The Arab American News
Author's Posts
ICE kills legal observer in cold blood in Minneapolis
January 9th, 20260 A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday. The woman, a legal observer identified as Renee Nicole Good, was in her vehicle, apparently attempting to leave the scene. As she did so, an agent emerged, aimed his gun, and shot her in the...
Participating in civic life is our duty as American citizens
January 7th, 20260 It’s a fundamental premise of American democracy that our elected representatives will do what we expect them to do. That doesn’t mean we can dictate every action they take. Overall, however, their job is to represent their constituents, not anyone else. But here’s the catch. Politicians can only do what we want if they know what...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Senegalese immigrants find community of support in west Detroit
January 3rd, 20260 By Carole Hawke-Diop On August 13, the courtyard of the Khadimu Rassul Foundation was a colorful scene of men in kaftans and women in sequined robes and bright headwraps. It was Magal Touba, a feast commemorating the life and teachings of Ahmadou Bamba, a revered saint and leader for Senegal’s Mouride Muslims. On this day, a large...
Rep. Alabas Farhat named Lawmaker of the Year for bipartisan leadership and policy impact
December 26th, 20250 LANSING — State Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) has been named Minority Lawmaker of the Year by the Michigan Information & Research Service Inc. (MIRS), a recognition that highlights his growing influence in the Michigan Legislature and his role as a key bridge between Democrats and Republicans on major policy issues. The honor...
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard fuels anti-Muslim rhetoric, targets Muslim-majority cities led by Dearborn
December 26th, 20251 As anti-Muslim rhetoric intensifies across the United States, particularly toward American Muslim communities led by the city of Dearborn, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard rode what critics describe as a wave of incitement this week, through a highly charged speech at the Americafest Conference, amplifying narratives that...
Judge rejects ballot challenge and upholds Hamtramck’s mayoral election results, opposition appeals
December 26th, 20250 DETROIT, HAMTRAMCK — Hamtramck Mayor-elect Adam Alharbi took another decisive step toward confirming his victory in the November 4 municipal election after a Wayne County Circuit Court judge ruled on Tuesday to reject a request by his opponent, Muhith Mahmood, to count 37 absentee ballots that had been excluded by the county’s Board...
Why Zohran Mamdani won: Demographics, grassroots power and Gaza
December 26th, 20250 Analysts are still working to understand Zohran Mamdani’s decisive victory in last month’s New York mayoral race. Like the blind men in the old Indian story of the “Blind Men and the Elephant”, the explanations offered have been mostly accurate but incomplete. Mamdani’s focus on affordability was appealing, as was his...
For immigrant families, a “Christmas of immense pain”
December 26th, 20250 By Araceli Martinez Janeth López, a mother of three kids, is desperate. Her fiancé, Fredy Sandoval, was deported to Nicaragua after being held in detention for three weeks. “I wouldn’t wish on anyone a Christmas like the one we will have this year,” said López, 39, a resident of Paso Robles, located along California’s...
Hussein Berry switches races, leaves State Senate bid to take on Alabas Farhat in Michigan House District 3
December 26th, 20250 DEARBORN — Former Dearborn Board of Education member Hussein Berry announced last week that he is running for the Michigan House of Representatives as a Democrat in District 3, setting up a potential primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Alabas Farhat, who is seeking re-election next year for his third term in the House. District 3...
Duggan celebrates one of his administration’s major achievements days before leaving office
December 25th, 20250 DETROIT – Just days before leaving office to focus on his campaign for governor of Michigan, outgoing Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan highlighted his administration’s historic achievement of eliminating approximately 47,000 abandoned homes across the city during a press conference held on Monday. He also pledged to continue investigations...
Trump pushes “self-deportation” plan with $3,000 incentive for undocumented migrants
December 25th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to encourage undocumented immigrants to voluntarily “self-deport”, the Trump administration announced on Monday that it is tripling the financial incentive offered to those who choose to leave the United States on their own, increasing the payment from $1,000 to $3,000. The U.S. Department of...
Arab American women entrepreneurs shine at AAWBC NEI pitch competition
December 22nd, 20250 By Claudia Chaalan Dearborn — The Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC) recently hosted its annual New Economic Initiative (NEI) Pitch Competition at the Arab American National Museum, bringing together community leaders, entrepreneurs and supporters for an evening dedicated to celebrating women in business and...
Trump expands U.S. travel ban to include Syria and Palestinian Authority passport holders
December 19th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump expanded the scope of the United States' travel ban on Tuesday, barring entry for citizens of five additional countries, including Syria, as well as holders of Palestinian Authority passports, according to the White House. In a statement, the White House said Trump, who has made tightening...
Dearborn City Council approves salary increases for mayor, Council members and city clerk
December 19th, 20250 DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council unanimously approved significant salary increases for the mayor and City Council members at its most recent meeting, acting on recommendations from the city’s special Local Officials Compensation Commission (LOCC). Under the new pay structure, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud’s base annual salary will...
Canton police bust counterfeiting ring, arrest three in Detroit raid
December 19th, 20250 CANTON — Last week, following an investigation launched by Canton Township police after noticing an increase in the circulation of counterfeit $100 bills at local businesses, prosecutors said authorities arrested a three-person ring at a Detroit home where the fake currency was allegedly being produced. Arrested were Darrion......
Judge sentences 75-year-old man to 7–15 years for attempted murder of Arab American child
December 19th, 20250 DETROIT — A Wayne County court sentenced a Detroit man to 7 to 15 years in prison for attempting to kill a then-7-year-old Yemeni American child in a Detroit park on October 8, 2024. Gary Lansky, 74, pleaded guilty last month to attempted murder but claimed he suffers from mental illness, a factor that led to a reduced...
Dr. Khalil Choucair joins Karmanos Cancer Institute’s thoracic oncology and clinical trials teams
December 19th, 20250 DETROIT — The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute has appointed Khalil Choucair, M.D., MSc, a medical oncologist, to its Thoracic Oncology and Phase I Clinical Trials Multidisciplinary Teams, strengthening the institute’s expertise in advanced lung and thoracic cancer care. Dr. Choucair began seeing patients in July at Karmanos......
U.S. Senate passes $900B defense budget, includes Syria sanctions repeal
December 19th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate approved the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing a record defense budget exceeding $900 billion, including $400 million to fund weapons for Ukraine and a conditional decision to repeal the stringent Caesar Act sanctions on Syria. The legislation passed the Senate...
Two men sentenced to life for killing jeweler Hussein Murray in his Rochester Hills home
December 12th, 20250 PONTIAC — On Tuesday, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge sentenced two men to life in prison for killing Arab American jeweler Hussein Murray and robbing his Rochester Hills home after posing as DTE gas workers in the fall of 2024. During the sentencing hearing, Carlos Hernandez, 38, and Joshua Zuazo, 40, remained silent as Judge...
Abbas Alawieh announces bid for Michigan’s Second Senate District
December 12th, 20250 DEARBORN — Arab American political activist Abbas Alawieh announced his candidacy for the Michigan State Senate, running as a Democrat in District 2, which includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit. The seat is currently held by Democratic State Senator Sylvia Santana. Michigan’s State Senate elections...
Hamtramck Clerk Rana Faraj sues city officials, alleging retaliation and election misconduct
December 12th, 20250 HAMTRAMCK — In the latest lawsuit brought against the city, suspended City Clerk Rana Faraj has accused city officials of retaliation, defamation, voter intimidation and violating Michigan’s Whistleblower Protection Act — one month after she was placed on paid administrative leave over alleged “interference” in the November......
Dearborn community celebrates Divine Child’s state championship win
December 12th, 20250 Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud joined the victory parade on Monday celebrating Divine Child High School’s state championship win in the 2025 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 4 football season. The Falcons of the private, Catholic Divine Child High School achieved their first state title since 1985 after...
Judge declines to block Michigan’s new 24 percent marijuana wholesale tax as the MiCIA vows appeal
December 12th, 20250 LANSING — In early October, Governor Whitmer and state lawmakers turned to the state’s booming marijuana industry as a way to finalize the state budget and avert a government shutdown, approving a steep new wholesale tax on marijuana sales beginning in early 2026. The tax is intended to generate new revenue for repairing Michigan’s......
Resilient Neighborhoods: Community land trusts: “We’re rising from the ashes, and this is our vehicle.”
December 5th, 20250 By Genevieve Fox A community land trust (CLT) is a type of community ownership model where the community stewards land in perpetuity for the common good of those who live there, said GenesisHOPE Executive Director Jeanine Hatcher. GenesisHOPE is a nonprofit that strives to improve equity through community health and development,...
Hamtramck mayoral recount confirms Alharbi’s win as Mahmood presses legal fight over disputed ballots
December 5th, 20250 DETROIT – Although the hand recount in the Hamtramck mayoral race did not deliver the result hoped for by Bangladeshi American candidate Muhith Mahmood, the City Council member remains determined to continue his effort to overturn the outcome. Mahmood is urging the courts to count 37 absentee ballots that Wayne County election......
