Ray Hanania
Encyclopedia
Ray Hanania is an Arab-American Palestinian Christian
journalist
also known for his stand-up comedy
. Hanania writes a syndicated
column
with a particular focus on the Middle East
, and after the September 11 attacks
, created Comedians of Middle East conflict
, a comedy act with the hope of defusing mutual suspicion.
; his father, George John Hanania, from a prominent Christian
family in Jerusalem, served with the U.S. Army
during World War II
and with the Office of Strategic Services
(OSS), the predecessor of the CIA
. He himself served with the U.S. Air Force
during the Vietnam War
and in the Illinois Air National Guard
. Hanania's wife, Alison, is Jewish; they live in Orland Park, Illinois
.
From 1977-1985 Hanania reported for the Daily Southtown
, and from 1985-1992 for the Chicago Sun-Times
. From 1993-1996 he was publisher of the suburban Villager Newspapers group and spokesperson for the Town of Cicero
. He has also hosted a radio program on WLS (AM)
, published the Middle Eastern Voice newspaper, and launched the Arab American View, an English-language newspaper. Hanania also hosted the morning radio talk show in Chicago, "Mornings with Ray Hanania," broadcast weekday mornings, and co-hosts Radio Baladi. He also hosted Star Chef Chicagoland a weekly online pilot reality show featuring celebrity chefs reviewed by celebrity judges on cable TV in Chicago.
He is managing editor of the Arab American Writers Syndicate and press
contact for the Town of Cicero
, as part of his company Urban Strategies Group.
His internationally-syndicated column was originally carried by Creators Syndicate
from 2002-2005 and was picked up again starting in 2010. Hanania feels he is "defining the moderate Palestinian & Arab Voice."
He continues to write a Chicago political column carried locally with the Southwest News-Herald and formerly with the Arlington Heights Daily Herald (2002–2009), and has written a humor/serious column for the online website of Yedioth Ahronoth
. Hanania writes a weekly syndicated column for the Jerusalem Post and also for PalestineNote.com. He is the Baby Boomer Blogger and editor of Arab American TV Online. He currently writes for various publications including the HuffingtonPost.com, the Arab News in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and for other US and international newspapers. He is political editor of the Southwest News-Herald newspaper on Chicago's Southwest Side and suburbs, and publisher of the National Arab American Times Newspaper.
Hanania launched a standup comedy career to advance his agenda of promoting peace through moderation and using humor and co-founded with Israeli comedians Charley Warady and Yisrael Campbell
and African American comedian/Journalist Aaron Freeman "The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour" which broke the Arab and Palestinian comedian taboo of refusing to appear with Israelis.
Hanania was removed from one of his first comedy appearances at the last minute at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago in August 2002 when Jewish American comedian Jackie Mason
refused to have him open for him. Mason's manager said it was because of Hanania's inexperience, with fewer than 20 performances and because he is a "Palestinian."
Hanania is the national coordinator of the National American Arab Journalists Association which coordinates and networks American Arab and Muslim Journalists in the United States, and is a partner affiliate of the Union of Arab American Journalists in Detroit.
In the spring of 2011, Hanania voiced his opposition to censorship on Facebook particularly regarding Facebook's removal of the Third Palestinian Intifada
page. Hanania's columns advocate the "moderate Palestinian and Arab voice" and reject extremism, embraces peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and opposes the use of violence.
Palestinian Christian
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
also known for his stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
. Hanania writes a syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
with a particular focus on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and after the September 11 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, created Comedians of Middle East conflict
Comedians of Middle East conflict
Comedians of Middle East conflict are comedians who try to ease the tension of conflict by means of humor. Arab-American Palestinian comedian and award-winning journalist Ray Hanania and his companions from the Israeli–Palestinian Comedy Tour operate under the slogan: "If we can laugh together, we...
, a comedy act with the hope of defusing mutual suspicion.
Life and career
Hanania's parents are Christian immigrants from Mandatory Palestine. His mother is from BethlehemBethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
; his father, George John Hanania, from a prominent Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
family in Jerusalem, served with the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and with the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(OSS), the predecessor of the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. He himself served with the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and in the Illinois Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
. Hanania's wife, Alison, is Jewish; they live in Orland Park, Illinois
Orland Park, Illinois
Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States; it also extends slightly into Will County. The population was 56,767 at the 2010 census. The office of the Assistant Village Manager, Ellen Baer, states that the Will County section of Orland Park is industrial while the Cook County...
.
From 1977-1985 Hanania reported for the Daily Southtown
Daily Southtown
The SouthtownStar is a newspaper of the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area that covers the south suburbs of Chicago and the South Side neighborhoods of the city - a wide region known as the Chicago Southland. Its popular slogan is "People Up North Just Don't Get It"...
, and from 1985-1992 for the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. From 1993-1996 he was publisher of the suburban Villager Newspapers group and spokesperson for the Town of Cicero
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
. He has also hosted a radio program on WLS (AM)
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
, published the Middle Eastern Voice newspaper, and launched the Arab American View, an English-language newspaper. Hanania also hosted the morning radio talk show in Chicago, "Mornings with Ray Hanania," broadcast weekday mornings, and co-hosts Radio Baladi. He also hosted Star Chef Chicagoland a weekly online pilot reality show featuring celebrity chefs reviewed by celebrity judges on cable TV in Chicago.
He is managing editor of the Arab American Writers Syndicate and press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
contact for the Town of Cicero
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
, as part of his company Urban Strategies Group.
His internationally-syndicated column was originally carried by Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
from 2002-2005 and was picked up again starting in 2010. Hanania feels he is "defining the moderate Palestinian & Arab Voice."
He continues to write a Chicago political column carried locally with the Southwest News-Herald and formerly with the Arlington Heights Daily Herald (2002–2009), and has written a humor/serious column for the online website of Yedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth is a daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since the 1970s, it has been the most widely circulated paper in Israel. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Yedioth Ahronoth retained the title of most widely read newspaper in Israel...
. Hanania writes a weekly syndicated column for the Jerusalem Post and also for PalestineNote.com. He is the Baby Boomer Blogger and editor of Arab American TV Online. He currently writes for various publications including the HuffingtonPost.com, the Arab News in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and for other US and international newspapers. He is political editor of the Southwest News-Herald newspaper on Chicago's Southwest Side and suburbs, and publisher of the National Arab American Times Newspaper.
Hanania launched a standup comedy career to advance his agenda of promoting peace through moderation and using humor and co-founded with Israeli comedians Charley Warady and Yisrael Campbell
Yisrael Campbell
Yisrael Campbell is a Philadelphia-born Israeli comedian.Campbell, who is of Irish and Italian descent, grew up Catholic in a Philadelphia suburb. One of his aunts is a Catholic nun...
and African American comedian/Journalist Aaron Freeman "The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour" which broke the Arab and Palestinian comedian taboo of refusing to appear with Israelis.
Hanania was removed from one of his first comedy appearances at the last minute at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago in August 2002 when Jewish American comedian Jackie Mason
Jackie Mason
Jackie Mason is an American stand-up comedian and movie actor.-Early life:Born Yacov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, he grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City....
refused to have him open for him. Mason's manager said it was because of Hanania's inexperience, with fewer than 20 performances and because he is a "Palestinian."
Hanania is the national coordinator of the National American Arab Journalists Association which coordinates and networks American Arab and Muslim Journalists in the United States, and is a partner affiliate of the Union of Arab American Journalists in Detroit.
In the spring of 2011, Hanania voiced his opposition to censorship on Facebook particularly regarding Facebook's removal of the Third Palestinian Intifada
Palestinian Intifada
The Palestinian Intifada may refer to:*The First Intifada began in 1987. Violence declined in 1991 and came to an end with the signing of the Oslo accords and the creation of the Palestinian National Authority...
page. Hanania's columns advocate the "moderate Palestinian and Arab voice" and reject extremism, embraces peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and opposes the use of violence.
Professional awards
- Sigma Delta Chi National Award for Column Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists (2009) for his columns http://arabwritersgroup.wordpress.com/2009/08/08/08-08-09-arab-grocer-charges-racism-in-arrest-over-allegations-of-code-violations/ on the alleged discrimination against an Arab grocer in a suburb of Chicago.
- MT. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award 2009 by the Mehdi Family.
- Winner of the First National Ethnic Media Award for Commentary/Editorial Writing (English) in 2006 by the New America Media Association for his three-part series: "Shedding Moonlight on Conflict," "A new Language of Peace" and "Things Palestinians and Israelis share".
- Society of Professional JournalistsSociety of Professional JournalistsThe Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
Lisagor Award for column writing, 1985, 2003, 2007, 2009. - Chicago Newspaper Guild Column Award (2).
- Three Awards from the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 2 Chicago ADC (1981, 1988) and National ADC, 1985.
- Nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors in 1990/91 for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
Books
- Arabs of Chicagoland, 2005 (Arcadia Publishing) ISBN 0-7385-3417-X
- I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing Up Arab in America, 2001 (http://www.themediaoasis.com/book.htm) ISBN 0-9654761-0-3
- Strike Back: Lentil Soup for the Arab American Soul, 1999 (USG Publishing) ISBN 0-9654761-1-1
- Midnight Flight: The Story of White Flight in Chicago—1968 (Online Novel, http://www.themediaoasis.com/flight/flight.htm) 1996
- Troubled Times: Palestinian American Thought before and after Sept. 11th which features 98 of his award-winning columns, paperback;
Politics
- President/CEO Urban Strategies Group Media Consulting Firm (http://www.UrbanStrategiesGroup.com)
- Former National Board Member of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- Member, Chicago Chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) since 1980 American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
- Co-founder, National Arab American Journalists Association (http://www.NAAJA-US.com)
- National President of the Palestinian American CongressPalestinian American CongressThe Palestinian American Congress is a Palestinian-American non-profit grassroots organization established in 1995 to assist the Palestinian-American community in coordinating and organizing its political, educational, cultural and social affairs. As of July 2008, it has 21 chapters in various US...
, 1995–1996 - Board member of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam village
- Co-founder of Yalla, Salam! ("Palestinians for Peace Now")
- Co-founder of Israeli-Palestinian Comedy TourIsraeli-Palestinian Comedy TourIsraeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour was founded in November 2006 by Palestinian comedian and columnist Ray Hanania and Israeli comedian and online Podcaster Charley Warady....
(http://www.IPComedyTour.com) - Co-founder of Infidels of Comedy The Christian Arab Comedy Tour
Quotes
- If we can laugh together, we can live together.
- Americans are the most educated people in the world, but the least educated about the world.
External links
- Ray Hanania's official Morning Radio Show page
- Ray Hanania's official page
- Ray Hanania's media consulting web page
- Israeli Palestinian Comedy Tour official page
- The Infidels of Comedy Christian Arab Comedy Tour
- Ray Hanania's Facebook Page
- Hanania's personal MySpace blog page
- Official web page of the National Arab American Journalists Association
- Opinion from Israel, Ynetnews Articles by Ray Hanania from his column
- Spoils to the Self Promoter, a detailed profile of Ray Hanania in the Chicago Reader May 20, 2010
- Nothing to laugh at here An article by Sousan Hammad
- Hanania responds to Sousan Hammad's political attack Response from Hanania to Sousan Hammad's political attack