The Arab American News
Author's Posts
Cautious optimism among Arab and Muslim Americans in Detroit over the Gaza ceasefire agreement
January 17th, 20251 After 647 days of relentless violence and genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday was seen as a moment of hope, marking the potential end of a devastating nightmare. This long-overdue agreement represents more than just a pause in conflict; it is a...
Lebanon: A race on two fronts
January 17th, 20250 In Lebanon, citizens welcomed the election of a president after more than two years of vacancy. However, a political crisis emerged when the "Shi'a duo" — the Amal Movement and Hezbollah — felt an agreement had been breached regarding their support for President Joseph Aoun. The duo was taken aback when 88 parliamentarians designated...
Dearborn Public Schools combat teen vaping with new detectors placed in bathrooms
January 17th, 20250 DEARBORN — A Metro Detroit school district is taking measures to hopefully stop students from vaping on campus with vape detectors. Dearborn Public Schools is tackling vaping, which school officials say is not isolated to Dearborn, as more public school districts are taking actions on the three fronts of epidemics affecting teens:...
Gazans may breathe the air of peace after 467 days of genocide
January 17th, 20251 Finally, on Wednesday, January 15, a detailed ceasefire agreement was announced, bringing a much-needed end to the suffering in Gaza after 467 days of brutal Israeli aggression. During this period, Israel employed all forms of killing and destruction, but Gaza’s resistance stood firm. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip endured unimaginable...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Seniors A Go-Go keeps Brightmoor seniors engaged
January 15th, 20250 By Julie R. Riddle In the Detroit neighborhood of Brightmoor, a group of pole dancing, crime-fighting, take-no-guff seniors believes their twilight years are for having fun, not sitting still. Organizers started Seniors A Go-Go, a project of the Brightmoor Alliance, a few years ago, after a Brightmoor resident lost patience with...
Ramping up criticism of Israel, Pope Francis calls situation in Gaza “shameful”
January 10th, 20250 VATICAN CITY – On Thursday, Pope Francis stepped up his recent criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful." In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in...
U.S. House votes to sanction International Criminal Court over Netanyahu and Gallant arrest warrants
January 10th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court to protest its issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The vote was 243 to 140 in favor of the "Illegitimate Court...
Who is Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander elected the 14th president of Lebanon?
January 10th, 20250 General Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander who was elected president on Thursday, kept his military on the sidelines of a recent war between Israel and the Hezbollah resistance group, ordering it to prioritize civil peace even as troops were killed. Aoun, a 60-year-old career soldier, became the fifth Lebanese army commander to...
Lebanon’s parliament elects army chief Joseph Aoun as president, ending a two-year vacancy
January 10th, 20250 On Thursday, Lebanon’s parliament voted to elect army chief commander Joseph Aoun as the 14th president of the country, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum. The vote came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group and at a time when...
As winter intensifies: Tips and guidelines for safe driving on Michigan roads
January 10th, 20250 After a relatively mild start to the season, Michigan's winter is expected to worsen in the coming weeks, with forecasts of dropping temperatures and heavy snowfall. These conditions could put many drivers in challenging situations, especially those inexperienced with the hazardous conditions of the Great Lakes State's winter...
Michigan’s Democratic and Republican Parties seek new leadership ahead of 2026 elections
January 10th, 20250 LANSING – The Democratic and Republican Parties in Michigan are preparing to elect new leadership following the resignation of their respective leaders late last year for varying reasons. On the Democratic side, significant electoral losses in November prompted Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes to announce she would not...
Former President Carter remembered for rising above politics
January 9th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jimmy Carter, a president who served only one term but was widely admired for his humanitarian work after leaving the White House, was remembered during his state funeral on Thursday as a man who put honesty and kindness above partisan politics. Hundreds of mourners, including all five living current and former...
Credit card defaults skyrocket as Americans are unable to pay their debts
January 4th, 20250 Defaults on credit cards in the U.S. have spiked significantly in the last year, according to a new report. Credit card lenders wrote off $46 billion in seriously delinquent loan balances in the first nine months of the year, the Financial Times reported, citing industry data collated by BankRegData. The amount is up 50 percent...
Soldier shot self in head before Cybertruck exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, officials say
January 4th, 20250 The highly decorated Army soldier inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before detonation, authorities said Thursday. The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people, but virtually no damage to the hotel. Clark County Sheriff Kevin...
2024 a year of political, social and cultural milestones for local Arab Americans
January 4th, 20250 Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Lebanese activities continue amid regional conflicts with Israeli invasion of Gaza At the beginning of 2024, activities supporting the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples continued in the Dearborn area, mirroring similar events from the previous year. These activities were organized alongside Israel's aggressive......
Jimmy Carter was a true American hero
January 4th, 20250 By Tom Watkins Former President Jimmy Carter has died after a remarkable 100 years of life. He is the longest-lived ex-commander in chief. His life is not measured in years or even his ascent to the presidency, but by the kindness and human decency he shared here at home and around the globe. The humble president from Plains,...
Dearborn man sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding retailers of more than $4 million
January 4th, 20250 SEATTLE – A 27-year-old Dearborn, Michigan, man was sentenced Dec. 19 in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for a fraud scheme damaging retailers across the country, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Teal L. Miller said in a press release. Sajed Al-Maarej operated “Simple......
FBI: New Orleans rampage driver acted alone, was inspired “100 percent” by ISIS group
January 4th, 20250 The Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans acted alone, the FBI said Thursday, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in the deadly attack that officials said was inspired by the ISIS group. The FBI also revealed that the driver, Shamsud-Din...
U.N. body accuses Israel of destroying Gaza healthcare
January 4th, 20250 Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza have devastated the Palestinian enclave's health system and raised serious concerns about Israel's compliance with international law, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report on Tuesday. The 23-page report, documenting various attacks between Oct. 12, 2023, and June 30, 2024, concluded that...
Unemployment benefits to increase to 26 weeks in Michigan with new law
January 3rd, 20250 LANSING – Unemployment benefits for Michiganders who are between jobs will increase from 20 to 26 weeks under a new law just signed by Governor Whitmer. The will was sponsored by Senator Paul Wojno (D-Warren). The bill reverses previous cuts to unemployment benefits that occurred under Whitmer's Republican predecessor, former...
Minimum wage in Michigan increased on Jan. 1: What to know
January 3rd, 20250 As part of a larger plan, Michigan’s minimum wage was set to increase on New Year’s Day. The first step called for a 23-cent increase on Wednesday, Jan. 1. However, the hourly minimum wage in Michigan will see two increases in 2025, though concerns still loom from some business owners and employees who fear higher wages could be a......
Death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000 Palestinians, health officials say
December 30th, 20240 More than 45,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, health officials in the embattled territory said Monday, as often-stalled ceasefire negotiations appeared to be gaining ground. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire deal in recent days, and Israeli...
Resilient Neighborhoods: O’Hair Park: From a “terrible waste of land” to a neighborhood treasure
December 30th, 20240 By Jaishree Drepaul For some Detroiters, the houses in their neighborhoods are more than just brick and mortar puzzled together. They're a complex Rubik's Cube of community challenges, historical and current, and of resilience over time. This is especially true for many people living in the city's O'Hair Park neighborhood, where today......
Resilient Neighborhoods: Keeping Detroit homes in the family for future generations
December 30th, 20240 By Sarah Williams Poppy red stairs splash from the white house. Planters of brilliant geraniums hang. A front porch stretches wide to offer shade and swing. It’s a place to call home, all right. In the yard, Jeanine gardens to keep ancestors happy. Digging in the dirt is her least favorite thing, but the generations of women who...
Palestinians sue Biden administration for creating loopholes for Israel on military aid and human rights abuses
December 30th, 20241 The State Department has carved out exceptions for close ally Israel that block a U.S. law restricting foreign military support over human rights abuses, a lawsuit from a group of Palestinians in Gaza and American relatives asserted Tuesday. Former State Department officials and crafters of the 1997 Leahy law were among those advising......
