The Arab American News
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Saudi Arabia warns of rift with U.S. over Iran, Syria
RIYADH - Upset at President Barack Obama's policies on Iran and Syria, members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family are threatening a rift with the United States that could take the alliance between Washington and the kingdom to its lowest point in years.Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief is vowing that the kingdom will make a "major shift" in...
Syrian opposition sets preconditions to attend Geneva II
October 25th, 20130 DAMASCUS - Syria is set to hand over a detailed plan for destroying its chemical arsenal, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said, as a rebel attack near Damascus triggered widespread power outages.The plan is the next step for Damascus under the terms of a U.S.-Russian deal to head off military strikes on...Iraq province takes first steps to energy independence
BAGHDAD - Iraq's northwest Nineveh province has started talks with oil companies and is drafting terms to attract investment in its significant oil and gas reserves, steps that are certain to antagonize the central government.Nineveh Governor Atheel Nujaifi says Baghdad has focused on the giant southern oil fields and has paid little...Qatari poet sentenced to 15 years in prison for insulting emir
DOHA - A Qatari court on Monday, Oct. 21, upheld a 15-year jail sentence handed down to a poet, convicted of criticizing the former emir and attempting to incite revolt, a relative said.In his verses, Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami praised the Arab Spring revolts that toppled four authoritarian leaders. He also criticized Qatar's former...Ten killed in Tunisia clash
TUNIS - At least eight Tunisian policemen and two Islamist militants were killed on Wednesday, Oct. 23, when they clashed during a raid by security forces in Sidi Bouzid in the south of the country, security sources and state television said.Tunisian authorities say Ansar al-Sharia, one of the Islamist militant movements to emerge since...Attack against pilgrims calls for renewed intrafaith cooperation
News that Michigan Muslims were attacked at Hajj recently, due to sectarianism, increases the need for American Muslim leaders and activists to cultivate a spirit of constructive engagement among the followers of Islam, especially in America.I personally know some of the Shia Muslims who were reportedly beaten, choked, threatened with...In the interest of justice
The phrase, “justice delayed is justice denied,” is well known and has been repeated many times by judges and others in the legal profession. This phrase carries significance with regards to the events that have taken place, surrounding Wayne County and the current investigation by the federal government.For the record, anyone...Florida convicts recaptured after escape, more arrests expected
TALLAHASSEE - Two recaptured killers who walked away from life terms in a Florida prison had "a lot of help" obtaining forged release papers, and more arrests are coming, the head of the state's law enforcement agency said on Sunday.The two convicted murderers, released from the Apalachicola Correctional Institute on forged documents...Colorado farmers plead guilty for starting deadly food-borne outbreak
DENVER - U.S. prosecutors have charged brothers Eric and Ryan Jensen, former owners of Colorado-based Jensen Farms, with six counts each of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce, tied to shipping tainted melons to markets in 2011.The farmers' listeria-contaminated cantaloupes killed 33 people in 2011, after they began...U.S. 2014 tax-filing season delayed as result of shutdown
Washington D.C. - The start of the 2014 tax filing season will be delayed by one to two weeks early next year as a result of the government shutdown, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said on Tuesday.The original tax filing start was scheduled for January 21, but the IRS said in a statement that the start date has been pushed back to...Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect linked to triple killings
BOSTON - Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev took part in a 2011 triple homicide in a nearby town, according to a Chechen immigrant who was himself killed when approached by investigators for questioning , federal prosecutors said on Monday in newly filed court papers.Ibragim Todashev, 27, who has been identified as...Teacher found dead outside U.S. high school; student in custody
BOSTON -Police in Danvers, Massachusetts, began an investigation late on Tuesday, Oct. 23, after receiving calls that a student at the school had not returned home, and that a teacher had also not gone home and was not responding to her cell phone, Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett told reporters on Wednesday. After a...Bahraini court temporarily releases opposition leader
MANAMA - A senior Bahraini opposition politician was temporarily freed on Thursday, Oct. 24, by the court, which tried him on charges that include inciting terrorism, in a surprise conciliatory ruling in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state.Khalil al-Marzouq, a former parliament member, was detained in September by police investigating his...Syrian man in limbo for 16 days at Dubai airport
DUBAI - A Syrian man has been stranded at Dubai airport for 16 days in a case with echoes of the Tom Hanks film "The Terminal."Wasfi Tayseer Jarad has been stuck at the airport's Terminal 2, since being freed from prison after serving time for a drug conviction and being issued a deportation order, the English-language Gulf News reported...
Q & A with Dearborn City Council candidates
October 25th, 20130 DEARBORN — The Tuesday, Nov. 5 General Election is drawing near. In an effort to get the community to learn more about the Dearborn City Council candidates and their stances on important issues facing residents, The Arab American News (TAAN) asked each candidate three questions to help voters decide who they’ll support at the polls.......
Detroit mayoral candidates square-off in heated debates
DETROIT — This week, mayoral candidates Benny Napoleon and Mike Duggan squared off in public debates to discuss which of their campaign platforms would best be suited to turn around Detroit's fragile government, neighborhoods and economy.Words got heated between the two at the first debate, which took place on Sunday, October 22. While...
Candidates, organizations make strides to promote voter turnout on Election Day
October 25th, 20130 DEARBORN — In recent weeks, local candidates and community leaders have joined forces to convey the importance of public awareness and voter turnout on Election Day, proving that there is plenty at stake for the local Arab American community on the upcoming November 5 ballot.In Dearborn, two crucial proposals involving Dearborn Public......
Dearborn Police Department continues to ignore flashing traffic signal
DEARBORN — On early Friday morning, Oct. 11, another major car accident occurred on the intersection of Chase Rd. and Warren. Ave., at a traffic light that functions as a flashing yellow and flashing red after 10 p.m. each night.The Arab American News (TAAN) has previously written about the accident-prone intersection, and local...Rights groups urge DoJ to investigate NYPD practices
NEW YORK — On Thursday, Oct. 24, a coalition of 125 civil rights, religious and community groups wrote a letter to the Department of Justice, calling for a federal investigation into the NYPD's surveillance program against Muslims.The coalition, which includes the ACLU and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), urged...The sectarian war at hand: Redrawing the Middle East again
The warm waters of the Gulf look quiet from where I am sitting, but such tranquility hardly reflects the conflicts this region continues to generate. The euphoria of the so-called Arab Spring is long gone, but what remains is a region that is rich with resources and burdened with easily manipulated history that is in a state of reckless...National security journalist discusses NYPD surveillance of Muslims
DEARBORN — Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Adam Goldman discussed, at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD), on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the New York Police Department’s secret surveillance program of the Muslim community.After Sept. 11, 2001, the intelligence division of the NYPD scrutinized the Muslim community in New York and......
“I really, really like Detroit:” Nicholas Mukhtar, catalyst for change
For the last several years, Detroit has been the focal point of the Great Recession. Events, such as the government bailout of GM and Chrysler, the abandoned buildings, the tourism industry and the City’s declaration of bankruptcy have all received media attention. Despite this fact, bright hopefuls still aim to make...AMECC offers free services at health fair
OAK PARK — On Oct. 20, the American Middle East Christian Congress (AMECC), in collaboration with the Middle East Council of Churches and organizations, hosted a successful health fair, including physicians, pharmacists, attorneys, organizations and representatives from government and U.S. Congressional offices, who offered free......
Youth gather for Arab Student Night
DEARBORN — More than 100 young Arab Americans gathered at the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) on Friday, Oct. 11 to celebrate unity, promote teamwork and build new friendships. The event included students from the Arab Student Union, Lebanese Student Association and LAHC Youth Leadership Committee (YLC). The groups have...Gov. Rick Snyder’s controversial NERD Fund to close
MICHIGAN — Gov. Rick Snyder announced Monday that he plans to shut down the controversial NERD Fund that has drawn sharp criticism for not disclosing the names of its donors.Snyder said the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify Fund complied with all laws, but has become a distraction.Snyder says he wants to move forward with a fund......