
The Arab American News
Author's Posts

Fear: The Art of sale
It has long been said (maybe the renowned sociologist Vance Packard said it first) that Madison Avenue’s advertising campaigns pivot around man’s conscious or subconscious fears. Fear is the catalyst. Indeed, man’s fears, insecurities and regrets are what make possible the Art of the Sale. Examples of fertile ground: The fear...Mother of reporter missing three years in Syria urges U.S. help
WASHINGTON — The mother of American reporter Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for more than three years, believes her son is alive and well and urged Washington and Damascus to work together to free him. Tice went missing in Damascus in 2012 and the State Department said in March Washington had been in periodic, direct...Jim Harbaugh meets with Muslim students upset over ‘American Sniper’ tweet
ANN ARBOR — On Wednesday, University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh met with Muslim students who are upset over comments he made on Twitter about the controversial film “American Sniper.” About 15 students attended the meeting along with U of M interim athletic director Jim Hackett and Vice President for Student Life Royster...Senate approves banning e-cigarettes to minors
LANSING — The State Senate approved a ban on the sale and use of e-cigarettes by minors and powdered alcohol for everyone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month that e-cigarette use among high school students increased by almost 9 percent from 2013 to 2014. The concern about powdered alcohol is that...Dearborn native Amanda Saab begins stint on FOX’s “MasterChef”
May 22nd, 20150 Amanda Saab.DEARBORN — This week, 26-year-old Dearborn native Amanda Saab began her stint as a contestant on FOX's sixth season of "MasterChef." Airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m., "MasterChef" is a competitive cooking reality show aimed at finding the best amateur and home chefs across the country. Week after week, contestants will compete...Dearborn installs community leaders into Sports Hall of Fame
May 22nd, 20150 Hussein Berry (center)DEARBORN – The Dearborn Recreation & Parks Department and the Dearborn Recreation & Parks Commission held its 63rd annual Sports Awards Ceremony on Sunday, May 17. Former School Board Trustee Hussein Berry was amongst the newest members of the Recreation & Park Department Hall of Fame, along with...LAHC executive offices relocate
May 22nd, 20150 DEARBORN — The Lebanese American Heritage Club has relocated its executive offices. The expansion will allow the organization to hire additional staff, implement new programs and serve more people. The LAHC’s community center on Maple Street in east Dearborn located will remain open. The address of the new location is...Michigan Realtors take the industry’s concerns to Washington
May 22nd, 20150 WASHINGTON — During the National Association of Realtors’ annual Realtors Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington May 11-16, the Michigan Realtors, an advocacy group for real estate professionals, held several legislative meetings with senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn)...Terror against Muslim Americans gets ignored
Robert Doggart "Our small group will soon be faced with the fight of our lives. We will offer those lives as collateral to prove our commitment to our God." These are not the words of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi or one of the 9/11 hijackers. They are the words of a Christian American terrorist, who admitted planning attacks...Iraqi American photographer tells the community’s stories
May 21st, 20150 Salwan GeorgesDEARBORN—Salwan Georges missed six years of school while growing up as a refugee in Syria. Georges, 25, was born in Baghdad during the Gulf War. His family resettled in Syria to escape the political turmoil in Iraq, but Georges was not able to attend school because of his refugee status. Despite...First post-Qazwini ICA fundraiser boasts large turnout
May 20th, 20150 Ron Amen speaking at the ICA fundraiserDEARBORN —The Islamic Center of America’s Spring Fundraiser on May 17 was a statement about the continuity of the institution after the resignation earlier this year of Sayed Hassan Qazwini. Various speakers took the podium, highlighting the large turnout at the dinner as an indicator of the...Muslims decry double standards following bail of former congressional candidate who plotted attack
NEW YORK - Muslim organizations are voicing concerns this week after a man who plotted to attack an Islamic community in New York State was released on bail without being charged with terrorism offenses. Community leaders have pointed to a double standard, not only in the legal consequences faced by Robert Doggart, a former...Nine killed in gun battle among Texas biker gangs
WACO, Texas – Nine people were killed on Sunday when a simmering feud among rival biker gangs boiled over at a sports bar in Waco, Texas, resulting in gunfire and a full-blown battle in the parking lot, police said.The clash took place at Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in a shopping mall in the central Texas city, Waco police said....NDAA amendment to urge president to rescue Americans in Yemen
May 15th, 20150 WASHINGTON – The House Committee on Rules approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to express the sense of Congress that the president should exercise all available authorities to evacuate U.S. citizens and nationals from Yemen as soon as possible.The proposal will be included in a package of en bloc...Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death
BOSTON – A U.S. jury sentenced on Friday Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for helping to carry out the 2013 attack that killed three people and injured 264 at the world-renowned race, taking 15 hours to reach a decision.The federal jury chose death by lethal injection for Tsarnaev, 21, over its only other option:......
Dearborn Heights cop and another man found dead
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Two Dearborn Heights men, including a police officer were found dead this morning in a garage in the 8500 block of Lochdale, near the intersection of Joy Rd. and Beech Daly.A representative of the Dearborn Heights Police Department would not confirm or deny the incident. "I have no comment on anything at this...The Palestinian Nakba becomes the Arab Nakba
Palestinian refugees at the Jaramana Refugee Camp, Damascus, 1948.In a western capital far away from Gaza and Cairo, I recently shared a pot of tea with an “Egyptian refugee.” The term is familiar to me, but never have I encountered an Egyptian who refers to himself as such. He stated it as a matter of fact by saying: “As an......
Obama vows to ‘stand by’ Gulf allies amid concern over Iran threat
President Obama welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef at the White House, May 13.MARYLAND — President Obama vowed on Thursday to back Gulf allies against any "external attack", seeking to reassure them of Washington's iron-clad commitment to their security amid Arab anxiety over U.S.-led efforts to reach a nuclear...Sectarian violence, bombs leave 17 dead during Baghdad pilgrimage
BAGHDAD — Deadly violence erupted overnight when Shi'a worshipers marched through a Sunni neighborhood on their way to a shrine for an annual ritual, police said Thursday. Mobs burned several buildings in the Sunni district of Adhamiyah, which the pilgrims have to cross to reach the holy Shi'a site on the other side of the...Egypt is justice minister resigns over classist remarks
CAIRO — Egypt's justice minister has resigned after raising a public uproar by saying in a TV interview that the children of garbage collectors are too lowly to become judges. The comments on Sunday by Mahfouz Saber brought a heavy backlash on social media from Egyptians denouncing elitism and what some saw as the arrogance of...Beyond Baltimore: Arab-Black solidarity needed for social change
As the Baltimore uprising began to take hold in reaction to the killing of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police officers, an unassuming tweet about a young African American man in New York made the rounds through Arab and Arab-American social media: "Last night in jail I (Black) was wearing a #Palestine T-shirt sitting next to a......
We will not yield to threats
May 15th, 20150 Last weekend, family members of the man who killed his wife before committing suicide in Dearborn called the home of one of our reporters, making death threats and harassing his family. The threats were crimes in both the legal and ethical senses. Responding to words with threats is cowardly and uncivilized. We will not tolerate it. We...House approves measure to end NSA bulk collection of phone data
— The House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday that would end spy agencies' bulk collection of Americans' telephone data, setting up a potential showdown with the Senate over the program, which expires on June 1. The House voted 338-88 for the USA Freedom Act, which would end the bulk collection and instead give......
Bill Clinton calls for ‘radical inclusion’ in a multi-ethnic America
NEW YORK — Former President Bill Clinton urged America this week to embrace its multiethnic and multicultural future. During a paid speech on Tuesday, May 12, at Univision’s upfront, an annual presentation of the media company's brands to advertisers, Clinton told moderator and Fusion host Alicia Menendez that people should take a...House votes to ban most abortions after 20 weeks
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks, a measure strongly opposed by the White House. The Republican-led House approved the bill by a largely party-line vote of 242-184. An earlier version was pulled by House Republican leaders in January after a revolt by......