The Arab American News
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Dearborn Heights resident returns home after six months of captivity in Yemen
September 25th, 20150 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Former U.S. Marine Sam Farran arrived home on Tuesday after being held hostage by Houthi rebels for six months in Yemen. Farran, 54, a Lebanese American Dearborn Heights resident, was held hostage in Sanaa, along with Scott Darden, a 45-year-old employee of the New Orleans-based company Transoceanic Development....Illinois man accused of trying to join Islamic State may face trial
CHICAGO - A federal judge said he wanted to set a trial date for a Chicago-area man accused of trying to provide support to Islamic State militants, as prosecutors and the defense failed to reach a plea deal in the case. Mohammed Hamzah Khan, 20, of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook is charged with trying to provide material...Suspect identified in the planting of explosive that injured man
DETROIT — Officials have identified a suspect accused of planting an explosive that injured a man Sunday in a vacant field near a hidden marijuana patch. The 28-year-old victim stepped on the bomb in a vacant field on the city’s west side, near Florida and Panama streets, Officer Dan Donakowski told The Detroit News. “He...Suspect lights garage fire, flees scene on bicycle
DEARBORN — Officials believe a garage fire on Orchard Avenue was lit by a suspect who fled the scene on a bicycle. Surveillance video from Sept. 17 shows a White male riding a bicycle down an alley on the 6400 block of Orchard Avenue at approximately 7 p.m. After the suspect stopped briefly, a garage caught fire. The suspect,...Stampedes are too common at Hajj; Saudi Arabia should be accountable
An ambulance drives to the camp city of Mina near Mecca, Sept. 24The death of more than 717 people in a stampede at Hajj on the day of Eid is a tragedy. But it was not a natural disaster. It is a man-made incident that could have been avoided. Saudi authorities pledged to investigate the deadly blunder, which was caused by two...Carson’s anti-Muslim remarks: The party of Lincoln is becoming the party of Palin
"It is farcical that Trump and Carson are leading the GOP race."Dr. Ben Carson, the second most popular Republican presidential candidate, said he would not advocate for a Muslim president because Islam's teachings are inconsistent with the Constitution. The statement showed an astounding amount of hate and ignorance. But what is...
Boxing organization bans Muslim teen in hijab from competing in match
September 24th, 20150 MINNESOTA — A 15-year-old Minnesota teen boxer is fighting for her change to compete in a boxing match after USA Boxing disqualified her from participating in the competition because of her Islamic attire. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on USA Boxing, which oversees and governs amateur boxing in the...
U of M Facebook features Arab American professor, gets strong response
September 24th, 20150 Matthew Stiffler Photo: U of MANN ARBOR – Matthew Stiffler was good at math and science, so he went to college to study chemistry. But topics presented in history lectures and readings for literature courses turned those subjects into his passion. On Facebook on Wednesday, the...Trump says he’s the rare Republican who can woo black voters
"I have a lot of friends, African-Americans in New York, they say, 'You're going to get most of the vote,'" Donald Trump said.Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has been criticized by his rivals over his comments about minority groups, said on Wednesday he is the rare Republican who could win a sizable portion of the...
ISIS suicide bomber kills 25 at Eid prayer in Sanaa
September 24th, 20150 Houthi militants inside the al-Balili mosque after a suicide bomber hit the mosque in Sanaa, Sept. 24. Photo: ReutersSANAA— A suicide bomber struck a mosque in Yemen's Houthi-held capital on Thursday, killing 25 worshippers during prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The Yemen-based ISIS affiliate claimed responsibility...
More than 717 pilgrims die in stampede in worst Hajj disaster in 25 years
September 24th, 20150 Medical staff carry an injured pilgrim after the stampede in Mina. Photo: ReutersAt least 717 pilgrims were killed on Thursday in a stampede outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said. It is the worst disaster to strike the annual Hajj pilgrimage in 25 years.At least 805 others were injured in the crush at Mina, a few...UN experts call on Saudi Arabia to cancel execution of young activist
Ali al-Nimr is set to be beheaded and crucified UNITED NATIONS — France and a group of U.N. experts have joined rights groups in calling on Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of a an activist sentenced to death over his role in anti-government protests.Ali al-Nimr was given the death penalty in May after taking part in demonstrations...On “abeed” and “camel jockeys”: Racial supremacy is a disease
"Snuffing out prejudice in our African and Arab American communities is not only ethically necessary, it is in our self interest.""You camel jockey motherf****ers," yelled an African American man at a crowd of Arab Americans at a Dearborn gas station after a traffic dispute this week. As the confrontation escalated, the angry driver...
Local activists slam Dr. Carson for anti-Muslim comments
September 24th, 20150 Dr. Carson at the Heritage Action for America presidential candidate forum in Greenville, S.C., Sept. 18 Photo: ReutersDEARBORN— Local activists slammed Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson for saying he would be opposed to a Muslim becoming president of the United States. The retired neurosurgeon responded to a...
Sen. Peters: The U.S. should do its part to help refugees
September 23rd, 20150 "I believe the 10,000 number is inadequate; we need to have a larger number ." -Sen. PetersDEARBORN — After witnessing the hopelessness at Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp, the temporary home of 80,000 Syrians, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich), believes the United States should come to the aid of the struggling people of Syria."It was quite an......
Egypt pardons Al Jazeera journalists
Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy before the verdict at a court in Cairo, Aug. 29CAIRO — Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned 100 prisoners including three Al Jazeera television journalists on Wednesday, a day before he plans to head to the annual United Nations summit of world leaders.Canadian Mohamed Fahmy, Egyptian...Designer dress named after Palestinian-American comedian
Photo: Carrie HammerMaysoon Zayid is many things: A Palestinian-American, a Muslim, a comedian and an actress. Zayid suffers from cerebral palsy and is also considered a disability advocate. Critics have given her worse labels. Now, Maysoon is a dress. New York City-based designer Carrie Hammer named a black tuxedo dress with......
Yemen’s president returns to Aden
Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi near Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir upon arrival at Khartoum Airport, Aug. 29 /Photo: ReutersADEN — Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi landed in Yemen's Aden on Tuesday, airport sources said, returning to the southern port city for the first time since he escaped to Saudi Arabia...Muslim student arrested for homemade clock withdraws from Texas school
A teenage Muslim student who was arrested last week after high school staff said they mistook his homemade clock for a bomb withdrew from the school district on Monday, the Dallas Morning News reported.Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, the father of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, told the newspaper that he formally withdrew his son from the Irving...
Nearly a quarter of U.S. female undergraduates victims of sexual attacks, survey shows
September 21st, 20150 More than 23 percent of female undergraduate students said they were victims of sexual assault or unwanted kissing and touching, according to one of the largest surveys on sexual violence at U.S. college campuses.About 5.4 percent of male undergraduate students had nonconsensual sexual contact, according to the survey of 150,000...
MLive newspapers publish joint editorial against expelled Rep. Gamrat’s re-election bid
September 21st, 20150 After former state Rep. Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell, was expelled from the Michigan House last week, she filed to run in the special election to fill her old seat. The Grand Rapids Press and Kalamazoo Gazette editorial boards, whose newspaper coverage areas include the 80th district Gamrat represented, published a joint editorial......
Rand Paul favored by Michigan GOP activists in straw poll
September 21st, 20150 Kentucky Sen. Rand PaulMACKINAC ISLAND – Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul won the presidential straw poll at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference this weekend, receiving 22 percent of the vote among the field of 16 candidates.Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, captured 15 percent of the vote to take second. Ohio Gov. John...Pope Francis holds mass in Cuba
Pope Francis greets Cuban President Raul Castro in Holguin, Cuba, Sept. 21. HOLGUIN, Cuba — On a special anniversary for him, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in east Cuba on Monday on the last full day of a trip where he has been praised for aiding rapprochement between the communist government and the United States.Two predecessors have......
Netanyahu: Israel, Russia to coordinate military action on Syria
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Sept. 21MOSCOW — Israel and Russia agreed on Monday to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Moscow.Recent Russian...Study: Young people on antidepressants more prone to violence
Young people taking antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat are significantly more likely to commit violent crimes when they are on the medication, but taking higher doses of the drugs appears to reduce that risk, scientists said on Tuesday. In research published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the scientists wrote that while their......