On Jan. 1 2013, M. Kay Siblani, the co-founder and executive editor of The Arab American News since its inception on Sep. 7, 1984, succumbed to cancer. 

In April, Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the first individual from the ethnic media to get inducted. 

The Newseum, in partnership with The Smithsonian Institute, is working on an exhibition about the origins and influence of ethnic media in the United States.  One of the stories it plans on telling is the role of The Arab American News (TAAN) as a pioneer newspaper serving Arab Americans. 

 This year The Arab American News published two groundbreaking reports on the struggles of the local LGBT Arab and Muslim community in addition to an article describing the difficulties that Muslim women experience when their husbands refuse to grant them an Islamic divorce. Some turn to multiple imams for years seeking a divorce The report sparked dialogue among local religious leaders on how to make divorce easier for women. 

The American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee’s (ADC) national and local offices were rocked by a sexual harassment scandal involving Imad Hamad the former head of ADC Michigan. More than 13 women came forward alleging Hamad sexually harassed them. Hamad was put on administrative leave in June, then he resigned after 17 years with the group. He was replaced in November by Attorney Fatina Abdrabboh. The Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Harassment was also formed by Arab American women as a result of the scandal. About five women from ADC’s national office in Washington, DC went on strike and then resigned from their positions in protest of the group’s handling of the accusing women’s claims. ADC’s Communications Director Raed Jarrar and President Warren David were terminated, reportedly for inquiring about the sexual harassment claims and expressing sympathy towards the women who came forward. 

Attorney Susan Dabaja became the first Arab and Muslim American to be elected Dearborn City Council president. Her victory made national news. The City Council race was also noteworthy because a total of four Arab Americans were elected to serve as Council members. 

EEOC findings show Crestwood School District discriminated against Arabs  

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published findings that the Crestwood School District discriminated against Arab Americans in hiring and recruitment. The EEOC issued a reconciliation agreement with terms and conditions for the District to follow.  Those terms are still being negotiated.

The Arab American community lost one of its greatest pioneers when Riad Saad Shatila, 68, founder of Shatila Bakery, passed away on Friday, September 6, after a long battle with throat cancer.

As a result of the mass bank account closures of local Arab Americans this year, the Arab American Civil Rights League and a few law firms filed a class action lawsuit against major banking institutions. The ACRL believes there is a concerted effort being made to close the accounts of individuals who fit a certain profile.

The city of Dearborn’s proposed garage ordinance attracted heavy scrutiny from community members who weighed in on the issue. The ordinance prohibits residents from converting their garages into habitable living spaces. Many Arab American residents use their garages for cooking, sleeping, and socializing. The ordinance was tabled at the end  of 2013, but it is expected to pass in 2014.  

The Nov. 5 municipal elections left the Arab American community in Hamtramck with no representation in City government. The two Yemeni American candidates, Dr. Abdul Algazali, who was running for mayor, and Rashad Almasmari, who was running for city council, lost by a small margin in an election where only 24 percent of the city’s registered voters cast their ballots.

In November, a giant mural was painted in Hamtramck to celebrate the Yemeni-American heritage in the city. The mural covers the 80 x 16 ft wall of Sheeba, a traditional Yemeni restaurant, in south Hamtramck. The artwork was completed by renowned Chilean muralist and graffiti artist Dasic Fernández. The $20,000-project was started by OneHamtramck.

Local singer sentenced to 11-22 years in prison 

Local singer Nasser Mohamad Bazzi, who goes by the stage name Nasser Habib, was sentenced to a minimum of 11 years and a maximum of 22 years in prison on Thursday, Dec. 19 for criminal sexual conduct involving his niece, who was a minor at the time the incidents occurred. 

        Gov. Rick Snyder confirms his determination that a financial emergency exists in the city of Detroit and Washington D.C. based bankruptcy attorney Kevyn Orr is named Detroit’s new emergency manager.  

      A federal judge on Tuesday, December 3, formally declared Detroit bankrupt, a landmark ruling that clears the way for potentially sweeping cuts to city worker pensions and retirement benefits.  It also sets up steep and possibly precedent-setting losses to the cash-strapped city’s bond holders. 

 

Mike Duggan, the former CEO of the Detroit Medical Center, defeated Wayne County Sherriff Benny Napoleon in the Detroit Mayoral race. Duggan becomes Detroit’s first white mayor since the early 1970s. The City’s population is more than 80 percent black.

Michigan Medicaid expansion 

Gov. Rick Snyder signed the Healthy Michigan Plan into law. The law is expected to extend Medicaid to nearly half a million more Michigan residents. 

A Michigan emergency loan board approved a plan for the State of Michigan to lease Belle Isle park from Detroit for 30 years, with possible extensions up to 60 years, rejecting a competing plan from Detroit’s city council that would have limited the initial lease period. 

After 24 years on the city council, Nancy Hubbard and Suzanne Sareini attended their last meeting on  Dec. 17.  

A federal judge in Michigan allowed a lawsuit against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the FBI to move forward.  The suit was filed over the repeated detention and questioning of Muslims at the United States-Canada border and other ports of entry. 

The City of Dearborn paid $300,000 to the four Christian missionaries who are part of  Acts 17 Apologetics, as a result of a lawsuit settlement. The missionaries had claimed that their rights were violated when they were arrested by police on June 18, 2010 and charged with “breach of the peace” for their protest at the Arab International Festival. In related news, the annual festival was canceled this year. 

The American Arab Chamber of Commerce announced in May the cancellation of the Arab International Festival. The festival, which was to be moved from Warren Avenue to Ford Woods Park, did not take place for the first time in 18 years.  

The horror of the school shooting in Newton, Conn. that left 20 children and six adults dead in December 2012 transformed into massive momentum for gun control advocates in 2013. Riding the collective dismay over the massacre, Democratic congressional leaders sought to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and expand background checks on gun sales with the backing of President Obama.  However, the bill failed in the Senate in April, with 45 Senators voting against it.

On April 15, as more than 23,000 runners flowed through historic Boston, two brothers allegedly set off a homemade bomb near the finish line, killing three and injuring 264. Within hours, surveillance footage released by the FBI identified the suspects as the Tsarnaev brothers.  The two were then tracked down during a high profile manhunt that ended in chaos. Older brother Tamerlan was killed during an attempt at their capture, while younger Dzhokhar was later apprehended is currently being held to face trial in 2014. 

In June, former NSA analyst Edward Snowden leaked secret documents detailing NSA surveillance operations, including programs that collected Americans’ phone records and eavesdropping on allied leaders. The leaks have since ushered diplomacy, triggered lawsuits and calls for reform, and prompted warnings that terrorists could benefit from the practices. In December, a District Court Judge in Washington, D.C. ruled that spying on millions of American cellphone users without evidence of probable cause of criminal behavior is unconstitutional.

Capping decades of activism, the gay-rights movement won a monumental victory in June in the form of two Supreme Court decisions. One cleared the way for ending a ban on same-sex marriages in California, the most populous American state. The other struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 congressional act that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages. In subsequent months, Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico all approved recognition of same-sex unions, boosting the number of states allowing gay marriage to 17.

George Zimmerman acquital sparks national outrage

The July 13 acquittal of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, charged with second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012, sparked a national racial debate and ignited further discussions of gun control. Zimmerman would later have more run-ins with the law, being charged with aggressive assault with a weapon and domestic assault battery against his girlfriend.

The legendary Arab American journalist passed away at the age of 92 in Washington D.C. on July 20. Journalists around the world reflected on her lengthy career as the longest-serving White House correspondent, an era that spanned over ten presidencies starting with John F. Kennedy. Thomas had received criticism later in her career for making “anti-Semitic” remarks during a visit to Dearborn. Wayne State University discontinued a yearly diversity award under her name as a result of her comments. She was buried in Detroit. 

In August, President Obama began initiating plans for possible airstrikes against Syria in response to the Bashar Assad’s alleged use chemical weapons against his own people. The announcement of potential operations caused both a national and international divide. But without the backing of the United Kingdom, Obama decided to move forward with plans only with congressional approval. In September, a diplomatic breakthrough  emerged, allowing Syria’s government to avoid U.S. missile strikes by surrendering its chemical weapons .  On September 14, the U.S. and Russia announced an agreement that would lead to the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapon stockpiles by mid-2014.

From October 1-16, 2013, the U.S. government entered a shutdown and halted most routine operations after Congress failed to enact legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014. Approximately 800,000 federal employees were indefinitely furloughed, and another 1.3 million were required to report to work without guarantee of payment. An estimated $24 billion was lost during the closure. Regular government operations eventually resumed on October 17 after an interim appropriations bill was signed into law.

In the first enrollment period of  Obamacare beginning on October 1, the launch encountered multiple setbacks. Millions of uninsured Americans attempted to apply for healthcare, causing frequent glitches and confusion in the system and its website. The law, which aims to lower the percentage of uninsured and help control healthcare costs, may take a few years to finally work its course. At the close of 2013, the White House estimates that more than 1 million American citizens have applied for Obamacare. Another 500,000 have had their former policies canceled because they don’t meet the “minimum care” standards of the new law. 

Yemen’s interim government faced numerous challenges in 2013, including Southern separatism, sectarian violence, Houthi rebels, al-Qaeda militants and American drones that target terrorists and cause severe civilan casualties. Several attacks against foreigners and Yemeni security forces have rocked the stability of the country, which is the southern neighbor of Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil producer. Toward the end of the year, Yemeni political parties signed a document that would grant more autonomy to the once-independent South, putting the country on the path to federalism. 

Although a western military strike on Syria was averted after a chemical attack that regime and opposition forces exchanged blame for, the war in Syria continued to claim thousands of lives in 2013. The year witnessed greater involvement of foreign militants in Syria, as Lebanese Hizbullah intervened on the side of the regime and non-Syrian jihadis played a more prominent military role. Islamist hard-liners linked to al-Qaeda clashed with Syrian rebels and strengthened their control over parts of northern Syria. The regime gained momentum, recapturing several strategic towns near the Lebanese border with Hizbullah’s assistance.  Geneva II, an international peace conference for Syria, is set to take place in January 2014. Iran’s attendance is still being debated by world powers.

The Egyptian army deposed the country’s first democratically elected president after mass protests called for his removal. President Mohamad Morsi was removed from office on June 3, 2013. Judge Adly Mansour was appointed as his replacement. The military, headed by General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, led a crackdown on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, banning the organization, arresting its leaders and closing down its media outlets. The army also killed hundreds of protesters as it forcibly cleared Brotherhood sit-ins demanding Morsi’s reinstatement. Islamic fundamentalist groups orchestrated attacks against the Egyptian military, mostly in Sinai. The Brotherhood was eventually declared a terrorist organization by Egypt’s government.

Four bombings ripped through the heart of south Beirut in 2013, raising fears of the “Iraqization” of Lebanon. Sectarian clashes also intensified in Tripoli. Followers of fundamentalist sheikh Ahmed al-Assir attacked the Lebanese Army in Sidon, resulting in a battle that caused dozens of deaths on both sides. Assir and his most prominent follower, former pop star Fadel Shaker, remain fugitives. Prime Minister Najib Mikati resigned in March, but his successor Tammam Salam has failed to form a cabinet, leaving Lebanon without an effective executive branch for nine months. 

The tenth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq brought more violence to the country. According to United Nations estimates, over 8,000 people were killed in Iraq in 2013, making it the deadliest year since 2008. Two years after the withdrawal of American troops, suicide bombings and sectarian violence once again became routine headlines from Iraq. The insurgency against the Iraqi government, along with sectarian tensions, were fueled by the devastating civil war in neighboring Syria.  

In November, Iran reached a historic deal over its nuclear program with the western world powers. The deal halts Iran’s uranium enrichment over a fissile purity of 5 percent, which is far from the grade needed to make nuclear weapons. It also allows increased UN inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities. In return, the accord grants Iran about $7 billion in potential relief from sanctions. 

Citing dissatisfaction with American policy in Syria and Palestine, in November, Saudi Arabia rejected a seat on the United Nations Security Council. Saudi anger grew after a potential U.S. military strike against the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad did not materialize. Major disagreements between the United States and the Gulf kingdom became more apparent in 2013. Saudi Arabia was also wary of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the west.

After Pope Benedict XVI stepped down due to poor health in February, Pope Francis was elected the following month to lead the Catholic church. 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez passed away on March 5, at age 58, after a long battle with cancer. Chavez, who came to power in 1999, is best known for his animosity toward the United States’ government and nationalizing his country’s oil industry.  He was reeleted for the fourth time only three months before his death. He was succeeded by fellow socialist Nicolás Maduro.

Nelson Mandela dies at age 95

South African anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela died on Dec. 5. He was 95. Mandela, who served as South Africa’s president from 1994 to 1999, spent 27 years of his life in prison for dissenting against the apartheid regime. After his release from prison in 1990, he led an international campaign and negotiations to end apartheid rule in his country. After apartheid was abolished in 1994, Mandela called for reconciliation between South Africans. 

After a five-year pause, the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians resumed in August. However, hopes of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement are dim. Although Israel released dozens of Palestinian prisoners, it continued building illegal settlements in the West Bank. On the Gaza front, 2013 was a relatively quiet year, despite occasional Israeli air strikes. However, after overthrowing Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian military repeatedly closed the border with Gaza, putting its people under economic siege.