| As'ad AbuKhalil | |
|---|---|
As'ad AbuKhalil |
|
| Born | As'ad AbuKhalil March 16, 1960 Tyre, Lebanon |
| Residence | Modesto, California |
| Nationality | Lebanese-American |
| Other names | "Angry Arab" |
| Occupation | professor of political science |
| Employer | California State University, Stanislaus |
| Religion | Atheist |
| Spouse | Farah Rowaysati (2010–)[1] |
| 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.
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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. He is married to Farah Rowaysati, a Lebanese political activist. Prior to marrying Rowaysati, he was married and divorced twice, both times to American citizens.[2][3]
AbuKhalil is a professor at Cal State Stanislaus and was briefly[4] 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.[5]
AbuKhalil describes himself as "a former Marxist-Leninist, now an anarchist",[6] a feminist, and an "atheist secularist".[7]
AbuKhalil is vocally pro-Palestinian, describes himself as an anti-Zionist, and supports one secular state in historical Palestine.[8] He is an opponent of the Iraq War. He is critical of Israeli government, of United States foreign policy, of Saudi Arabia, of both Fatah and Hamas, and of all rival factions in Lebanon.[6][9][9][10][11][12][13]
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."[14]
On 11 May 2011, AbuKhalil argued that an Israeli could only be redeemed if he or she meets the following three criteria: 1) the person refuses to serve in the Army or the intelligence service of the state as part of military service; 2) the person must leave the house he/she occupies and the land on which he/she stands; 3) the person must engage in armed struggle against the state of Israel. If an Israeli person fulfills those conditions, he/she should be acceptable from a pro-Palestinian point of view." [15]
In a televisied 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).[16]
In a 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." [17]
AbuKhalil's blog, the Angry Arab News Service, was launched in September 2003, and as of June 2005 received between 30,000 and 35,000 hits per month. 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").[6]
Most of the blog items are sent to AbuKhalil by his readers/fans, who quotes them and thanks the source with a footnote after the paragraph.[18]
AbuKhalil often refers to the starch-filled vegetable the potato in his online political writings as a substitute for profanity.