Arab American View Newspaper Online

Does anyone think this is all odd? I mean, the Human Relations Commission and the Arab Advisory Commission felt Ray Hanania is so important that they have to write two letters (Oct. 28 and Nov. 18) attacking me ... and they mailed the second Nov. 18 letter to every Arab American household in their database not just in Chicago but in the suburbs, too? Imagine how effective they could be if they did that when there was a real issue to champion, rather than to pick on someone who expresses an opinion they don't like? How about a letter when there is an act of discrimination against an Arab American store owner, the beating of an Arab American student at Tinley Park High school, the illegal arrest and political persecution of a man like Mohammed Salah, the constant anti-Arab columns and articles in our mainstream American news media, including in Chicago? When was the last time you received a letter of substance from the Arab Advisory Commission or the Human Relations Commissions about anything of substance (besides the invitation-only invite to the free lunch with Mayor Daley)? Maybe my criticism will have the impact of making them do their jobs? -- Ray Hanania

RESPONSE to unsubstantiated and false accusations against me by Clarence Wood, chairman of the Chicago Council on Human Relations

[The following letter was distributed by Clarence Wood to some members of the Arab American community on Nov. 18, 2005. I have added my responses to Wood's unsubstantiated and false charges.]

November 18, 2005

"Re: Hanania’s Unfounded Attack on Commission on Human Relations and Advisory Council on Arab Affairs"

Dear Friend:

Ray Hanania, a comedian and local journalist in the Chicagoland area has launched a vicious and unsubstantiated assault against the Mayor, the Commission on Human Relations, its Advisory Council on Arab Affairs, its Director, Mrs. Sahar Mawlawi, and myself in disregard for the Chicago Arab community. As a public official, you become accustomed to criticism, even when the basis of such criticism is inaccurate. However, in this situation when the accuser knows that his claims are absolutely untrue, malicious, and intentionally seeks to damage the professional reputation of the Council, its staff and the core of volunteers, one must set the record straight for the people of Chicago.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Complaining about and demanding accountability from the Advisory Council and the Human Relations Commission, two publicly funded agencies paid for by taxpayer money, are not an act of malice. My complaints are in fact accurate, far more accurate than Mr. Wood understands. Clearly, Mr. Wood, who is supposed to sort through difficult issues of discrimination, is unprepared and uninformed.]

The disparagement of the Advisory Council and its Director began when the Council refused Hanania’s request to move its sponsored night of Arab comedy scheduled to take place on November 1, 2005 from Zanies Comedy Club to another venue. By way of background, Mr. Hanania has been boycotting Zanies since August 2002 when he was allegedly prevented from appearing there due to his Arab-Palestinian background. He further claims that he contacted the Director of the Council, Mrs. Sahar Mawlawi several times in August 2002 to lodge a complaint, but was ignored.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: I was informed by email on Oct. 15 that the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs planned to host an Arab Comedy Night at Zanies. I immediately wrote a letter to Sahar Mawlawi and to Khaled el-Khatib expressing concern not about the comedians, but about the selection of Zanies. I reminded them of what happened due to Zanies' management in August 2002. The fact is I was discriminated against -- not "allegedly discriminated against" as stated by Clarence Wood. And, for the record, I did complain to the advisory commission in September 2002 but never heard a response from them. The fact remains, until today, that Sahar Mawlawi and Khaled el-Khatib have refused to respond to me -- back then and today.]

Of course, Mr. Hanania’s claim that he contacted Mrs. Mawlawi in August 2002 cannot be true given that Mawlawi was officially on a four month maternity leave, starting May 27, 2002 and was not present in the State of Illinois during that time. Neither the Chair of the Council nor the Director of Constituent Services, who was filling in for Mawlawi during that time, were contacted.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: I never said I spoke with Ms. Mawlawi. I said I complained to her office and NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE even after she returned. Ms. Mawlawi has a staff. Or, did the entire paid city staff of the Human Relations Commission also go on a four month leave? I was told indirectly by one member of the advisory commission that they did not respond because I was not a Chicago resident, even though the incident happened in Chicago.]

What Hanania fails to tell "his audience," is that Zanies is under new management since Mr. Hanania’s rebuke. This new management has met with the Arab community and opened up its arms by hosting two Palestinian-American comedians for show at no charge, and donating all the proceeds of their tickets sales to the Advisory Council to sponsor Arab activities and initiatives in Chicago. The Council’s sold-out comedy show at Zanies was extremely well received by the community. Furthermore, the current management of Zanies was not in place during Hanania’s claimed discrimination, and when the issue was brought to Zanies’ attention, the Advisory Council was assured that no discriminatory practices were in place.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Mr. Wood offers a serious diversion of the situation by claiming that Zanies is under new management. Zanies is under the same OWNERSHIP. One employee is no longer there because they moved on -- not due to the blatant discrimination. Zanies continues to refuse requests to apologize for supporting the ouster of a "Palestinian" performer. Reaching out to Zanies on the part of the Advisory Council undermines the entire community stand against an act of discrimination, especially since they had the opportunity to select a different location, comedy club or performance hall that does not have a history of discriminating against Arab Americans.]

Because of his personal resentment towards Zanies Comedy Club and the Council’s justified refusal to move the performance to another venue, Hanania launched his shameful and offensive assault. He has attacked the Council for not representing the interest of Chicago’s Arab Community and used the opportunity to launch a personal, unfounded attack against the Council Director. For example, in his November 10, 2005 article, "Taxpayer Funded Ethnic Leadership is MIA," he attacks Mrs. Mawlawi and the Commission on Human Relations for failing to speak out against Republican Congressman Mark Kirk’s comments about Arabs. In the same article, Hanania praises CAIR Chicago for its denouncement of Congressman Kirk comments and denounces what he describes as the Council’s passive and silent position on that issue. Again, Mr. Hanania provided a disservice to the Chicago community by intentionally ignoring the fact that the Commission on Human Relations and the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs worked with CAIR Chicago and both joined CAIR Chicago’s statement on this issue.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Mr. Wood and Ms. Mawlawi are paid public employees, paid for with taxpayer dollars collected from homeowners and individuals like me who work in Chicago. Mr. Wood believes my efforts to demand that he and Ms. Mawlawi BE ACCOUNTABLE are an affront to their responsibilities. Mr. Wood has not also mentioned that he may be angry because I DARED TO SUBMIT a Freedom of Information Act request for details of what the Advisory Council has done over the past four years. I have not yet received a reply to the letter, which was mailed Nov. 15.]

Secondly, Hanania referred to the Mayor’s Arab Heritage Month Reception 2005 as a "secret gathering of select Arab American Leaders." Yet, he is well-aware that the Mayor’s Arab Heritage Month’s receptions have been by-invitation only since the first reception in 1991 and that he himself has attended these receptions over the years. Mr. Hanania knows that such events hosted by elected officials are by invitation only due to the impossibility of accommodating thousands of people at such functions. So while this event was by invitation only, with over 500 people attending and broad coverage by the local television stations, as well as being listed in 20,000 calendars distributed all over Chicago, it was hardly a "secret." Furthermore, Mr. Hanania also failed to mention that he was, as usual, one of "select Arab American leaders" invited. Clearly, Mr. Hanania’s assertions regarding the mayoral reception in his November 10, 2005 article, as well as his false claims stating that the Council and its Director closed the reception "to reinforce their extremist alliances and silence community voices" demonstrate a blatant disregard for the truth.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Again, Mr. Wood is diverting the issue at hand. I mysteriously did not receive an invitation to the "invitation-only" reception this year. So I was not invited and he knows that. If this event is so important, why make it invitation-only? Why was there no press release to the mainstream media? What exactly has Mr. Wood done to promote Arab American involvement in Chicago or to show other Americans that they stand with us against discrimination? Actual cases, not a calendar of events. I have asked for that information and I am still awaiting his response.]

Compounding his wild accusations, Mr. Hanania continues his personal attacks against Mrs. Mawlawi by accusing her of not caring about the Arab Christian community. Hanania is well aware that the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs is composed of both Christians and Muslim Arabs and that for numerous years, while Mawlawi has been Director, the Council’s Chair was a prominent and valuable member of the Christian Arab community. Harmony has always been present between the Council, its Director, and both the Christian and Muslim Arab communities. It is a shame that Hanania, who claims to be concerned about the well being of the Arab community, does not hesitate to engage in a behavior that seeks to divide this same community along religious lines to satisfy his personal agenda. Mr. Hanania’s actions call into question his journalistic integrity when he seeks to manipulate his readers with false and incomplete information.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Some few elements in the Arab and Muslim community disagree with my views, which include public and unequivocal denunciations of suicide bombings against civilians including Israeli civilians, with my outspoken criticism of anti-Semitism and Holocaust revisionism. I have also initiated open and public debates about issues that are important to keeping the Arab and Muslim American community united -- like standing against discrimination, racial profiling and hate-mongering by elected officials. Debate and public discussion can raise emotions but they also raise awareness and understanding. Ultimately, a healthy, public debate encourages unity and truth. I believe our community MUST publicly address the controversial issues and show Americans that we are not anti-American, but that we are in fact proud to be American. Is Mr. Wood saying he disagrees with my views? Responding to Cong. Kirk's remarks only after others took the lead is easy. I posted a column criticizing Cong. Kirk, and so did CAIR, before the Advisory council and other groups finally signed on to the CAIR letter condemning Cong. Kirk. Ms. Mawlawi joined the CAIR initiative AFTER my column challenged her to take a stand. I am glad she finally did.]

Now, in a desperate act to pull me personally into this exchange, Hanania has accused me of only supporting African-American issues. In my thirty plus years in advocating for civil rights for all people, I think my record speaks for itself. In recent years, the Commission on Human Relations while under my charge has a solid record in speaking out for the rights of all of Chicagoans. It was the Commission who organized a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious press conference to appeal for calm when innocent Arabs and Muslims were being attacked on the streets after September 11, 2001. It was the Commission who repeatedly worked with Arab merchants to prevent the looting and destruction of their stores during the first Bulls’ championships. It was the Commission who issued resolutions against unfair immigration policies and practices targeting Arabs. And it will continue to be the Commission who will work to prevent hate crimes and bias treatment of Arabs under my watch.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Again, Mr. Wood is not being forthright. I am not pulling Mr. Wood into this issue. In fact, Mr. Wood entered the issue himself when he sent me a letter dated October 28 that expressed his seemingly uninformed views. I called him upon receiving his letter in order to give him the facts, since he never bothered to contact me to hear my views. Until this day I have never received a response from Mr. Wood, Ms. Mawlawi or Mr. El-Khatib. I cannot understand why they have failed to respond to my repeated requests to speak with them to review these issues in a constructive manner. Isn’t that what the Commission is supposed to be about? Now, Mr. Wood is joining in the personal attack that Ms. Mawlawi and Mr. El-Khatib have apparently launched. The Advisory Council and Human Relations Commissions are publicly funded government agencies, not volunteer boards. Ms. Mawlawi is paid by taxpayer monies and so is Mr. Wood. They are supposed to represent and address issues like these, including difficult issues of discrimination. What is the Commission for if I can't event submit a grievance and get a response?]

Unfortunately, there is another reason for Mr. Hanania’s diatribe against the Mayor, the Commission on Human Relations, the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs, and it’s Director. The truth is Mr. Hanania is upset that the Arab Advisory Council chose to fly in and pay two out-of-town Palestinian-American comedians to perform at Zanies in honor of Arab Heritage Month, instead of him. He is also angry that the Council only listed one of his book signings and not all of them in its Arab Heritage Month Calendar and that the Council is not pushing for the sale of his new book.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Yes, I did author a new book called "Arabs of Chicagoland," a book that features the achievements of true Arab American leaders and activists who have dedicated their lives to building this community. Ms. Mawlawi is included, several times, in that book. I sent my listing for my book appearances to Ms. Mawlawi and it was I who suggested that they list me only one time. I also suggested on my form that they reference the web page that detailed all 24 public lectures at Chicago libraries, Chicago books stores and Chicago region organizations, as they did do. Mr. Wood didn’t do his job so how could he even know why I am supposedly "angry" with anything? He never spoke to me once nor did he respond to my inquiry and telephone call to his office.]

So, one could honestly ask, are these attacks on the Commission on Human Relations, the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs, and Mrs. Mawlawi about Hanania’s concern about the community or Hanania’s concern about promoting his book and himself as a comedian.

[HANANIA RESPONDS: Mr. Wood never addresses the real issue about what Zanies did. Again, I am victimized for being a victim. Instead, he is fabricating charges. In my email to Ms. Mawlawi and to Mr. El-Khatib that was made public to the Arab American community, I praised both Arab comedians. I have worked with one of them in the past. I simply asked that the Advisory Council change the show's location and I explained why. I offered to support a show at a new location. In a telephone conversation with me, the person who said she proposed the idea of the show said she "wanted" me to be the emcee at the Zanies event, but I said I would refuse to perform at Zanies until Zanies apologizes to the community. This is not about self-promotion. It is about discrimination and Wood's comments are the real cheap shot. This is the case of a charge of discrimination that was ignored due to the Advisory Council's own personal agenda knowing full well that Mr. Wood would blindly support them because existence is all the Commission can claim -- not substance. I believe public officials must be ACCOUNTABLE to the public for their actions and their decisions. And, when they refuse to address issues and instead choose to engage in ad hominem attacks and vicious accusations, as Mr. Wood has done, I am encouraged to demand that they be even more accountable.]

Sincerely,

Clarence N. Wood
Chairman
Chicago Commission on Human Relations

[HANANIA RESPONDS: I have no personal animosity against Sahar Mawlawi or Khaled el-Khatib or even against Clarence Wood. But I do demand that when they take on the responsibilities of public service, especially those who are paid like Ms. Mawlawi and Mr. Wood, they must be accountable. Some public officials resent efforts to make them accountable and having covered Chicago politics for more than 25 years, I understand why.]

END

This controversy gives the Arab American community the opportunity to conduct an open, public assessment of the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

These are not volunteer agencies. They are publicly funded agencies that are responsible to serve the needs of the public. They are funded by our taxpayer dollars. Their job is to be responsive and to work towards improving the image of Arabs who live in and who work in Chicago.

Are they doing their jobs?

What do they do for the funding they receive from public taxpayer funds?

What have they done?

Has the Commission spoken out on issues of discrimination against Arab Americans? Or have they remained silent, avoiding these issues?

Two months ago, a Muslim Arab grocery store owner was the target of a racist protest organized by Ald. Ed Smith. During the protest, Ald. Smith denounced the Arab grocer saying he was "rude and impolite" and that he should close his store and "go back to the Middle East."

What did Clarence Wood of the Chicago Council on Human Relations say in response to Ald. Smith's racist, anti-Arab comment?

Chronology:

Oct. 15, 2005
Khaled el-Khatib, a member of the Human Relations Board, issues a press release announcing a comedy show at Zanies.

Oct. 16, 2005
I send an email to Khaled, Sahar Mawlawi, the two comedians, and individuals who were listed on Khaled's original email announcement. In that letter, Hanania asks that they choose a new location rather than Zanies, explaining the problem with Zanies.

Neither Khaled nor Sahar respond to my email.

Oct. 18, 2005
Members of the Advisory Council on Arab Affairs issue a statement to a select group of community leaders criticizing me for my criticism.

Oct. 25, 2005
Some community leaders call for a boycott of the Zanies event. I urge them to not boycott the Zanies event, but emphasize my view that the ACAA and CCHR have made a grievous error by hosting a show at Zanies and ignoring the feelings of some Arab Americans that Zanies discriminated against our community.

Oct. 28, 2005
Clarence Wood issues a statement criticizing me saying that by hosting the two Arab comedians, Zanies is indicating it is not discriminating against Arabs. He further states that Zanies has hosted three Muslim comedians (who by the way are not Arab) and therefore my complaint has no merit.

Oct. 28, 2005:
ADC Chicago issues a statement saying it will not boycott the Zanies event, but feel that Zanies has not made a public apology nor explained its August 2002 actions.

Oct. 29, 2005
I go to the CCHR web site and submit a complaint via their online Contact Format, complaining about the letter and wondering why Clarence Wood would issue a statement without speaking with individuals on both sides of the issue.

Oct. 31, 2005
I call Clarence Wood and leave an angry message on the CCHR voice mail, expressing surprise that he would issue a statement without at least trying to hear my side of the story.

Nov. 1, 2005
To respond to the letter from Clarence Wood and clarify the misinformation it included, I publish a column criticizing the show at Zanies and respond to false claims Clarence Wood made in the letter.

Nov. 15, 2005
I send a formal letter under the Freedom of Information Act requesting information on the ACAA and the CCHR commission and its record of performance, attendance and expenses.

Nov. 18, 2005
Clarence Wood issues the vicious and libelous letter which makes a series of false claims and outright lies and distortions. The letter is mailed throughout the Arab community at City Taxpayer expense.

Nov. 21, 2005
I am forced to AGAIN respond to Mr. Wood's false public statements, on this web page and in a letter to the public which will be posted here soon.