DEARBORN — Ali Harb, a reporter for The Arab American News, met with a delegation of German journalists at the newspaper’s office on Monday, June 9, to discuss social integration among immigrants.  

The European journalists were visiting Metro Detroit as a part of a  program sponsored by the U.S. State Department, which looks to help Germany cope with its ethnic and religious minorities by studying the American model. 

“The United States is a nation of immigrants. It is also the land of opportunities,” said Harb. “The visiting journalists were here to see how Arab immigrants seized the opportunities of this country while contributing to their American surrounding. We talked about the process of assimilation, the role of the media and the challenges Arab Americans face, including civil rights issues and hate speech.”

Harb added that he advised the journalists to understand the customs and traditions of the ethnic groups in the areas they cover. “You should report for, not only on, minorities,” he said. “When our publisher, Osama Siblani, started this paper 30 years ago, it was because he felt Arabs had no voice in the mainstream media. That’s our job as journalists: to offer a platform to those who want to be heard.”

The delegation included reporters and editors from Germany’s leading media outlets, such as DuMont Redaktionsgemeinschaft, Weser Kurier, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Economy Thüringer Landeszeitung, Neue Westfälische and Frankfurter Rundschau. 

“It is pleasing to see that the Arab American community has become an internationally-renowned model for social integration,” said Harb.