Intercultural Jewish, Muslim, Christian Comedians to Perform in 'FUNATICAL’ Interfaith Comedy Show in Chicago Nov. 5, 2011

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

Intercultural Jewish, Muslim, Christian Comedians to Perform in 'FUNATICAL’ Interfaith Comedy Show in Chicago

October 12th, 2011 -- PlanetPix Media & Entertainment Group, a multicultural media and entertainment production company, recently announced that 'FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme's "We Come in Peace" Tour' will make its way to the “Windy City” on Saturday, November 5^th, 2011.

FUNATICAL’s Chicago line-up includes Samson Koletkar (world’s only Jewish Indian comedian), Mike Batayeh (Arab Christian), Tehran SoParvaz (African-American-Iranian) as well as Chicago’s own Ray Hanania (Arab Christian) and MoNa (Arab Muslim).

Samson Koletkar was born and raised in Mumbai. Samson brings a refreshingly new approach to cerebral, witty, thought-provoking humor with a global perspective. Being a Jewish Indian in America has only added to the anomaly that is Samson. His comedy is socially aware and is driven by his personal trials and tribulations. He highlights religious, political, social and traditional hypocrisies and issues, and shares his views on day to day absurdities of the human nature. With his clean approach to comedy he is able to perform just as easily at clubs and theaters as he is at corporations, colleges, fundraisers and speaking engagements.

Mike Batayeh has guest starred and recurred on several hit television shows and has co-starred alongside A-list actors in several films. He recently filmed his first co-lead roles in the short film, "Fly While Arab" and the feature film, "Detroit Unleaded" (release date 2012). Mike is based in Los Angeles but has toured all over the United States as a comic. Mike is one of the ambassadors of western comedy to audiences in the Middle East, as he was part of the first wave of comics to perform live in Dubai, Lebanon, Nazareth, Jordan and Egypt. His mix of biting social commentary, physical comedy and ability to entertain leaves audiences eagerly anticipating his return.

According to Editor and Publisher magazine, Ray Hanania is "...a Palestinian-American writer married to a Jewish woman. He writes about Mideast issues in an evenhanded way." Ray is a stand-up comedian, media analyst and political consultant specializing in Middle East issues and events, and mainstream American politics. He is president of Urban Strategies Group and writes several columns. Hanania co-hosts the American Arab radio show "Radio Baladi" which is simulcast in Michigan, Ohio and Northern Illinois. He hosted the live Chicago morning show "The Ray Hanania Show" for three years on WJJG AM 1530 Radio.

MoNa is an Arab-American comedian from Chicago who has performed throughout the U.S. and Canada. She studied improv and comedy writing at Chicago’s Second City and has performed on many stages through the  Chicagoland area, including: the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, Comedy Under the Tap, Chord on Blues, Jokes & Notes, the Lincoln
Lodge, Loco Locas at Watra, 1001Laughs Tour and now FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme.

Tehran SoParvaz is a half Iranian and half African American stand-up comedian and performer who lives in the Washington D.C. metro area. He is a dynamic and high-energy comedian and entertainer who is the host of a popular satellite TV and radio show that airs around the world. He has been using his witty and unique perspective of life and sense of humor in comedy shows along Maz Jobrani, Max Amini and FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme.

With increased religious and cultural tension growing in America and around the world,  'FUNATICAL' breaks stereotypes and bridges gaps between people of diverse backgrounds and religions by promoting unity through laughter. Comedians poke fun of culture, race, politics, religion and current events, which they lampoon with clean humor and satire.  The shows are produced by an interfaith team who uses comedy as an equalizer to counter prejudices in a humorous way.

‘FUNATICAL  officially launched in Hollywood, CA  at the World Famous Comedy Store with a red carpet premiere, followed by three shows throughout Southern CA that brought together a diverse interfaith audience who were united by laughter. The tour continued with sold out shows in the Washington D.C. metro area, and special appearances at the National Press Club and Georgetown University.  Media coverage includes Huffington Post, Voice of America, Al Hurra TV, Middle East Broadcasting, Belief Net and more.  FUNATICAL has also performed in Toronto, Canada and is receiving requests to take the show internationally.

FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme’s Chicago show will take place Saturday, Nov. 5^th, 2011 (8pm) at American Islamic College’s auditorium on 640 West Irving Park Road in Chicago, IL.  Sponsors of the show include American Islamic Congress, Project Nur, Urban Strategies Group, Mike Anderson Chevrolet of Chicago, Beauty and the East TV, and a contribution by Eric Hovemeyer & Christine Bieri. Contributing sponsors include Abrahamic Alliance, United Religions Initiative (URI), Hyde Park & Kenwood Interfaith Council, and the Peace Garden Project.


For more information: www.funaticalcomedy.com
Contact: thetour@funaticalcomedy.com
1.800.775.0958

Amnesty condemns prisoner abuses by Israelis and Palestinians

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Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap Casts Harsh Light on Detention Practices By All Sides, Says Amnesty International

Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, strimel@aiusa.org
(New York) -- The prisoner swap involving Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and 477 Palestinian prisoners highlights the need for the humane treatment of all detainees in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Amnesty International said today.


Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa director, said:  “This deal will bring relief to Gilad Shalit and his family after an ordeal that has lasted more than five years. Many Palestinian families will feel a similar sense of relief today when they are reunited with their relatives, many of whom have spent decades under harsh conditions in Israeli detention."


 "However, more needs to be done to protect the rights of thousands of others who remain in detention. The Israeli authorities, the Hamas de facto administration in Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank must seize this opportunity to ensure respect for the rights of all prisoners and detainees in their custody.”


 Shalit was captured by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006. Since then he has been allowed no contact with his family, who have campaigned relentlessly for his release. Nor was he allowed access to the International Committee of the Red Cross, despite repeated appeals by Amnesty International and other organizations, which made it impossible to verify the conditions of his captivity.


Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Hamas authorities not to treat Shalit as a hostage and a bargaining chip, in violation of their obligations under international humanitarian law.


It has also consistently raised concerns with the Israeli authorities about the prison conditions of Palestinian detainees, and the fact that Israel continues to imprison Palestinians from the OPT inside Israel, in violation of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention.


Over 5,200 Palestinians from the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – and the Gaza Strip,  which together comprise the OPT, are currently detained in facilities run by the Israel Prison Service. The vast majority are detained inside Israel.“International human rights standards and international humanitarian law guarantee every person deprived of liberty the right to humane and dignified conditions of detention, adequate medical care, and regular family visits,” said  Smart.


“Israel, the Hamas de facto administration, and the Palestinian Authority must ensure that all detainees receive fair and prompt trials meeting international standards, and that judicial rulings on the release of detainees are implemented”.


Since September 27, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been on hunger strike in protest against recent punitive measures imposed by the Israeli authorities.


Prisoners are demanding that the Israel Prison Service end the arbitrary isolation of prisoners and allow them regular family visits.


The fact that they are detained on Israeli territory makes it difficult, if not impossible for their families to visit them, as the Israeli authorities often refuse to grant them travel permits. Israel suspended family visits for all prisoners from Gaza in June 2007, in a punitive policy that penalizes both the detainees and their families.


The 477 prisoners released by Israel today, including 450 men and 27 women, include 275 sentenced by Israeli military courts to one or more life terms. Prisoners released include those convicted of ordering or carrying out attacks on Israeli civilians.


The Israeli High Court of Justice on Monday rejected appeals against the release filed by Israeli families and organizations opposed to the deal.


In two months time, another 550 prisoners, who have not yet been identified, are due to be released in the second phase of the deal.


Of the prisoners release today, will return, without restrictions, to their homes in the Gaza Strip, Israel or the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.


Fifty-five prisoners will return to their homes in East Jerusalem or other parts of the West Bank under a “security arrangement,” which will restrict their movement and subject them to regular monitoring by the Israeli authorities.


Another 164 prisoners from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem will be transferred to the Gaza Strip. According to the Israel Prison Service, 18 of them will be transferred for three years; it is unclear if or when the other 146 will be allowed to return to their families.


While the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are internationally recognized as a single territorial unit under the Oslo Accords and international humanitarian law, the Israeli authorities do not allow Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip access to the West Bank or vice versa. These Palestinians will thus be entirely cut off from their family members with no possibility of visits.


Finally, 41 prisoners, including one woman, will be exiled abroad. Most of them are serving life sentences.

It is unclear whether they are being exiled permanently or will be allowed to return to their homes in the OPT at some point in the future.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from forcibly transferring or deporting people from an occupied territory. In the event that those prisoners being exiled abroad or transferred to Gaza from the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have not given their consent, Israel would be violating its obligations under international humanitarian law.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

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Intercultural Jewish, Muslim, Christian Comedians to Perform in 'FUNATICAL’ Interfaith Comedy Show in Chicago

Intercultural Jewish, Muslim, Christian Comedians to Perform in 'FUNATICAL’ Interfaith Comedy Show in Chicago

October 12th, 2011 --  PlanetPix Media & Entertainment Group, a multicultural media and entertainment production company, recently announced that 'FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme's "We Come in Peace" Tour' will make its way to the “Windy City” on Saturday, November 5^th, 2011.

FUNATICAL’s Chicago line-up includes Samson Koletkar (world’s only Jewish Indian comedian), Mike Batayeh (Arab Christian), Tehran SoParvaz (African-American-Iranian) as well as Chicago’s own Ray Hanania (Arab Christian) and MoNa (Arab Muslim).

With increased religious and cultural tension growing in America and around the world,  'FUNATICAL' breaks stereotypes and bridges gaps between people of diverse backgrounds and religions by promoting unity through laughter. Comedians poke fun of culture, race, politics, religion and current events, which they lampoon with clean humor and satire.  The shows are produced by an interfaith team who uses comedy as an equalizer to counter prejudices in a humorous way.

‘FUNATICAL  officially launched in Hollywood, CA  at the World Famous Comedy Store with a red carpet premiere, followed by three shows throughout Southern CA that brought together a diverse interfaith audience who were united by laughter. The tour continued with sold out shows in the Washington D.C. metro area, and special appearances at the National Press Club and Georgetown University.  Media coverage includes Huffington Post, Voice of America, Al Hurra TV, Middle East Broadcasting, Belief Net and more.  FUNATICAL has also performed in Toronto, Canada and is receiving requests to take the show internationally.

FUNATICAL: Taking Comedy to the Extreme’s Chicago show will take place Saturday, Nov. 5^th, 2011 (8pm) at American Islamic College’s auditorium on 640 West Irving Park Road in Chicago, IL.  Sponsors of the show include American Islamic Congress, Project Nur, Urban Strategies Group, Mike Anderson Chevrolet of Chicago, Beauty and the East TV, and a contribution by Eric Hovemeyer & Christine Bieri. Contributing sponsors include Abrahamic Alliance, United Religions Initiative (URI), Hyde Park & Kenwood Interfaith Council, and the Peace Garden Project.


For more information: www.funaticalcomedy.com
Contact: thetour@funaticalcomedy.com
1.800.775.0958


Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

Syria denies charges leveled at Mohamad Soueid that he works for the Syrian Government

Oct, 12, 2011

Press Release

Responding to the US Department of Justice alleged charges  

against “Mohamad Soueid”

Regarding the US Department of Justice alleged charges against the Syrian-born naturalized U.S. citizen Mohamad Soueid, the Embassy of Syria in the United States wishes to clarify the following:

1.      Neither Mr. Soueid nor any other citizen of the U.S. is an agent of the Syrian Government.

2.      The accusation that a U.S. citizen is working with the Syrian Government to intimidate U.S. citizens is absolutely baseless and totally unacceptable.

3.      Contrary to the statement of the Department of Justice, Mr. Soueid is not an agent of any Syrian institution; he never worked under directions or control of any Syrian official.

4.      Contrary to the statement of the Department of Justice, the Syrian Government has never paid Mr. Soueid travel expenses to Syria or any amount of money for any other services. We challenge the Department of Justice to provide a single shred of evidence to prove that Mr. Soueid has ever been paid by the Syrian Government.

5.      There has never ever been a private meeting between President Assad and Mr. Soueid. This ludicrous accusation is a reflection of the poor quality of the whole set of allegations.

6.      Contrary to the statement of the Department of Justice, Mr. Soueid has never provided any individual at the Syrian Embassy in the U.S. with any information regarding U.S. protesters or otherwise. This is a flagrant effort to defame the Embassy of Syria based on sheer lies and fabrications.

7.      The Syrian Embassy in the U.S. has never recruited the services of any individual to inform on any sort of activities. We challenge the Department of Justice to provide a single evidence to the contrary.

Finally we hope that a thorough and comprehensive investigation will prove the veracity of our statement and expose the nature of those allegations for what they truly are: a campaign of distortion and fabrications against the Embassy of Syria in the U.S.

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com