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On January 19 Israel’s international secret police, the Mossad, sent an eighteen member death squad to Dubai using European passports, supposedly ‘stolen’ from Israeli dual citizens and altered with fake...
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About Watan
Watan is a weekly Arab American newspaper dedicated to providing its constituency with up-to-date news breaking information. Watan was established in 1992 in Washington DC and has since expanded with three additional locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, California and New York.
Our mission is to provide customers with the most current, valuable, reliable and informative news on political, economical, social, cultural, and educational issues, which concern the Arab American community and their relations with the US society at-large. Our top-priority is ensuring that ethical business practices are followed through all of our business activities.
Watan seeks to achieve its goals through maintaining a positive relationship with the community, promoting business through advertisements and coordinating efforts with Arab and Muslim American organizations to promote the achievements of the community as well as empower them through active involvement in the political, media, social and educational sectors.
Who enjoys Watan
Watan caters to the 1st and 2nd generations of Arab Americans (20 years and older). Nearly 300,000 Arab Americans live in Los Angeles and Orange County alone and they enjoy a plethora of tastes and preferences. The 2nd generations of Arab Americans are constantly on the go. Their interests range from what's going on in the business arena to what the latest fashion trends are to the latest news on international affairs. The older generation has a keen sense of civic responsibility and are constantly keeping themselves updated with what community events are taking place.
They also keep up with the most current business trends. Both generations maintain a constant connection with their family and friends in the Middle East through the Internet and telephone.
Who are Arab Americans
Arab Americans are prominent in business, the arts, education, medicine, journalism and government. On average, they are younger, more educated and more affluent than most Americans. Education is a top-priority with the Arab community.
In fact, many Arabs from the Middle East immigrate here to enhance their education and assimilate into the American dream.
Most Arab Americans are of Lebanese or Syrian origin, but the population of Egyptian, Palestinian and Iraqi Americans has been growing steadily.
82 percent of Arab Americans have high school diplomas.
36 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher.
15 percent have graduate degrees.
66.4 percent are employed.
77 percent work in the private sector.
12.4 percent are government employees.
10.9 percent live below the poverty level.
The 1990 median income was $39,580.
(Information obtained from the Arab American Institute www.aaiusa.org)
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Arab Americans are Americans of Arab ancestry and constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from 22 Arab countries, stretching from Morocco in the west to Oman in the south east to Iraq in the north. Arab Americans are also Middle Eastern and North African Americans i.e. terms that do not equate ethnic heritage with nationality, but rather a geographic area. Although a highly diverse ethnic group, Arab Americans descend from a heritage that represents common linguistic, cultural, and political traditions.
Population The majority of Arab Americans, around 62%, originate from the region of the Levant, comprising Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan. The remainder are made up of those from Iraq, and other Arab nations, which, although small in numbers, are present nonetheless. There are 3,500,000 Arab-Americans in the United States according to The Arab American Institute. Arab-Americans live in all 50 states and Washington, DC--and more than 90% reside in the metropolitan areas of major cities. According to the 2000 US Census, 48% of the Arab-American population--576,000--reside in California, Michigan, New York, Florida and New Jersey, respectively; these 5 states collectively have 31% of the net US population. Five other states--Illinois, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania--report Arab-American populations of more than 40,000 each. Also, the counties which contained the greatest proportions of Arab-Americans were in California, Michigan, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
According to the 2000 US Census, the city with the largest percentage of Arab Americans is Dearborn, Michigan (southwestern suburb of Detroit) at nearly 30%. Other major communities are in Paterson, New Jersey/Clifton, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York(New York City metro-area); Miami, Florida; Silicon Valley(San Francisco metro-area), ; Los Angeles County, California, Orange County, California(Los Angeles metro-area); the San Diego metro-area; Chicago and Bridgeview, Illinois(Chicago metro-area); Houston; Boston; Jersey City, New Jersey; and Jacksonville, Florida. The cities with the highest percentages of Arabs are Sterling Heights, Michigan; Jersey City; Warren, Michigan; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Burbank, California and Glendale, California; Livonia, Michigan; Arlington, Virginia; Paterson; and Daly City, California.
Many agricultural regions in California, like the San Joaquin Valley, Salinas Valley, Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley have a history of immigrants from Arab countries involved in the area's rich farming industry. Oklahoma had a sizable Arab-American population, mainly are immigrants in the oil business came in the 1980s and developed noticeable communities in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.[citation needed]
Religious background
While the overwhelming majority of the population of the Middle Eastern region, and, in particular, the countries of the Arab world, are identified as adherents of Islam, the majority of Arab Americans are Christian, not Muslim [1]. According to the Arab American Institute, Christians account for 63% of the Arab American population, while Muslims account for 25% and the rest of the 12% identify as other religion, or no affiliation. The percentages of Arab-American Christians are: Catholics (Roman Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics - Maronites and Melkites) 35%, Orthodox Christians who are at 18%, and Protestant Christians are 10%. There are substantial numbers of American Jews of Arab ancestry, notably are Mizrachi Jews practiced a unique version of Judaism for over 3,000 years, and migrated to the US to flee from persecution in the late 20th century. citation needed]
Racial status
Arab Americans in the United States had been categorized as Caucasian American along with other Middle Eastern Americans by all government agencies and for statistical compiling by the United States census, until their official racial category changed to "White."[1] According to one social scientist, fewer people have been using the term Caucasian American, and more people have been using the terms White American and European American.[2] Despite their official classification, Arab Americans, with the exception of most Lebanese and Syrian people, are not generally considered white in American society. In addition, many people of Arab descent object to the government's classification and the refusal of the US census committee to create a separate category.
Politics Arab Americans tend to split fairly evenly between the Republican and Democratic parties. Historically, they have tended to vote for Democratic Presidential candidates; foreign policy towards the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be a reason for this. However, prominent Arab American politicians tend to be Republican, including New Hampshire Senator John E. Sununu, and California Congressman Darrell Issa, who was the driving force behind the state's 2003 recall election that removed Democratic Governor Gray Davis from office.
Most Arab Americans tend to be pro-life and to support the death penalty. They are also more in favor of gun control. [3] Arab American Republicans often view the GOP as more in line with Arab culture, which tends to be more socially conservative and values entrepreneurship and free enterprise. Those who ally themselves with Democrats may be driven to do so by foreign policy concerns and, in recent years, the Iraq War and the War on Terror.
Famous Americans of Arab descent Here are a few examples of famous Arab Americans (and their wikipedia articles provided). Arab Americans are very much involved in politics and are one of the wealthiest ethnic groups in the U.S., however it is hard to calculate their median income as they are classified white under the United States race census of 2005. You can help expand the list, first search for the celebrity and analyze the information.
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. (Syrian father)
Danny Thomas, (Lebanese) actor and his daughter Marlo Thomas, actress
Paul Anka, (Lebanese) vocal performer
George J. Mitchell, (Lebanese) U.S. Senator from Maine, Senate Majority Leader
John H. Sununu, (Lebanese) Governor of New Hampshire and White House Chief of Staff under George H. W. Bush
John E. Sununu, (Lebanese) Senator from New Hampshire
Spencer Abraham, (Lebanese) Senator from Michigan and Secretary of Energy
Ralph Nader, (Lebanese) US politician
Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana and Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Joe Robbie, sports team owner
John Jaha, sports athlete
Tony Shalhoub, an executive producer and actor of Monk.
Edward Said, (Palestinian) literary theorist and outspoken Palestinian activist.
Sammy Hagar, (Lebanese), musician.
Advertise with Watan Newspaper As the most widely read Arabic newspaper in The United States, Watan Newspaper offers businesses a unique opportunity to target the lucrative Arab American demographic. With billions of dollars in purchasing power, the Arab community is a marketing must for every business.
With today's continually changing marketplace, connecting with the Arab consumer is more crucial than ever. Watan Newspaper offers businesses the best opportunity to reach the Arab market, via a medium that conquers language and cultural challenges. The Arab community recognizes and rewards businesses that make an effort to reach out and build relationships with the community.
Watan Newspaper has a circulation of over 30,000 in California State. No matter what your marketing message or budget, Watan Newspaper has an advertising package that gives you the most flexible format and placement options you need at a price you can afford.
Our readers are proud, loyal Arab Americans who will respond positively to your ads. To them, it's word of mouth advertising from a trusted source and assurance they will be treated well.
Your online privacy is a priority for Watan.com and we are taking every effort to protect any personal information that you provide. This privacy policy has been created to answer any questions you may have regarding our use of information collected and how information is being collected and protected.
What information is being collected at watan.com?
The only personal information collected is information you give us. Watan.com offers multiple opportunities for you to sign up for email alerts and sign up for your personal action center. We do not collect or maintain any personal information unless you provide us with your name, address, zip code, and email address.
How we use log files to better serve you.
We use log files to assess the aggregate level of traffic to Watan.com including what pages people are visiting, and to diagnose any potential problems with the Web site. This log file does contain an “Internet Protocol” or IP address that gives us insight on the general geographic area that visitors are coming from but not information on a specific individual.
We ask that children under 13 do not submit their information. In accordance with the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) Watan.com does not knowingly collect information from children. We encourage parents to participate actively in their children’s Internet experience.
We do not retain information when you forward a message unless you request us to do so. Watan.com contains numerous opportunities for a visitor to forward documents, photos, and messages to friends and family. This information is only used to forward that visitor’s message and is not retained by Watan.com unless you request it. We save email addresses as a personal service to our users. Under NO circumstances will Watan.com send messages to our users list directly.
How is the information collected at Watan.com used?
We personalize the website and email communications. When you offer your personal information for email alerts or to participate in our activism efforts we use your information to personalize and customize Web pages and emails from Watan.com to you, we also use the information to credit individuals for their actions taken.
All email communications are opt-in.
Watan.com acquires no personal or registration data about our users except what you explicitly and voluntarily provide (ie. opt-in). We reserve the right to use this information specifically for the purposes related to your registration and generally for any necessary future communication regarding your registration or status.
As part of your free subscription, from time to time we will deliver messages from our partners that we believe would be of specific interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive these occasional messages we will discontinue them at your request.
with the request of any Law Enforcement authority.
Is my information secure?
Protecting information you provide via watan.com.
Watan.com makes every effort to protect your information from the moment you begin to enter your information to when it is stored on our secure servers. Watan.com uses a secure socket layer (SSL) – with the highest level of encryption commercially available – on pages where Web site visitors sign up for email news or register for our activism tools.
Strict security measures are in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of any and all information pertaining to watan.com. In addition, Watan.com is run on servers located in a secure server room and locked in a rack. Staff is onsite 24 hours a day, monitoring equipment and services.
Use of cookies and protecting your privacy.
We do make use of cookies to personalize and customize your interaction with Watan.com and to provide you with the best possible online experience. A cookie is a tiny text file that is placed on your hard drive when you voluntarily register with watan.com. These text files do not contain any personal information and can not be used by Watan.com or anyone else to obtain any information that you do not voluntarily provide. Occasionally, our advertisers will also place cookies on your browser when you click on their ads from our site. This enables them to track the effectiveness of their ads. In most cases, cookies will only be placed when the ad is served to the page you're viewing.
We also use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our Web site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here:(http://networkadvertising.org/consumer/opt_out.asp).
Watan.com links to other sites:
Our site may contain links to other Web sites and servers. Watan.com is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of linked Web sites; nor should a link from Watan.com be construed as an endorsement of that site’s content, services or practices.
Can I change my information or opt out of campaign mailings?
Use your password to edit your personal information:
When you sign up for email news and to our action center you automatically receive a user name and password. You can change your password or have it resent to your email account at any time. This password can be used to edit your personal information at any time. To edit your information or to have your password resent to your registered email address please go to: http://www.Townhall.com/secure/login.aspx.
How to unsubscribe from our email list.
All sign ups for email communications and other features of Watan.coma re completely voluntary. At the bottom of every news alert email is an opportunity to unsubscribe from our mailings. You may also unsubscribe by sending an email to
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with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line or call Watan.com at 714-502-9908
How do I contact watan.com?
Contact information for watan.com. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact Watan.com by sending an email to
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, calling us at 714-502-9908 or writing to:
watan
P.O.Box 2727
Anaheim, CA 92804
Will this privacy policy change?
We reserve the right to revise or update this privacy policy at any time. While we do not intend to make any changes to this policy we do reserve the right to do so. If any changes to this privacy policy are made the date that the revised or updated policy is posted to Watan.com will appear at the bottom of the page.
