Latest news with #Jordanian-American
News18
07-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Children, Aid Workers Killed': Podcaster Joe Rogan On Gaza, Calls Antisemitism Label 'Strange'
Rogan noted that raising concerns about the violence in Gaza often leads to accusations of antisemitism YouTuber and podcaster Joe Rogan has slammed Israel's military action in Gaza, calling the violence 'insane" and questioning why more people are not speaking out about the deaths of civilians and aid workers. In the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, published on 2 July, Rogan said, 'What they've done to Gaza is f***ing insane. And if you can't see that… your response is, 'Israel has the right to defend itself.' Like, what are you talking about—against what? Children? Women and children getting blown apart? Aid workers that are getting killed?" 'What they've done to Gaza is f***ing insane. And if you can't see that, if you can't say that, your response is, Israel has the right to defend itself. Like, what are you talking about against what? Children?…" – Joe Rogan — Megatron (@Megatron_ron) July 5, 2025 Rogan further noted that raising concerns about the violence in Gaza often leads to accusations of antisemitism, which he called 'so strange". 'We can't have a rational conversation if you're not willing to address that, and no one wants to talk about it. If you do talk about it, you're anti-Semitic, which is so strange. I don't know how they wrangled that," he stated. Rogan was speaking with Amjad Masad, a Jordanian-American and CEO of tech platform Replit. Masad, whose family is from Palestine, said he faced harsh criticism from colleagues simply for speaking out. 'They call me antisemitic," he said. 'Every moderate Palestinian I know supports a two-state solution. We need the emergence of a Palestinian state. Ending the occupation is the best way to ensure peace and security, even for Israelis," Masad told Rogan. The Gaza war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza. According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict. The war has displaced nearly the entire population of the territory, with food shortages and infrastructure collapse creating a severe humanitarian crisis. First Published:
Int'l Business Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Joe Rogan Condemns Trump's Mass ICE Raids as 'Insane': 'Not Cartel Members, Just Construction Workers'
On-again, off-again Donald Trump supporter Joe Rogan criticized the current administration's mass deportation raids during Tuesday's episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," labeling them "insane." In a conversation with Jordanian-American entrepreneur Amjad Masad, Rogan discussed the Trump administration's response to the conflict in Gaza, which Masad described as "disappointing." Masad added that he now feels more free to speak openly about the issue, crediting Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, now X, for shifting the tech industry's willingness to engage in political discourse. Rogan then asked Masad to imagine what would have happened if former Vice President Kamala Harris had won the presidency in 2024, prompting Masad to ask Rogan what he thinks about the Trump administration regarding "what's happening now." "It's insane," Rogan said in the episode, referring to the Trump administration targeting migrant workers. "Not cartel members. Not gang members. Not drug dealers. Just construction workers, showing up in construction sites, raiding them." "Or Palestinian students on college campuses," Masad added, referencing Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts student who was detained after she wrote an op-ed criticizing Israel. With the passage of Trump's "big, beautiful bill" on Thursday, deportation efforts are expected to ramp up once again. The legislation allocates an additional $150 billion to ICE and border enforcement, which exceeds the entire military budgets of most countries, including Italy, Brazil and Switzerland, Newsweek reported. Originally published on Latin Times
Arab News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
1996 - The bombing of Khobar Towers
RIYADH: June 25, 1996, was the day when trust was lost and an edifice was brought down. It was the day that rendered a tear in an evolving friendship. It was the day when a residential tower in Alkhobar, hosting soldiers from the international coalition that was enforcing a no fly-zone in southern Iraq after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, was bombed. It was the day many things changed. News of the bombing — which killed 19 Americans and a Saudi citizen, and injured 498 people of various nationalities — came as a shock to many. It was only the second major terrorist attack in the Kingdom, after the siege of Makkah in 1979. Those affected directly by the bombing were left scarred for life, but those who felt its wider reverberations elsewhere went through a range of emotions that, for some, forever changed their worldview. I still have clear memories of the impactful day, of how I lived through the horror from afar. The news itself scared me because of the magnitude of the attack and because it had targeted Americans while I was studying in the US. My first thought was whether there would be an adverse reaction, because the aftermath of the Oklahoma bombing on April 19, 1995, was still fresh in my mind. I was in Boston, studying English, when the Oklahoma bombing took place. At that time, the first piece of news about the hunt for the bomber was the arrest of a Jordanian-American man who flew from Oklahoma on the day of the attack. Arab News' front page highlighted global outrage over Khobar Towers bombing and Saudi efforts to restore security. I still remember the suspicious looks from people on the subway on my way to school. I was not targeted physically or verbally but the looks were painful and a sense of distrust was evident. The subsequent arrests of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols came as a relief to many of us Middle Eastern students abroad. Later, I experienced similar feelings following the Alkhobar Towers bombing, and felt even worse after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The Alkhobar bombing also left me with a surreal feeling that this could not happening. Meanwhile, most of us had to face questions from people who could not understand why it did. And there was no escape from the blame. Americans had been targeted, and while the country's citizens had been victims of previous terror attacks, the difference this time was the location: It happened in Saudi Arabia. I was living in the city of Detroit at the time, and of course we did not have Twitter or other social media in those days to provide quick updates on the attack. The internet was still something relatively new. Arabic TV channels were not available in the US at that time. The only source of information was what we read in American newspapers and saw on US TV channels. Other updates on the attack came from friends who had talked to their families back home. During this period of uncertainty, I remember being asked a lot questions by my university friends, many of whom could not point to Iran or Saudi Arabia on the map. Most of the time my answers fell short. One comment that sticks in my mind was from my university history teacher, who remarked with a smile: 'When we defend you, you kill us.' A huge truck bomb detonates outside a building housing US personnel in Alkhobar, killing 19 of them and a Saudi civilian. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese man indicted on terrorism charges by federal grand jury in Virginia. Saudi authorities say they have arrested 11 of the 13 Saudi suspects, who will be tried in the Kingdom. Federal judge rules Iran is responsible for the bombing and orders its government to pay $254m compensation to families of Americans who died. Ahmed Al-Mughassil, accused of being behind the bombing, arrested in Beirut and handed over to Saudi authorities. Another US court orders Iran to pay a further $104.7m compensation to 15 people injured in the bombing. That period we were living in, after the Gulf War in 1991, was witnessing a lot of change. The presence of US forces in Saudi Arabia was an unwelcome development to a segment of society that viewed their presence in the land of the Two Holy Mosques as an unannounced invasion. This narrative was widely distributed through the many cassette tapes featuring the words of famous clerics, who never stopped calling for the withdrawal of American forces and the closure of their military bases. My first impression, like that of many of my American friends, was that the Alkhobar attack was carried out by terrorists influenced by hate speech. But it was later revealed that Iran was indirectly behind it. Investigations slowly revealed a conspiracy to destabilize Saudi Arabia. This was not surprising to me, knowing that the Iranian regime has been on a never-ending mission to destabilize Saudi Arabia since Supreme Leader Ali Khomeini came to power in 1979. The main mission of the regime in Tehran was to export its ideology through proxy forces in neighboring countries. What scared me most at that time was that it had managed to do this through its arm in Saudi Arabia, Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Family members of the 19 US Airforce Airmen killed in the bombing weep during 5th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony held in Virginia. AFP Iran is no stranger to sabotage and bad behavior in the region. It consistently attempts to brainwash young people in other countries into adopting its ideologies and turning against their own governments. We have seen how Tehran has managed to find a foothold in countries as far afield as the heart of Africa and South Asia. The demonstration by Iranian pilgrims in Makkah in 1987 comes to mind. I watched in horror on TV how they turned the Hajj religious event into chaos, attacking, killing and injuring many innocent pilgrims. I saw how they burned cars and beat to death police officers on the streets. Similar events happened in Madinah, where they also instigated riots and attacked pilgrims. A government with an ideology that does not care about sacred places and innocent lives for sure will not feel any sympathy when it directs its minions in the region to carry out such attacks. Iran will not remain calm and will not deviate from its main goal of destabilizing the region. It is still reaping what it sowed in Alkhobar and other areas. What has Iran gained since 1979 except chaos, war and economic sanctions?
Ammon
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
Muasher: Jordan must assume responsibility for itself politically, economically, and socially
Ammon News - Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Marwan Muasher, called on Jordan not to wait for an external savior because the era of external saviors is over. During a dialogue session at the Shoman Cultural Forum, moderated by Dr. Mohammed Abu Rumman on Monday, Muasher said that Jordan must assume responsibility for itself politically, economically, and socially, as waiting for an external savior means the situation is extremely dire. Muasher explained the Jordan has three problematic relationships, which were previously viewed in one way but are now viewed in a different way, the most prominent of these relationships are the Jordanian-Israeli relationship, the Jordanian-Gulf relationship, and the Jordanian-American relationship, adding that all of these relationships have changed in ways that we can no longer ignore.
CairoScene
20-03-2025
- CairoScene
How One Jordanian Architect Brought a Piece of Petra to California
Inspired by his childhood in Amman, Malek AlQadi's latest project, 'The Folly Mojave', injects desert minimalism with sustainable luxury. Born in Amman, Jordan, raised in Florida, and based in Los Angeles, Jordanian-American architect Malek AlQadi has dedicated his life to his follies. In architecture, a folly is a building that serves no purpose aside from aesthetics. But AlQadi's follies? They are worlds unto themselves; portals to places only visited in daydreams and memories. His first folly came about as part of his thesis project, during which he designed and executed a humble, fully self-sustaining stay in California's Joshua Tree National Park. Though his design language has evolved over the years, his core principles remain the same: sustainability, minimalism, and a reconnection with nature, all rooted in a childhood spent marvelling at Jordan's deserts. In Jordan, ancient structures like Petra dominated his early experiences. In Florida, his exposure to contrasting environments shaped his understanding of space, structure and purpose. AlQadi's obsession with follies finds its roots in his desire to push the boundaries of design. He's not interested in the grandiosity of skyscrapers or the utility of commercial buildings. Instead, his work delves into the ethereal, focusing on creating spaces that encourage introspection, exploration and escape. The Folly Mojave, a series of standalone suites dotted across 200 acres at the intersection of The Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, is AlQadi's most recent and most ambitious project to date. The project is a retreat that blends into the arid environment while providing visitors with an isolated, immersive experience. 'A lot of it was navigating childhood memories and connecting them with real-life scenarios and architectural elements, tying vastly different places in the world together, yet still grounded in similar principles and environments.' AlQadi tells SceneHome. For AlQadi, the desert isn't just a backdrop. It's a critical component of the project, shaping the way the Folly Mojave interacts with the land. The retreat's location in such an extreme environment is intentional; it encourages guests to detach from their everyday lives and engage more fully with their surroundings. At first glance, the Folly Mojave may appear simple, but its simplicity belies the thoughtfulness of its design. The structure is fully off-grid, powered by solar energy, and equipped with self-sustaining water systems. The retreat is designed for minimal impact on the surrounding environment. Inside, the space is surprisingly open, with large windows that frame the vast desert views. 'A big part of the experience is having less light pollution and being able to see the stars at night. All of that fed into the idea of disconnection,' AlQadi explains. 'It's about having the luxury of time and space to relax and take in nature, which, at its core, is the ultimate healer.' Malek AlQadi emphasises the "site-responsive" nature of his architectural philosophy. Unlike architects who adhere to a singular aesthetic, AlQadi's approach is shaped by the environment he works within, adapting to the unique qualities of each location. "No two projects are ever the same," he explains, yet there's always a recognisable touch that connects his work. Symmetry, the use of natural materials, and a minimalist design language are core to his style, while he doesn't shy away from incorporating brutalist elements when appropriate. For AlQadi, creating spaces that resonate beyond the present - lasting decades or even centuries - is a key part of his architectural philosophy. 'Guests often describe the experience as surreal, unique and unplugged,' AlQadi reflects. 'Many mention feeling a deep connection while staying there. It's rewarding to know that people from all walks of life have been able to share in that experience.'
