The Arab American News
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Violence rages in Syria as Kerry and Lavrov reach provisional deal on ceasefire
A woman carries an injured boy inside a hospital after multiple bomb blasts hit a southern district of Damascus, Feb. 21AMMAN — Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had reached a provisional agreement on terms of a cessation of hostilities in Syria and the sides were closer to a...
Uber driver arrested for shooting rampage that killed 6 in Kalamazoo
February 21st, 20160 Jason Dalton.KALAMAZOO - A gunman killed six people and wounded two in apparently random shootings in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, before being arrested early on Sunday, a prosecutor said. A television station reported the suspect was an Uber driver who took fares between shootings. The 45-year-old suspect, Jason Dalton, was believed to...Tainted Flint water pipes being located and replaced
FLINT ― Work has begun to survey and replace the city’s network of underground lead-contaminated water pipes following a budget resolution of $25 million last month to replace the water infrastructure.In collaboration with Rowe Professional Services, a Flint-based engineering firm, the state legislature passed an agreement to update...Warren man awarded as hero for saving stabbing victim’s life
Didarul Sarder.WARREN ― The Hamtramck resident and General Motors Tech Center valet supervisor who saved a women’s life after being stabbed outside the building last Wednesday was honored.On Thursday, Didarul Sarder was given a proclamation by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts and a $1,000 gift certificate to a Shelby Township jewelry...State Rep. candidate Brian Stone advocates for Arab and Muslim Americans
Brian Stone. DEARBORN — Dearbornites can be particularly picky about their state representative – and for good reason. This past year, the city’s Arab and Muslim Americans have endured racist and Islamophobia attacks by presidential candidates, far right-wing groups and by both the federal and state government. For many, Brian...SOS suspends Detroit auto dealer for alleged stolen vehicles
LANSING — Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced this week that she has suspended the license of an auto dealership in Detroit after the dealer was unable to provide records to department investigators for inspection. Michigan Department of State investigators conducted an inspection of Detroit Scale & Cars, 14301 W. Chicago...
Are Chaldeans Arab?
February 19th, 20169 A girl holds up a sign that reads, "I am an Iraqi, I am a Christian" at Mar Girgis Church in Baghdad, July 20, 2014. Photo: ReutersDEARBORN — Are Chaldeans Arab?It depends.It depends on whom you ask. It depends on your definition of Arab. And it depends on the answer of individual Chaldeans.Anthropologists say a Chaldean would fit the...Saudi Arabia and Turkey destined to lose in Syria
Residents make repairs after an airstrike on the rebel held al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo, Feb. 18The battle of Aleppo is upon us and the game is about to be over. Syria is at a historic crossroads. The Turkish-Saudi camp is nervous and angry at its inability to change the balance of power that was tilted by the Russian...How Antonin Scalia’s death reshapes the 2016 election
The U.S. Supreme Court is supposed to be the solution to gridlock. But as the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia makes painfully apparent, gridlock is now overtaking the court. When the political system threatens to break down in gridlock — as it did during the recount following the 2000 presidential election — the Supreme...Black History Month: An opportunity to strengthen ties that bind us
As we approach the end of Black History Month, we reaffirm our appreciation of the African American experience. African Americans have driven the evolution of civil rights in this nation, edging the United States closer to its promise of freedom and justice for all. They paved the way for fellow people of color and other ethnic groups...‘Game-changing’ mortgage program aims to increase Detroit homeownership
Mayor Mike Duggan. DETROIT — Mayor Mike Duggan announced a new "game-changing" initiative Thursday morning to assist new and existing homeowners who receive low mortgages because of depreciated appraisal values. Homeowners and prospective home buyers who could not previously borrow money from a bank to repair or buy a house in...Sanders gets endorsement from first Muslim congressman
MINNESOTA — After defending Democratic presidential hopeful Barnie Sanders on several occasions, Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim Congressman, has endorsed the Vermont senator for the 2016 presidential race. "This is not a ‘no you can’t’ campaign. This is not a diminish your dreams kind of campaign. This is a...Pope says Trump ‘not Christian’, Trump calls comment ‘disgraceful’
NEWBERRY, S.C. — Pope Francis assailed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's views on U.S. immigration as "not Christian" on Thursday, prompting the billionaire businessman to reprimand the religious leader as "disgraceful" for questioning his faith.No stranger to controversy, Trump, the longtime party front-runner in...March 1 is the deadline for Yemenis to apply for TPS
The deadline for eligible nationals of Yemen (and people without nationality who last habitually resided in Yemen) to register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is Tuesday, March 1. The TPS designation for Yemen runs from September 3, 2015 through March 3, 2017. Yemen was designated for TPS because of the ongoing armed conflict in...
DHS adds Yemen, Libya and Somalia to Visa Waiver Program restrictions
February 19th, 20160 WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is continuing its implementation of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 with the addition of Libya, Somalia, and Yemen as three countries of concern, limiting Visa Waiver Program travel for certain individuals......
The Weeknd’s six degrees of Arab connections
The Weeknd with Palestinian American girlfriend Bella Hadid. LOS ANGELES — R&B singer The Weeknd must love Arabs. He is currently dating a Palestinian American. He is managed by two Middle Eastern men and is currently featured on a song with a Canadian Palestinian rapper. The "Earned It" singer is no longer being private...Iraq sentences 40 ISIS militants to death
BAGHDAD — An Iraqi court sentenced 40 captured members of ISIS to death on Thursday for the killing of hundreds of soldiers after their capture by the terrorist group as it swept across northern Iraq in 2014, a judicial spokesman said. The slaughter of 1,700 soldiers after they fled from an ex-U.S. army base outside the northern......
Islamophobia and hate groups rise at alarming rate
February 18th, 20160 MONTGOMERY, ALA. — The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has released its annual Year in Hate report and the data depicts a country with extraordinary political and racial tensions. Established in 1971 to make promise of the newly re-enacted civil rights laws, the SPLC’s strategy is to fight hate, teach tolerance and seek...U.S. Rights groups sue over ‘Muslim-free’ Oklahoma gun range
OKLAHOMA CITY - Two U.S. activists groups filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against a rural Oklahoma gun range, arguing that it violated U.S. civil rights laws by posting a sign that said the business was "Muslim free" and barring a Muslim from shooting there.The lawsuit by the Council on American-Islamic...Turkey blames Kurdish militants for Ankara bomb
Turkish officials at a ceremony of a soldier killed in clashes with Kurdish militants, Ankara, Feb. 18.ANKARA — Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blamed a Syrian Kurdish militia fighter working with Kurdish militants inside Turkey for a suicide car bombing that killed 28 people in the capital Ankara; and he vowed retaliation in...U.N. aims to air drop food to ISIS-besieged city in eastern Syria
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations plans to make its first air drops of food aid in Syria, to Deir al-Zor, an eastern town of 200,000 besieged by ISIS militants, the chair of a U.N. humanitarian task force said on Thursday. U.N. aid agencies do not have direct access to areas held by ISIS, including Deir al-Zor, where civilians face......
Mona Hammoud appointed to Wayne County Ethics Board
Mona HammoudDEARBORN — Mona Hammoud, of Dearborn, has been appointed to the Wayne County Ethics Board by the Wayne County Commission.Commission Chairman Gary Woronchak, D-Dearborn, nominated Hammoud for the appointment, which was approved by the Commission at its Feb. 18 meeting.Hammoud is a vice president for PNC bank, where she has...Hezbollah chief threatens to bomb Israeli gas facilities if Beirut is attacked
BEIRUT — Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened to attack Israeli gas facilities if Israel targets Beirut. Nasrallah said Tuesday that his group would bombard the Israeli coastal city of Haifa if a future confrontation escalates. "Israel knows Hezbollah has missiles and rockets that can strike anywhere in its......
Trump: I’ll be neutral on Palestinian-Israeli conflict
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he'll give solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine "one hell of a shot." During an MSNBC town hall, the Republican presidential candidate said that he had some doubt that he could settle the complex, decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. But he said that he...Ted Cruz would declare Jerusalem ‘eternal capital of Israel’ first day in office
Washington- While his opponent Donald Trump said he would take a neutral stance on the Palestine-Israeli conflict, Republican Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz only recognizes one side. On Cruz’s website, one of nine main platform issues is ‘Stand with Israel," where he says on the first day of office, his administration would......