The Arab American News
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Kuwaiti ship, Egyptian fishing boat collision kill 18
CAIRO — Egypt ordered an investigation into an accident, on Dec. 15, in which a Kuwaiti container ship and a fishing vessel collided in the Red Sea in an incident that killed 18 Egyptians. A statement from the prosecutor's office said initial enquiries showed the fishing boat capsized after it and the Kuwaiti ship hit each other after...Saudi cleric sparks uproar for appearing with wife on TV
Ahmed al-Ghamedi and his wife Jawaher bint Ali.DUBAI — A Saudi cleric has sparked uproar by appearing on television along with his wife -- whose face was uncovered in an open challenge to strict tradition in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamedi, who has said covering the face is not a must for women under...
Arab family sues Dearborn Heights Police for discrimination
December 18th, 20140 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — An Arab American family is suing the city of Dearborn Heights for alleged racial discrimination by the police. The lawsuit, which was announced at the office of the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) on Tuesday, says Dearborn Heights police officers failed to investigate an assault against two of the...
The ACLU-MI defends anti-Muslim protesters’ free speech
December 12th, 20140 DETROIT — The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU-MI) filed an amicus brief last week urging a federal court of appeals to reverse the decision to dismiss a lawsuit brought against Wayne County by a group of anti-Muslim protesters. During the Arab International Festival in 2012, county deputies escorted...
Dearborn firefighters surprise needy family for the second time
December 12th, 20140 Salli places the star at the top of the Christmas tree as a Dearborn firefighter lifts her up.DEARBORN — "I really feel like I have a family right now," Mona El-Darnouh said while decorating the new Christmas tree Dearborn firefighters surprised her family with on Sunday. While handing El-Darnouh an ornament to put on the tree,...
Mayor O’Reilly: City is not financially liable for sewage backup in August flood
December 12th, 20140 DEARBORN — The city announced this week that it would not be held liable for flooding damages caused by the heavy rainstorm on August 11 that impacted more than 10,000 homes. In a letter sent to residents last week, the city stated that it had "completed a thorough investigation" that determined there was "no basis for...Soccer player suspected of killing referee set to face trial
Saad.LIVONIA — A Dearborn Heights man who allegedly fatally assaulted a referee during a soccer game in Livonia on June 29 is set to begin his trial in February at the Wayne County Circuit Court. Bassel Abdul-Amir Saad was charged with second degree murder following a scuffle in which he struck and killed referee John Bieniewicz,...
Civil rights groups: Religious freedom act can lead to discrimination
December 12th, 20140 LANSING — Civil rights organizations expressed strong opposition to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that passed the Michigan House of representatives last week. The bill protects sincerely held religious beliefs from interference by the state. The bill H.B. 5958, was approved in a party line vote in the...
PART TWO: Detroit residents complain of health effects from breathing in toxins
December 12th, 20140 A diagram provided by the Sierra Club that shows which companies need to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. DTE Energy is responsible for 85 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions in Wayne County according to the Sierra Club. MICHIGAN — Sulfur dioxide is harmful to human health. Short-term exposure to the toxic gas causes...Ex-CIA officials say torture report is one-sided, flawed
A protester holds his hands up during a protest for the death of Eric Garner.WASHINGTON — A group of former top-ranking CIA officials disputed a U.S. Senate committee's finding that the agency's interrogation techniques produced no valuable intelligence, saying such work had saved thousands of lives. Former CIA directors George...Police body cameras carry risks without firm rules
WASHINGTON — Civil rights activists and some police chiefs are warning that the Obama administration's proposal to help local police departments buy 50,000 body cameras must come with firm rules on how to use the equipment. They say that without proper oversight to address potential misuse, such as when police turn off their cameras...Medical schools across U.S. protest chokehold death
NEW YORK CITY — Students at medical schools around the United States planned "die-ins" to protest the chokehold death by police of an unarmed Black man and New York activists demanded the city take action after a grand jury declined to indict the officer involved. Protests intensified last week after the grand jury decision to not...Kerry urges flexibility in U.S. war powers against Islamic State
Kerry.WASHINGTON — Any congressional authorization of U.S. military force against "Islamic State" should be flexible and not limit the fight to Iraq and Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday. The authorization should also not restrict President Obama in deploying combat troops against the militant group if needed,...
Officials who authorized torture should be prosecuted
December 12th, 20140 The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report on the CIA's enhanced interrogation methods (euphemism for torture) that revealed gruesome torture, cover-ups, mismanagement, lies and deliberate misleading of the public by the agency. The report released on Tuesday is the result of a five-year Senate investigation into the...Palestinian minister dies after confrontation with Israeli soldier
RAMALLAH — A Palestinian minister died on Wednesday shortly after an Israeli border policeman shoved and grabbed him by the throat during a protest in the West Bank, an incident Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described as barbaric. Ziad Abu Ein, 55, a minister without portfolio, was among scores of Palestinian and foreign......
Bombs kill three in Bahrain
MANAMA — A bomb explosion killed a Bahraini citizen and wounded an expatriate man on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said, the second fatal attack in the Gulf Arab state in as many days. Political tensions have been running high in the kingdom since the opposition boycotted elections last month. The ministry called Tuesday's attack...U.S. hostage in Yemen killed during rescue mission
SANAA — Al-Qaeda in Yemen blamed the United States for the death of U.S. and South African hostages killed in a failed rescue attempt by U.S. forces, an official of the militant group said, arguing Washington had "foolishly" chosen armed force over negotiation. President Obama "and his government knew the fairness of our demands and......
Detroit exits bankruptcy
December 12th, 20140 DETROIT — Mayor Mike Duggan, Governor Rick Snyder, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and Councilman Gabe Leland discussed Detroit's exit from bankruptcy Wednesday morning during a press conference. Orr submitted his resignation to Snyder earlier this week. In July 2013, Detroit filed for bankruptcy. During that period paychecks for...
Mayor O’Reilly, Lowrey student light the City of Dearborn Christmas tree
December 12th, 20140 DEARBORN — The city of Dearborn signaled the beginning of the Christmas holiday season with the lighting of the Christmas tree at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center on Dec. 8. Each year Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr. invites a special guest to be the honorary assistant. 5-year-old Nagi Nasser, a kindergartener from...
ACRL joins newly formed Coalition for Justice and Fairness to Reform Law Enforcement
December 12th, 20140 DETROIT — The Arab American Civil Rights League joined the newly formed Coalition for Justice and Fairness to Reform Law Enforcement. The Coalition is working to prevent incidents such as the shooting of a Black man by a White police officer in Ferguson, Missouri from happening in Detroit. Additional members of the group...Al-Qaeda in Yemen criticizes “Islamic State” for beheadings
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Nasr bin Ali al-Ansi.SANAA — A senior leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen criticized beheadings by "Islamic State" (IS) fighters as un-Islamic, and said his own group had banned such acts. IS, an offshoot of the al-Qaeda network, has carved out territory in Syria and Iraq with military......
Beirut and Doha selected as a ‘New7Wonders’ city
BEIRUT — Beirut was among seven cities selected as a "New7Wonders" city, beating out more than 1,000 competitors, the organization’s chief announced Sunday. "I would like to thank everyone who has helped promote the New7Wonders Cities campaign since its inception in 2011," Bernard Weber, founder and president of New7Wonders...Bryant sentenced to life in prison
DETROIT — Lavere Bryant, the defendant convicted in the double homicide of Dearborn Family Dollar employees on July 15, 2013, was sentenced on Thursday, Dec. 11, to Life in prison without parole. He was convicted on two counts of first degree murder and kidnapping. He is expected to serve 37 to 60 years on one count of......
Is torture an American value?
The most recent chapter in America's sordid history with torture, the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture during the Bush Administration, reinforces what human rights organizations and frankly many people around the world already know about the U.S. government. Ours is a government that views...
Path forward needed for stronger Arab-Black solidarity
December 12th, 20140 As protests erupt across the U.S. in reaction to the non-indictments of two White male police officers who killed two unarmed Black men, a discussion on the state of race relations in this country has also taken hold – particularly between the Arab American and African American communities. Parts of this conversation have been......