government from Georgetown University.
AbuKhalil is a professor at California State University, Stanislaus and was briefly[1] a visiting professor at UC Berkeley.[2] In addition, he has taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, California State University Stanislaus, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College.[3]
Political views
AbuKhalil describes himself as "a former Marxist-Leninist, now an anarchist",[4] a feminist, and an "atheist secularist".
He is vocally pro-Palestinian, describes himself as an anti-Zionist, supports a secular Palestinian state. He is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and says that "the real aim of BDS is to bring down the state of Israel...Justice and freedom for the Palestinians are incompatible with the existence of the state of Israel".[5] He is an opponent of the Iraq War. He is critical of Zionism, of United States foreign policy, of Iran, Saudi Arabia, of both Fatah and Hamas, and of all rival factions in Lebanon including the Shia Hezbollah.[4]
In an interview on New TV on January 13, 2010, AbuKhalil stated that "Lebanese nationalism – just like Zionism – was founded on racism and contempt for others – whether for Lebanese of other sects or for other Arabs...The Lebanese people, with all its sects, has never proven that it wants, or is capable of, true coexistence. Coexistence in Lebanon is coexistence in blood, conflict, and civil strife."[6]
He is highly critical of the influence of the Israel lobby in the United States. In a televised debate which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 23, 2010 (as translated by MEMRI), AbuKhalil stated that US President Barack Obama "has given free rein to the Zionist lobby to do whatever it likes, both in terms of foreign policy and domestic policy." AbuKhalil also stated that "The Zionists want to muzzle us, so that we won't oppose the wars, violence, or hatred of Israel." In the same interview, Abukhalil sharply criticized MEMRI, stating that it is "a rude, propaganda-spreading organization... which was established by a former Israeli intelligence official." (alluding to MEMRI founder, Yigal Carmon).[7]
In an interview which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on October 25, 2011 (as translated by MEMRI), AbuKhalil accused the network of bias and accuses it of giving preferential treatment of "American Propaganda Officials."[8]
The Angry Arab News Service
AbuKhalil's blog, the Angry Arab News Service, was launched in September 2003. The name of the blog is taken from a phrase used by a TV producer to describe AbuKhalil's perspective.[2]
According to the Los Angeles Times, the blog is "known for its sarcastic but knowledgeable commentary", and "stands out for its sense of humor in the dour left-wing landscape."[2] Ken Silverstein writes that the blog often becomes "a furious stream of consciousness that lacks paragraph breaks or other typographic niceties" (though AbuKhalil is nevertheless "a terrific writer and an insightful political analyst").[4]
Commenting on his own coverage of the Syrian civil war, journalist Glenn Greenwald said "I've often cited As'ad AbuKhalil as a great source on all matters Middle East and - without adopting all or even most of what he has said - he covers Syria almost every day and does it very well."[9]
Books
- Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (1998), ISBN 978-0-8108-3395-1
- Bin Laden, Islam & America's New "War on Terrorism" (2002), ISBN 978-1-58322-492-2
- The Battle For Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power (2004), ISBN 978-1-58322-610-0
References
- ^ CMES Affiliated Faculty Profile. Middle Eastern Studies. As'ad Abu Khalil, Visiting Professor Fall 2007 and Spring 2008. Berkeley University
- ^ a b c Robin Abcarian Between disparate worlds. Los Angeles Times (2005-06-07). Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
- ^ The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
- ^ a b c "A Statue to Reason", Ken Silverstein, Harper's Magazine, 2006-07-13
- ^ "A Critique of Norman Finkelstein on BDS". Al Akhbar. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ^ American-Lebanese Professor As'ad Abukhalil: Just Like Zionism, Lebanese Nationalism Was Founded on Racism, MEMRITV, Clip No. 2381, January 13–17, 2010.
- ^ Lebanese-American Professor As'ad Abukhalil: Incitement on Saudi Media Ignored Due to Israeli Alliance with Saudi Arabia; Khairi Abaza, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies: The Arabs Need an Arab MEMRI, MEMRITV, Clip No. 2403, February 23, 2010.
- ^ California State University Political Scientist As'ad Abu Khalil Accuses Al-Jazeera TV of Bias and Conspiracies in Preferential Treatment of "American Propaganda Officials", MEMRITV, Transcript, Clip No. 3180, October 25, 2011.
- ^ "Glenn Greenwald's second reader Q&A: the highlights". The Guardian. 22 March 2013.
As for Syria, US involvement there has been relatively minimal. But it's a very complicated case and passions and emotions are very high, so it's the kind of issue I avoid unless and until I'm able to give it the attention it deserves and feel a reason to do so. I've often cited As'ad AbuKhalil as a great source on all matters Middle East and - without adopting all or even most of what he has said - he covers Syria almost every day and does it very well.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- The Angry Arab News Service
- Interview in Ceasefire Magazine
- Profile in the Los Angeles Times
- Profile in Harper's by Ken Silverstein
- Debate with Irshad Manji, Muslim feminist/reformist/Zionist, on the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoon controversy
- Interview on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman on the July 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon – 26:30 into the broadcast
- Interview on Electronic Intifada
- Slideshow on Flickr
- As'ad Abu Khalil - The United States and the Arab Revolt, Feb. 25, 2012, presentation at conference "The Arab Spring: A Year that Changed the World", held at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.
- 1960 births
- Living people
- People from Tyre, Lebanon
- George Washington University faculty
- Georgetown University faculty
- Lebanese academics
- Lebanese bloggers
- Tufts University faculty
- Georgetown University alumni
- Political pundits
- American atheists
- Lebanese atheists
- American political blogs
- California State University, Stanislaus faculty
- Lebanese emigrants to the United States
- American anarchists
- American political scientists
- American bloggers
- American Marxists
- American feminists
- Lebanese feminists
- Lebanese left-wing activists
- Male feminists
- American University of Beirut alumni
- Colorado College faculty
- Randolph College faculty
- American people of Lebanese descent
- Anarcha-feminists
- Marxist feminists
- Lebanese secularists
- Middle Eastern studies in the United States