The Arab American News
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In contested elections, your vote is decisive
November 4th, 20160 Michigan has long been a safe Democratic state in the presidential elections for the past 24 years, but the unpredictability of this cycle puts everything in doubt. A Fox 2 poll showed GOP candidate Donald Trump is less than 3.3 percentage points behind Democrat Hillary Clinton — within the margin of...Graffiti targets University of Minnesota’s Muslim Student Association
MINNESOTA –Vandals defaced a sign promoting the University of Minnesota’s Muslim Students Association, scrawling “ISIS” over a hand-painted mural on the Washington Avenue Bridge, which connects the east and west banks of the Twin Cities campus.The graffiti was discovered early Thursday morning and documented on social media,...
Six test bombs, one missile accidentally fall from military plane near Grayling
November 4th, 20160 LUZERNE, MI – No one was injured after six training bombs and one training missile accidentally fell from a military plane near Grayling around 9 a.m. on Oct. 25. The Michigan National Guard is investigating the incident, but officials say mechanical failure is believed to be the cause of the release of the...
Eastern Michigan University students protest after more racist graffiti
November 4th, 20160 YPSILANTI – Students at Eastern Michigan University protested at a sit-in early Wednesday morning in the Student Center after the words “Leave N*****” were spray-painted on the outside of EMU’s Ford Hall on Monday. The words were immediately removed. This is the third time this year that anti-Black...
The Detroit Zoo breaks annual attendance record with more than a million visitors
November 4th, 20160 ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo attracted 1,478,760 visitors by Oct. 31, according to spokeswoman Patricia Janeway, exceeding last year’s record by 2,400 visitors.Six months after Director Ron Kagan opened the new $30-million Polk Penguin Conservation Center, the number of visitors increased. The center is known...
The AANews publisher to discuss elections on WXYZ’s Spotlight
November 4th, 20160 SOUTHFIELD — On Sunday, Nov. 6, Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News will appear on WXYZ Channel 7's 'Spotlight on the News' to discuss the national and regional elections. The station's editorial director Chuck Stokes, will also host Detroit News editor Ingrid Jacques, 910 AM radio station host Karen Dumas,...
Michigan becomes a crucial battleground state
November 4th, 20160 DETROIT — As the election draws near, both presidential candidates have put an emphasis on Michigan, expected to be a tight contest on November 8. Clinton is slated to rally Democrats in Detroit, where a large turnout of Black voters have long been crucial to success, following up on a last-minute meeting by former President Bill...
Star International Academy ranked safest high school in Michigan
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Star International Academy was ranked by Niche.com, a website that analyzes public data sets about schools, as the safest high school in Michigan, in a comparison of 449 schools across the state. U.S. News & World Report also gave the high school a bronze on a national level in regards to performance, which is...
‘My husband abducted my kids and stranded me in Lebanon’
November 4th, 20160 Rolla Taha with her two sons. NORTHVILLE — In June, Rolla Taha traveled to Lebanon with her husband and two boys for what was supposed to be a 17-day vacation. Instead, she endured a four month long nightmare as a result of her husband's betrayal—he kidnapped their children and left her stranded. Rolla, now back in the U.S, is...Wayne County education enhancement millage on November ballot
DETROIT — In the upcoming November 8 election, Wayne County is proposing a millage that would generate funds for public schools statewide. Michigan's Constitution gives the state control over funding for public schools with the exception of an enhancement millage that can be passed at the county level for operating...
International Kidnapping: Why it’s difficult to bring children back
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN — A Canton woman's story of her children being abducted in Lebanon by her husband has sparked discussions in the local community about international custody battles and kidnapping cases. When Rolla Taha returned from Lebanon last month and announced on Facebook that her husband stranded her there and ran away with their...
Lebanese Americans cautiously optimistic about Aoun’s presidency
November 3rd, 20160 Aoun taking the oath of office.DEARBORN — In the old country, it seemed like every home was empty as gunfire and fireworks roared across Lebanon, breaking a dragged and suspenseful lull among the country's streets. Across the nation on Monday, a politically divided people celebrated the election of General Michel Aoun as Lebanon's...
Public servants or corporate security? An open letter to law enforcement in North Dakota
November 3rd, 20160 A protester against the building of a pipeline on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation near Cannonball, North Dakota, Nov. 2So you joined law enforcement or the National Guard because you wanted to uphold the law, protect innocent civilians against the bad guys, and help your community in times of need. Instead, they're having you...Wife of Orlando mass murderer denies advance knowledge of attack
ORLANDO — The wife of the gunman who shot 49 people to death at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, knew he had been watching jihadist videos but was unaware he planned to commit mass murder, she said in a New York Times interview published on Tuesday. Noor Salman, in her first extensive public comments since the June 12 shooting...
Saudi Arabia shows signs of accepting U.N. plan for Yemen
November 3rd, 20160 SANAA — Diplomats promoting a U.N. plan to end Yemen's war detect cautious support for its ideas from Saudi Arabia, raising hopes the proposals might unlock stalled efforts to end the 19-month-old conflict and a worsening humanitarian disaster. The kingdom leads a mostly Gulf Arab military alliance which has launched thousands of......
Rebels step up Aleppo offensive, clash with each other
November 3rd, 20160 DAMASCUS — Syrian insurgents stepped up a week-long offensive on government-held areas in the city of Aleppo on Thursday, detonating three car bombs and firing shells which killed at least a dozen civilians, state media and a monitor said. Rebel groups detonated three large car bombs near pro-government forces on the western edge of...
White Americans explain why they support Trump
November 3rd, 20160 WYANDOTTE — The Metro Detroit area houses one of the most diverse populations in the country. Yet, in many cities outside of the Detroit-Dearborn area, the Donald Trump fanfare is quite prevalent among White voters. The AANews reached out to White residents to get their perspective on Trump's bid for the presidency and why they......
Starbucks accused of ‘promoting Islam’ with new holiday cups
November 3rd, 20160 SEATTLE - The revelation of the latest Starbucks holiday cup is being compared the colors the Arab league flag, with accusations that the coffee chain is “promoting Islam.Starbucks launched its limited edition green design on Tuesday by saying the cup was about developing ‘unity’ at a time of great division.It...
Morocco’s king to cover pop singer’s legal costs in French rape case
November 3rd, 20160 Morocco's King Mohammed VI has pledged "cover the corresponding costs" of legal representation for pop singer Saad Lamjarred, who is facing rape charges in France. Lamjarred has been imprisoned in France after being charged with "aggravated rape" and "aggravated voluntary violence" after allegedly assaulting a 20-year-old woman...
HBO show pilot angers Somali Americans
November 3rd, 20160 An HBO television drama created by an Oscar-winning director and a Canadian-Somali rapper has infuriated many in Minnesota's Somali community who say the show will perpetuate unfair stereotypes of Muslims. Touted as a window into the lives of Somalis in Minneapolis adjusting to life in the Midwestern city, many community members...Militant groups say they are ready for ‘civil war’ if Trump loses
GEORGIA - Down a Georgia country road, camouflaged members of the Three Percent Security Force have mobilized for rifle practice, hand-to-hand combat training -- and an impromptu campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump."How many people are voting for Trump? Ooh-rah!" asks Chris Hill, a......
ISIS leader says ‘no retreat’ from Mosul, as Iraqi troops close in
Iraq's flag is seen during a sand storm in Bartilla, east of Mosul, Iraq Nov. 1MOSUL — ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi told his followers on Thursday there could be no retreat in a "total war" against the forces arrayed against them, as advancing soldiers battled the terrorists inside their northern Iraqi stronghold. Expressing...Lebanon’s Hariri named new PM after Aoun’s election
BEIRUT — Lebanon's president asked Saad al-Hariri to form a new government on Thursday after he won the support of a majority of MPs and the endorsement of the influential parliament speaker. Hariri's nomination is part of a political deal that resulted in the election of Michel Aoun, a close ally Hezbollah, as head of state on......
Protests at fishmonger’s death shake Moroccan monarchy
RABAT — Grainy video images and the screams of a young fishmonger who was crushed to death in a garbage truck while trying to stop police destroying his stock have shocked Moroccans and brought thousands on to the streets to protest. Five years after pro-democracy protests shook Morocco, this week's unrest is a reminder of pent-up...
Saudi student beaten to death at Wisconsin pizza shop
November 2nd, 20160 WISCONSIN - A University of Wisconsin student from Saudi Arabia was beaten to death outside a pizza shop by an unidentified, 6ft white man. Police has yet to declare the incident as a hate crime. Hussain Saeed Alnahdi was studying business administration at the University of Wisconsin Stout when he was attacked outside......