In one week, Americans will complete casting their votes for their preferred presidential candidate. Whether the winner is incumbent US President Donald Trump or his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, the result of the election will mark the beginning of a new era for US and world politics.
US voters submit their ballots in their home states, and their votes determine which way the state as a whole votes in the election for president. As with any other voting bloc, ethnic and religious minorities can sometimes make a great difference in the outcome of the ballot in a given state.
The Arab-American community is no exception. Their voices are rarely heard, and the community is often misunderstood. Arab Americans are often stigmatised, particularly in the two decades that have passed since 9/11. Meanwhile, their struggles are too frequently used to score political points by prominent politicians in both of the main US parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.
Arab Americans, of course, are not a homogenous group with a monolithic identity or ideology. Their roots and stories are diverse. Some have been in the US for generations; migration to the Americas from Lebanon and Syria began as early as the 19th century. Others have become US citizens more recently, sometimes arriving as refugees fleeing war or persecution. They include Muslims, Christians, Jews and a multitude of other religious groups, as well as those who do not subscribe to a given faith.
More about the US elections
Their expectations from America’s next president differ depending on their personal experiences and their goals. But their experience as Arab Americans is shared. The broader context of their culture and heritage, and their trials in America, are often shared. American politicians would do well to acknowledge that, and to speak to those common ideals and struggles in this election.
The incumbent administration’s policies, at home and abroad, have had an outsized impact Arab Americans. For many Muslims, Mr Trump’s Muslim travel ban and the islamophobic rhetoric espoused by many of his supporters have been damaging. Many of those who recently came to the country as refugees or migrants have suffered because of these policies.
Some of the current administration’s supporters have also stoked Islamophobia or exploited the damage caused by Islamists in an attempt to win over members of other religious groups. This strategy, for instance, played a role in securing votes for Mr Trump from within Michigan’s Iraqi Christian community in the last election. That community was subsequently targeted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with many of its members telling The National they felt betrayed and disappointed.
The identitarian politics of the American far-left has been damaging in its own way, too. The left-most fringes of the Democratic Party have exploited the fear among Muslim groups in post-9/11 America, as well as emotive issues like the Palestine-Israel conflict, in an effort to convince Arab Americans that they are doomed to victimhood, and do not belong.
There is no coherent 'Arab American vote' but there is still a strong sentiment of what it means to be an Arab in America
Rather than interpret the value of the Arab American vote through the community’s vulnerability and divisions, politicians ought to win votes by promoting its strengths. Arab Americans have been some of their country’s most successful businesspeople, artists, poets, academics and community leaders. They have been as fundamental a building block in shaping American values as any of their compatriots, and their experiences merit consideration from both of America’s major parties.
There is no coherent ‘Arab American vote’. But there is still a strong sentiment of what it means to be an Arab in America. It is a feeling of seeing one’s ancestral homeland tied in, for better or worse, with one’s country of citizenship. In this election and those to come, America’s politicians have a duty to resolve continued apprehensions, and to emphasise to America’s Arab community that it matters and is valued.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Top 5 concerns globally:
1. Unemployment
2. Spread of infectious diseases
3. Fiscal crises
4. Cyber attacks
5. Profound social instability
Top 5 concerns in the Mena region
1. Energy price shock
2. Fiscal crises
3. Spread of infectious diseases
4. Unmanageable inflation
5. Cyber attacks
Source: World Economic Foundation
