The Arab American News
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Egypt names new interior minister to combat religious extremism
The newly-appointed Interior Minister Magdy Mohamed Abdel Hamid Abdel Ghaffar (L) stands at attention as he is sworn in by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) in Cairo.CAIRO — Egypt replaced its interior minister on Thursday with a retired general who has experience combating religious extremism as part of the country's...Libyan factions hold peace talks in Morocco
SKHIRATE, Morocco — Libya's warring factions held United Nations-backed talks on Thursday in an effort to end a conflict between two rival governments that threatens to drive the country into full-blown civil war. Air strikes between rival forces intensified before Thursday's negotiations on Libya, where Western governments...Kidnapped Iranian diplomat in Yemen freed
SANAA — An Iranian diplomat held hostage in Yemen since 2013 returned home to Tehran on Thursday amid conflicting accounts of how he was freed from his unidentified abductors. IRNA, Iran's state news agency, quoted deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying that an Iranian intelligence operation in Yemen rescued Noor...Executions set ‘unprecedented’ pace in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens for murder Thursday, adding to what Amnesty International has called an unprecedented pace of executions in the kingdom. Manie bin Ali bin Muhsin al-Gahtani was convicted of gunning down another man, the Interior Ministry said in a statement reported by the official Saudi Press...Palestinian leaders say they’ll cut security coordination with Israel
RAMALLAH — Palestinian leaders in the West Bank said on Thursday they would halt the security coordination with Israel which is widely credited with keeping order in the territory and preventing attacks in Israel. The Palestinian Central Council, whose votes are usually binding on the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, said it made...Saudi FM: Iran is taking over Iraq
Secretary of State John Kerry walks alongside Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, before a meeting with Saudi king Salman in riyadh, March 5.RIYADH — Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Thursday of Iran’s "destabilizing" policies in the region...Iraqi army, Iranian-backed militia prepare for Tikrit battle
An Iraqi soldier looks on as smoke rises from oil wells in the Ajil field east of the city of Tikrit in the Salahuddin province, March 4.BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" militants have set fire to oil wells northeast of the city of Tikrit to obstruct an assault by Iranian-backed Shi'a militiamen and Iraqi soldiers trying to drive them from...Bibi speaks, America listens
So Bibi gave his talk. I wrote up an advance briefing on what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would say before Congress on March 3 and got it almost perfect. I even got some of the punch lines word-for-word. To be honest, that was an easy task. There was absolutely nothing original in this speech. As is true with...Justice Department reveals racist e-mails sent by Ferguson police
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has concluded that the Ferguson, Missouri, police department routinely engages in racially biased practices. The investigation revealed shockingly racist, bigoted e-mails against African Americans, Latinos and Muslims sent between the department's staff, including one depicting President...Court to decide whether Bible Believers’ lawsuit can move forward
DEARBORN—The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio is expected to hear arguments today about whether a lawsuit by the Bible Believers can proceed against Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon and two deputies. The Christian evangelist group from California claims the Wayne County sheriff’s...New York Schools will start observing Muslim holidays
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio will officially announce Wednesday that the city's public schools will observe the two major Muslim holidays. The schools will be off for one day during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.According to a 2008 Columbia University study, 10 percent of New York's public school students are Muslim.In a Twitter post...Netanyahu warns U.S. against Iran nuclear deal
WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned President Obama on Tuesday against accepting a nuclear deal with Iran that would be a "countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare" by a country that "will always be an enemy of America."Obama said Israeli Netanyahu did not offer any real alternative amid the ongoing...
Prosecutors to seek death penalty for Chapel Hill shooter
March 3rd, 20150 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — North Carolina prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the Chapel Hill shooter who gunned down three young Muslims in a suspected hate crime, which his defense claims was about a parking dispute.Craig Hicks, 46, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the Feb. 10 shooting deaths of a...
Residents, civil rights groups concerned about Kroger investigation
February 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — The investigation of a violent altercation involving a 61-year-old Muslim man and two White men at a local Kroger earlier this month is of growing concern to residents and local civil rights groups. The incident at the Kroger on Michigan Ave. and Greenfield took place just three days after the murders of three Muslim...
Local seniors hopeful following article about food stamp cuts
February 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — A local senior citizen said she's received some assistance following a story The Arab American News published last week that cited drastic food stamp cuts that were made by the state last year. Hala Anne Brown, who resides at the Normandy Apartments on Michigan and Telegraph, said that since November, the state cut her......
Department of Human Services employees protest understaffing
February 27th, 20150 DHS employees protesting in front of the department's branch on Greenfield and Joy Road, Feb. 25.DETROIT — About 50 employees of the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) protested in front of the DHS branch at Greenfield and Joy Road, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, demanding more workers, better computers and better...
League of Women Voters marks 95 years
February 27th, 20150 Betsy Cushman, president of the LWV-DDH.DEARBORN — The League of Women Voters of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights (LWV-DDH) celebrated the League’s 95th anniversary on Thursday, Feb. 19 at Byblos Banquet Hall with hundreds in attendance, including state, national and local leaders. The event, entitled “Empowering Democracy”,......
Arab boxer excites crowd, community in professional debut
February 27th, 20150 DETROIT — Raw strength, a tenacious spirit and an unrelenting drive are all traits memorable fighters have in common– qualities quite evident in Mohamed “The Hawk” Adam, the emerging Arab American boxer from Dearborn. Adam took the boxing world by storm at his professional debut Feb. 6– in a fight that ended in a 37...Community leaders file letters in support of Rasmea Odeh
DETROIT — Defense attorneys for Rasmea Odeh, Chicago’s 67-year-old Palestinian community leader, filed a "sentencing memorandum" in a Detroit federal court, arguing that Odeh “should not be sentenced to further imprisonment” following her conviction in November on a single charge of Unlawful Procurement of Naturalization....
Court of Appeals upholds $1.2 million-judgment against Judge Somers
February 27th, 20150 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers. DEARBORN — On Friday, Feb. 13, eight years and a day after Julie Pucci filed suit against 19th District Court Chief Judge Mark Somers, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an opinion affirming a judgment in her favor. “I had all these emotions. I felt complete...
Henry Ford College to host Women’s Recognition Luncheon
February 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — Four women leaders will serve on a speakers’ panel at Henry Ford College’s (HFC) 42nd annual Women’s Recognition Luncheon – “Women Leaders: Driving Our Future” – on Friday, March 27, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Student and Culinary Arts Center, located on the main campus.......
Dave Abdallah Team honored by Century 21
February 27th, 20150 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Real estate agent Dave Abdallah was honored at the Century 21 Global Conference in Washington D.C. this week. Abdullah accepted two awards during the conference on behalf of his staff. The Dave Abdullah Team earned two of the company’s most prestigious awards: the Number One Team in the USA award and the...Soccer player pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter
LIVONIA — On Friday, Feb. 20, Bassel Abdul-Amir Saad pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the June 29 death of John Bieniewicz, a referee he fatally punched during a soccer game. Saad, a Dearborn resident, was initially charged with second-degree murder. Saad turned himself in to the Livonia Police Department one day......
Republicans propose declaring Idaho a ‘Christian state’
SALMON, Idaho — Members of a county Republican Party are to take up a measure on Tuesday evening that would declare the state a Christian one to bolster what the proposal calls the "Judeo-Christian bedrock of the founding of the United States." The resolution to be voted on by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee is...
Target denies report of “Sharia Law” policy in Dearborn Heights
February 27th, 20150 Target, located on Ford Rd. and John Daly in Dearborn Heights DEARBORN HEIGHTS— Last week a false and misleading article published by a right-wing website titled "Target surrenders to Sharia law in this sickening way" caused an uproar on social media.The website routinely relies on pro-Christian and anti-Muslim propaganda to......
