The Arab American News
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Prescription drug abuse tied to increased risk of teen suicide
August 18th, 20160 Suicide is a leading cause of death for teens worldwide and the odds of suicide attempts may be higher when adolescents abuse prescription drugs, a Chinese study suggests. To explore the connection between suicide risk and misuse of prescription opiates and sedatives, researchers surveyed about 3,300 Chinese teens once when they were...U.N. warns of unprecedented ‘catastrophe’ in Aleppo
UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Tuesday of an unprecedented "humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria's Aleppo and urged Russia and the United States to quickly reach a deal on a ceasefire in the city and elsewhere in the country. Fighting for control of Aleppo, split between its government-held...Houthi shelling hits Saudi town, Yemenis die in airstrikes
Two children amid the rubble of a house destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in Sanaa, Aug. 11.SANAA — Shells fired by Yemen's Houthi group killed seven civilians in southern Saudi Arabia, Saudi state television reported, while an air strike by an Arab coalition destroyed a house east of the Yemeni capital, killing nine family...Leaked German report says Turkey a hub for ‘Islamists’
BERLIN — On Wednesday, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere defended a leaked government report alleging Turkey was a hub for Islamist groups, a charge that has further strained tensions with Ankara, a key partner in efforts to stem mass migration. Turkey and Germany have had a series of disputes in recent months, just as the...U.S. will end federal use of privately-operated prisons
Obama during his visit to the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution outside Oklahoma City, 2015 (Reuters)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department plans to phase out its use of privately-operated prisons, which it called less safe and less effective than government-run facilities, according to a memo released publicly by the...30,000 Muslim refugees accepted in U.S. in 2016
The U.S. has accepted more Muslim refugees than any other religious group during the current fiscal year, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center. Nearly half of the more than 63,000 refugees who have been granted residency this year are Muslim – marking the highest number since fiscal year 2002 when self-reported data...Scottish soccer fans wave Palestinian flags against Israeli team
Celtic fans with Palestinian flags. ReutersGLASGOW, Scotland — At a UEFA Champions League playoff soccer game between Scotland's Glasgow Celtic and Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva, the home fans raised Palestinian flags, defying warnings by the European football governing body. A Facebook page named "Fly the flag for Palestine, for...France defends burkini ban on beaches
The bans have provoked strong criticism from Muslim groups. ReutersPARIS — The French government has defended municipal bans on body-covering Muslim burkini swimwear but called on mayors to try and cool tensions between communities.Three Mediterranean towns - Cannes, Villeneuve-Loubet and Sisco on the island of Corsica - have banned...Trump: Clinton is a bigot
WEST BEND, Wis. -- Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a bigot in a speech Tuesday night and accused his Democratic rival for the presidency of pandering to “communities of color.”“We reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton, which panders to and talks down to communities of color and sees them only as votes,” Trump said....Iraqi immigrant sues Whole Foods for harassment from co-workers
Emad Siddeeq, a Boston area resident and a former full-time employee at the Whole Foods Ink Block location, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston on Tuesday. He is accusing the Austin, Texas-based supermarket chain of not doing enough to stop harassment by co-workers that occurred "nearly every shift worked." The...
Attorney: Dearborn man who pled guilty had no intention of joining Hezbollah
August 16th, 20160 Mohammad HamdanDETROIT — Mohammad Hamdan, who pled guilty on Friday to lying to a federal agent, had no intention of joining Hezbollah and would not have broken the law before his contact with a government agent provocateur, his attorney said. Hamdan, a 24 year-old Dearborn resident, was arrested in 2014 while trying to travel to...Family of Muslim boy file $25 million lawsuit against school district
NEW YORK - The family of a 12-year-old Muslim middle school student has filed a $25 million federal lawsuit against the East Islip school district, claiming the seventh-grader’s civil rights were violated when school officials forced him to sign a false confession saying he was a terrorist.The family of Nashwan...Man charged with double murder of imam and assistant
NEW YORK CITY — The man suspected in the fatal shooting of a Queens imam and his assistant was arrested and charged with murder, police said Monday night. Oscar Morel, 35, of East New York was charged with both men's murders and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said. The charges come after police found a revolver they...
Man kills neighbor he called “Dirty Arab”
August 15th, 20160 TULSA -- A 37-year-old Arab American man was murdered last Friday following an escalated feud with his neighbor. Police said Khalid Jabara was fatally shot by his neighbor, Vernon Majors, 61, on his front porch.Residents in the area confirmed the suspect and victim had animosity for quite some time. Police said Majors had a criminal...People offer to walk Muslims to mosques after Imam killed
The fatal shooting of a New York City imam and his associate in Queens has prompted people around the country to offer to accompany Muslim worshippers to and from mosques so that they won’t have to fear for their safety. Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his assistant Thara Uddin, 64, were fatally shot in the......
Imam, assistant fatally shot in the head in Queens, New York
NEW YORK - Police in New York say an imam and his assistant were shot dead as they walked along a street in the borough of Queens.The men were approached from behind by a man who shot them both in the head, a police spokesman said.Imam Maulama Akonjee, 55, moved to the city from Bangladesh two years ago, reports in New York said.Police...
Dearborn teenager drowns while saving sister
August 13th, 20160 A 14-year-old Dearborn teenager died after being pulled from the Huron River on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 11., after jumping in the water to save his sister. On Friday the family of Abdulrahman Labak mourned his death following the tragic incident in Ann Arbor. His sister is still hospitalized, but is expected to......
Egyptian fighter refuses to shake Israeli’s hand at Olympics
RIO DE JANEIRO — Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby caused controversy after his first-round Olympics loss to Israel’s fifth-ranked Or Sasson on Friday, when he refused to shake his hand, in a major breach of judo etiquette. Sasson defeated El Shehaby with two throws for an automatic victory, with about a minute and a half remaining...
Teenager drowns at Huron River
August 12th, 20160 Abdulraham Labak.SCIO TOWNSHIP - A 14-year-old boy has died after being pulled from the Huron River on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 11. The boy, identified as Abdulraham Labak, was wading in the water when he began to struggle and went under, around 3:45 p.m. pm Thursday, August 11. Family and friends attempted to locate...ACRL: Two Yemeni Americans unjustly arrested for supposedly fake insurance
Mohamed Wassel (second from left) speaks at an ACRL press confrence, Aug. 8 - Photo by The AANewsHAMTRAMCK — Not even insurance agents could convince Hamtramck police that the proof of insurance of two detained Yemeni American residents was authentic, a complaint filed with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights says. The Arab...
Police, community weigh on strained relationship
August 12th, 20160 A girl with an officer at the National Night Out on Crime eventDEARBORN — Two weeks ago, in the early hours of Friday morning, Dearborn officers pulled over three young Arab Americans near Ford and Chase Roads. They abrasively searched their vehicle, as AANews reporters, who happened to be near the scene, watched from afar.Eventually,......
UMD clarifies its stance on Trump
DEARBORN -The University of Michigan-Dearborn is making it clear that its chancellor’s open letter to faculty and students condemning Trump is not a reflection of the university’s views. University officials posted the Dec. 9 letter on its website after an undated copy was circulated on social...
Clinton should not take your vote for granted
August 12th, 20160 In politics, as in life, when people take you for granted, they tend to mistreat you. Politicians must earn our votes and support. Hillary Clinton should not assume that she has the backing of Arab Americans, simply because her opponent is Donald Trump. Border and airport harassment, the bloated No Fly and Terrorist Watch lists, mass......
U.S. approves $1.15 billion sale of tanks, equipment to Saudi Arabia
An Abrams main battle tank leaves Riga port March 9, 2015 - Photo by Reuters.RIYADH — The State Department has approved the potential sale of more than 130 Abrams battle tanks, 20 armored recovery vehicles and other equipment, worth about $1.15 billion, to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The approval for land force...HFC’s Arab and Islamic art history courses teach heritage and dispel stereotypes
DEARBORN — Henry Ford College is located in the hometown of the largest concentration of Arab Americans outside of the Middle East; and that is evident in a specialty of academic courses offered to its students. Arab American Fulbright scholar Dr. Hashim Al-Tawil continues to lead the Arab and art history departments with three......