The Arab American News
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Europe’s first female suicide bomber
PARIS — To her friends and neighbours she was the bubbly, outgoing woman who liked wearing large cowboy hats. But on Wednesday it became clear there was a far darker side to Hasna Aitboulahcen, when she achieved the dubious distinction of becoming Europe’s first female suicide bomber. The 26-year-old blew herself up...Calls for U.S. troops to fight ISIS misguided, say experts
WASHINGTON — Americans want the Obama administration to get tougher with the ISIS following the carnage in Paris, but many of the measures now being proposed could actually make the threat worse, counter-terrorism experts said. Republican presidential candidates, lawmakers and others are calling for deploying U.S. ground forces to...
Dearborn woman on delayed Spirit flight: Airline didn’t racially profile
November 20th, 20150 BALTIMORE — A Dearborn woman who was on the Spirit flight from Baltimore to Chicago before multiple passengers were removed for suspicious activity said the airline acted accordingly. On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Spirit Airlines confirmed that early morning flight number 969 from Baltimore to Chicago was halted just before take-off...These critical times require unity
A candlelight vigil at the University of Michigan-Dearborn for victims of terror, Nov. 23. Photo: Merinda ValleyWe live in critical times for our community, country and the world. Last week, terrorism struck mercilessly over three continents. Our homelands are suffering. Many Arab countries are turning into failed states ripped...Ex-Inkster cop found guilty in beating of driver
William MelendezDETROIT — A former Inkster police officer was found guilty on Thursday of assault and misconduct in office in the beating of a Black motorist during a traffic stop caught on video. A jury in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit found William Melendez, 47, guilty of a third charge of strangulation from the Jan. 28...
Community commemorates terror victims
November 20th, 20150 DEARBORN — The effects of the terrorist attacks in Beirut and Paris have been felt here. Thousands of Dearbornites call Beirut home and the suicide bombings in the Lebanese capital killed three local residents. Moreover, the Paris attacks sparked a wave of hatred against Arab Americans. The community held candlelight vigils and...
A city on-edge: Dearborn residents on high alert following threats
November 20th, 20150 DEARBORN — The community continues to be cautious in the days following online threats aimed at the Muslim population. In an ironic twist, a city that is often misconstrued and suspected of abiding by Sharia law and harboring terrorists, is now the city that many feel is a likely target. "There’s an overwhelming amount of phobia...
Detroit department directors highlight Arab Americans’ role in the city
November 20th, 20150 Beydoun.DEARBORN — Abdul El-Sayed, Detroit’s health department director, is the son of an Egyptian immigrant who settled in Michigan in 1978. He used to buy meat from the father of Fayrouz Saad, the director of Detroit’s Immigrant Affairs department. Mallak Beydoun, director of Constituent Affairs for the city, was Saad’s...
#PrayingForParis: A trend or true solidarity?
November 19th, 20150 The Eiffel Tower artfully shaped into a peace sign. National monuments lit up with the colors of the French flag. Facebook users overlaying profile pictures with the Tricolore. A constant flood of posts, pictures, and tweets replete with #PrayForParis and #ParisAttacks. That was the response to the terrorist attacks in the...
Canadian man dressed as ‘Joker’ threatens to Kill Muslims
November 19th, 20150 MONTREAL - A Montreal man faces serious criminal charges in connection with an online video in which a person disguised as the Joker promises to kill Muslims and Arabs in Quebec. The video shows a man dressed like Heath Ledger’s Joker from “The Dark Knight,” with a cut-out mask over his face, vowing to kill Arabs in...
On Syrian refugees: We cannot lose our values to fear
November 19th, 20150 "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."In the wake of the recent attacks in France, Lebanon and other places around the world, our nation has understandably become more...Mayor against Syrian refugees cites WWII internment of Japanese Americans
Mayor David Bowers Photo: City of RoanokeROANOKE, Va. — Mayor David Bowers made an inaccurate, offensive analogy to justify his call to humanitarian organizations not to resettle refugees in his city in Virginia. The mayor said rejecting Syrian newcomers would be as legitimate as placing Japanese nationals in internment camps during...Blast at market in northeastern Nigeria kills 32
People at the scene of a bomb blast at a fruit market in the Jimeta area of Yola, Adamawa, NigeriaA blast struck a market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola on Tuesday evening, killing 32 people and wounding 80 others, both the Red Cross and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said. The explosion occurred at a fruit and...U.S. approves $1.29 billion sale of smart bombs to Saudi Arabia
RIYADH — The State Department has approved the sale of $1.29 billion in smart bombs to Saudi Arabia to help replenish supplies used in its battle against insurgents in Yemen and air strikes against ISIS in Syria, the Pentagon said on Monday. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which facilitates foreign arms...Russia to West: Drop Assad condition to unite against ISIS
MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday the West had to drop its demands about the political exit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if it wanted a genuinely international coalition against ISIS. Lavrov, who said there was still no agreement about Assad's political fate after international talks in Vienna,......
One dead, 8 wounded in West Bank
WEST BANK — At least one attacker opened fire from a car then crashed into a group of pedestrians near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank Thursday, killing an Israeli and wounding eight people, police and the army said. The army said an assailant was shot, but the condition of the attacker was unclear. The incident...Lebanon arrests man in connection to Beirut bomb attacks
Lebanon's security forces arrested a Lebanese man on Wednesday in connection with twin suicide bomb attacks that killed 44 people in Beirut last week, a security source said. The authorities had arrested five Syrians and a Palestinian linked with the attacks, which took place on Thursday in a crowded residential and commercial area of......
Oakland County executive demands Pontiac stop refugee housing project
November 19th, 20150 L. Brooks PattersonPONTIAC — Inflammatory remarks are nothing new to Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. But now that many bizarre, xenophobic and sectarian statements have been made about Syrian refugees, Patterson had to put extra efforts to outdo his fellow Republican politicians.Patterson wrote a letter to Pontiac Mayor...
Woman’s Dearborn threat being forwarded to U.S. Attorney for possible charges
November 18th, 20150 DEARBORN — Police Chief Ron Haddad said the department is forwarding Sarah Beebe's case to the U.S Attorney and Wayne County Prosecutor's Office "We're going to conduct a thorough investigation," said Haddad. Beebe, the 28-year-old veteran who made social media threats over the weekend aimed at Dearborn, apologized for...Spirit under fire after removing four Middle Eastern passengers from plane
BALTIMORE — An investigation is underway after four passengers - reportedly of “Middle-Eastern descent” - were forced to leave a plane after a fellow passenger reported so-called suspicious activity and alerted the crew.On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Spirit Airlines confirmed that an early morning flight from Baltimore to Chicago was...Top 10 reasons governors are wrong to exclude Syrian refugees
A young man carries a child as refugees arrive on a boat on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nov. 7. Photo: ReutersMore than half of U.S. governors have announced their opposition to their states taking in Syrian refugees after the Paris attacks. Although they can bother refugees, they can’t actually dictate to people who are here legally......
Mosque in Canada set on fire, two Florida mosques threatened
ONTARIO - A Muslim congregation in Canada said a fire that burnt down its mosque over the weekend appears to be a hate crime.The fire at the Kawartha Muslim Religious Association’s mosque in Peterborough, Ontario, broke out Saturday evening and caused up $80,000 in damage; no one was inside at the time. Officials confirmed Sunday...
Congressional resolution condemns Beirut attacks
November 18th, 20150 Congresswoman Debbie DingellWASHINGTON — Congress stood for a moment of silence Wednesday to commemorate the victims of last week's double suicide bombing in Beirut and other ISIS victims across the world. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Republican California Rep. Derrell Issa, who is of Lebanese descent, are also......
Michigan’s imams condemn terrorism, urge solidarity
November 18th, 20150 The Michigan Council of Imams at a press conference at the Islamic House of Wisdom, Nov. 18DEARBORN HEIGHTS — After the terrorist attacks in Lebanon, France and Kenya and the increased backlash against Muslim Americans, the Michigan Council of Imams condemned extremism in strong terms at a press conference at the Islamic House of...
FBI: We are investigating threats aimed at Dearborn
November 18th, 20150 DEARBORN - The Dearborn community continues to be cautious in the days following online threats aimed at the Muslim population. On Tuesday, November 17, the FBI said it is investigating threats against the city following an intense reaction to the Paris attacks last week.The FBI Detroit office said it is working with both the Dearborn......
