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DeVos skips Arab activists' event.
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14
September 14 - 2006
ick DeVos, Repubican can-
didate for governor, did not
attend a Sept. 13 dinner at the
Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn
organized by the Arab American Political
Action Committee (AAPAC).
His cancellation came after publica-
tion of a column in the Detroit Jewish
News by Editor Robert
Sklar that called on candi-
dates not to attend AAPAC
events or accept contri-
butions from the group
because of anti-Israel,
anti-Zionist, pro-Hezbollah
and arguably anti-Semitic
comments by its leaders.
Both AAPAC's president,
Dick DeVos
Osama Siblani, and its
treasurer, Abed Hammoud,
have made statements strongly con-
demning Israel and U.S. support for
Israel. Each also made remarks to
national media equating Israeli actions
with those of Nazi Germany, with
Hammoud calling all of Israel "occu-
pied Palestine" and Siblani arguing that
Hamas and Hezbollah were not terrorists
but "freedom fighters!'
Both are leaders in the Congress of
Arab American Organizations (CAAO),
which organized rallies supporting
Hezbollah, including one featuring
the head of the pro-Hamas Islamic
Association for Palestine.
"When the invitation was initially
accepted, we were unaware of statements
they had made about organizations on
the U.S. terrorist list',' explained Greg
McNeilly, campaign manager of DeVos
for Governor. "When we were made
aware of these statements we told them
we would not attend." Both Hezbollah
and Hamas are on the U.S. list of terror-
ist organizations.
McNeill), said DeVos supporters ini-
tially made campaign leaders aware of
the activities and statements of AAPAC
leaders and then saw Sklar's Aug. 31 IN
column. After independently verifying
the statements, McNeilly said they told
AAPAC that "they are not willing to come
and have that connection."
"They are not happy about it, and we
are sorry that we accepted an invitation
that we are now not accepting!' McNeilly
said. "We did not have the appropriate
information when we made the previous
decision, but after we verified the infor-
mation we decided the right thing to do
is not to go to AAPAC."
Sklar said,"I'm certainly happy to hear
that Mr. DeVos has canceled his appear-
ance before AAPAC in light of what he
learned about statements made by the
organization's leadership. This episode
reinforces why state and national candi-
dates and public officials must be ever
vigilant about the forums they choose to
speak before.
"Everyone has a right to
express an opinion; but all
of us, and in particular our
leaders and would-be lead-
ers, must register their oppo-
sition to those who support
terrorist groups and demon-
ize Israel, its supporters and
the Jewish community?'
Before the recent rallies
and press coverage of the
past two months, local and state and
candidates and elected officials have
regularly attended AAPAC functions. For
example, photos on its Web site from its
2005 annual dinner held last November
show Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie
Stabenow and U.S. Reps: John Dingell, D-
Dearborn, and John Conyers, D-Detroit,
among others. AAPAC's 2006 annual din-
ner has been scheduled for Nov. 3.
McNeill), said the DeVos campaign has
met with Muslims, Arab Americans and
Chaldeans and would continue to do so.
"Mr. DeVos has had a vibrant and active
communication with a whole diverse
variety of people and organizations, with a
wide variety of backgrounds and opinions?'
The Arab American News, which
Siblani publishes in addition to his
leadership role with AAPAC and CAAO,
blasted the Jewish News in an online col-
umn on his paper's Web site, writing that
AAPAC was "maliciously attacked" by the
paper which was "attempting to stifle the
debate over the Middle East conflict" and
which was "extremist" in support of the
"terrorist, apartheid state of Israel in its
war crimes against the Arabs?'
Sklar's column had called protection
of Arab and Muslim rights "sacrosanct"
noting "they have every right to speak
out and take Israeli governmental poli-
cies to task" but urged politicians and
others to hold AAPAC and CAAO lead-
ership accountable for anti-American,
anti-Israel and arguably anti-Semitic
statements by not attending their gather-
ings or accepting their contributions. L