News

Two major Jewish organizations rebuked Abrar Omeish this week, following the embattled school board member’s incendiary anti-Israel rhetoric. On May 13, Omeish wrote that Israel perpetrates “apartheid” and “colonization”; “desecrates the Holy Land” and “kills Palestinians.” To date, Omeish has not retracted her inflammatory words; they can still be viewed on the board member’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Fairfax GOP Chairman Steve Knotts joined WMAL’s Larry O’Connor Show, to discuss the ongoing controversies surrounding at-large school board member Abrar Omeish. “We’re talking about our kids here, and the people setting the curriculum to teach them,” Knotts said Tuesday on WMAL.

On May 13, Omeish shared anti-Israel comments on social media that have been widely condemned as deeply anti-Semitic or needlessly divisive.

Gary Aiken, a Jewish father with kids in Fairfax County Public Schools, joined WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall radio program yesterday, to discuss his concerns about school board member Abrar Omeish’s recent attacks on Israel. “Ms. Omeish, like many 26 year-olds, knows the power of social media. It can promote great things, but it can also destroy,” Aiken noted. “We expect our school board members to set a positive example for our kids.”

On Monday’s Larry O’Connor Show, the WMAL host played extensive audio clips from school board member Abrar Omeish’s 2019 arrest. Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) shared his thoughts on Omeish’s arrest record, as well as her recent inflammatory comments on Israel that many would consider needlessly divisive, if not deeply anti-Semitic.

Fairfax GOP Chairman Steve Knotts joined WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall radio program last week to discuss the Republican Party of Virginia’s new slate of candidates for statewide office: Glenn Youngkin for Governor; Winsome Sears for Lieutenant Governor; and Jason Miyares for Attorney General.

“We’ve got the ticket, from top to bottom,” Knotts said. “We’ve got the best and most qualified slate — and they just happen to be diverse”

The Fairfax GOP is blasting the “hateful screeds” of Abrar Omeish — and calling for the school board member’s resignation. “Instead of focusing on core educational issues, Abrar Omeish is busy fomenting hatred and division,” Fairfax GOP Chairman Steve Knotts said today. “Fairfax County deserves better. Omeish should resign or be removed from the school board.”

The chairman’s comments follow Omeish’s assertions that Israel practices “apartheid” and “colonization”

The month of May represents Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This month we celebrate the culture and achievements of Asian Pacific Americans, but as a Chinese American myself, I’d also like to focus on a key issue facing our community: our public schools.

I live in Northern Virginia. It’s the wealthiest area in the entire country, yet our schools are failing us. Not because of a lack of funding, and not only because they aren’t open, but because of a perverse idea of equity that punishes success in order to make everyone equal.

Gwendalyn F. Cody, formerly a member of Virginia’s House of Delegates, died last week. She was 99 years old. A veteran of the Second World War, Cody will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

In the 1970’s, Cody was actively involved with the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance. After losing a bid for a seat on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Cody was elected to serve as a member of the House of Delegates in the 1980’s.

At Thursday’s meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Education, Asra Nomani called out the school district’s “empty proclamations and declarations” on the value of Asian Americans. Nomani recounted the anti-Asian rhetoric and policies of school officials — to include the ongoing demonization of the largely Asian student body at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

The Republican Party of Virginia could not be happier with how smoothly and efficiently our convention was run today. I would like to thank the campaigns, their staff, and our countless volunteers for making this day a successful one. It is a promising sign of things to come that so many Republicans from across Virginia came out in record numbers and supported their candidates at the grassroots level.

No one could blame the average person whose eyes glaze over at hearing that in this first day in office, President Biden signed a barrage of executive orders (EOs). Yet, the U.S. Department of Education is using two of these executive orders, 12866 and 13563, which on the face have the stated purpose of modernizing regulatory review, to push critical race theory in our local schools.

This past year, I’ve watched COVID attack every rung of the ladder that helped me up.

So many families have lost parents and grandparents too early. So many small businesses have gone under. Becoming a Christian transformed my life — but for months, too many churches were shut down.

Most of all, I am saddened that millions of kids have lost a year of learning when they could not afford to lose a day.