The Arab American News
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Michigan legislature passes bills to end child marriage
June 25th, 20230 LANSING — On Thursday, the Michigan Senate voted to pass multiple bills that would establish 18 as the minimum age of consent for marriage in the state. State senators passed Senate Bills 209-217 and Senate Bill 246 almost unanimously. On Wednesday, House legislators passed a bill that would ban all child marriages in the state,...
AG Nessel charges three in signature collection fraud involving governor’s election
June 25th, 20230 LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges Thursday against three people accused of submitting thousands of forged nominating signatures that ended the candidacies of five Republican gubernatorial candidates last year. Willie Reed, 37; Shawn Wilmoth, 36 and Jamie Lynn Wilmoth-Goodin, 36, were each charged with...
Two Detroit men charged in separate gas stations attacks, including setting clerk on fire
June 25th, 20230 DETROIT – On Tuesday, police announced arrests in two unrelated incidents involving incendiary devices used in city gas stations — an argument that allegedly ended with a man setting a Sunoco gas station clerk on fire with a blowtorch, and a suspect who is accused of trying to ignite an SUV full of explosives at a downtown Speedway...
FBI’s secret “watchlist” revealed 98 percent of names are Muslim
June 25th, 20231 In a recent disclosure by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim American advocacy group, alarming statistics have emerged regarding the FBI’s secret watchlist. The report titled “Twenty Years Too Many, A Call to Stop the FBI’s Secret Watchlist” sheds light on the disproportionate targeting of Muslims, with...
Building trust when cultural differences and society biases impact healthcare for minority groups
June 16th, 20230 By Linda Perkins Health disparities continue to disproportionately affect minority populations despite improvements in overall health for most Americans. In Michigan, minority groups have a higher rate of chronic disease than average, so improving healthcare for these groups is critical. Unfortunately, cultural differences and...
Israeli soldiers will not face criminal charges over death of Palestinian American
June 16th, 20230 Israel's military advocate general said on Tuesday that soldiers who left a Palestinian American man outside overnight after detaining him and who was later found dead will not be criminally prosecuted, but will face disciplinary measures. Israeli forces detained 78-year-old Omar As'ad at a makeshift checkpoint in his West Bank hometown...
Michigan car insurance rates increasing in July
June 16th, 20230 You'll be paying more to insure your vehicle in Michigan beginning next month. Last year, drivers received refund checks from no-fault auto insurance reform and a $5 billion surplus in the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Fund. The MCCA is a nonprofit corporation controlled by the insurance industry that manages the catastrophic...
Local Arab American actor Mike Batayeh’s cause of death revealed
June 16th, 20230 PLYMOUTH — The New York Post reported that the cause of death for Breaking Bad and Detroit Unleaded Arab American actor Mike Batayeh, who died June 1 at his Michigan home, has been confirmed. The Post reported that it received an email from a representative of the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office, who revealed that the...
Vaccinate your children to protect them from COVID-19
June 16th, 20230 Everything you need to know about COVID-19 vaccination for your children When children are left unvaccinated, they are vulnerable to potentially deadly diseases like COVID-19. Overwhelming consensus exists within the medical community that vaccination is the best thing you can do to protect them from serious illness. Although...
Man assaulted by Dearborn police officer awarded $9.3 million
June 16th, 20230 DEARBORN – Luther Gonzales Hall was coming from a friend’s house on his bike. He had a bit to drink and wanted to be sure he was heading the right way to get home when he was attacked by a police officer seemingly without provocation. The suit he won not only alleges violations of constitutional rights, but false imprisonment,...
Celebrating Mike Mosallam: A Dearborn native and proud Arab American wins a Tony Award
June 16th, 20230 By Rashid Baydoun DEARBORN — In a moment of triumph for the local community, Mike Mosallam, a native of Dearborn and a proud Arab American, has clinched a prestigious Tony Award, solidifying his place as an influential figure in the performing arts. Mosallam’s win, a result of his co-producing efforts in the acclaimed musical...
Wayne County residents facing foreclosure can apply for payment plans now
June 16th, 20230 DETROIT — Beginning June 15, Wayne County residents facing foreclosure can enter payment plans to take care of back property taxes for 2021 and earlier. The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office offers several payment plan options to help taxpayers avoid foreclosure and pay back property taxes over certain time periods: Interest...
First Muslim woman confirmed as a U.S. federal judge
June 16th, 20231 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. will have its first Bangladeshi American and first Muslim woman federal judge after the Senate confirmed Nusrat Choudhury on Thursday. The vote in the Democratic-led Senate narrowly passed along party lines. President Biden nominated the civil rights attorney to the United States District Court for the...
Mental Health Youth Ambassador Scholarships now available
June 16th, 20230 DETROIT – The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) is offering Mental Health Youth Ambassador scholarships to high school students. “This is a wonderful opportunity to get students involved in the mental health conversation while they are in high school,” said DWIHN President and CEO Eric Doeh. “We know that young...
Michigan immigrants rally for restoration of driver’s licenses, even for undocumented
June 9th, 20230 LANSING — On May 24, dozens of protesters gathered at the state Capitol demanding legislators pass bills to expand who can get driver’s licenses in Michigan. Bills have been reintroduced to ensure all Michiganders can obtain a state ID or driver’s license regardless of their immigration status. Adja Ndoye, a program......
Arab American law graduate speaks up for Palestine, slams Israel at commencement
June 9th, 20232 NEW YORK – Fatima Mousa Mohammed, a City University of New York (CUNY) graduate from Queens of Yemeni origin, created ripples after she gave a speech on “confronting the systems of oppression… created to feed an empire with a ravenous appetite for destruction and violence” at her graduation ceremony, pointing her finger straight...
Senate confirms highest-ranking Muslim in government after earlier GOP blockade
June 9th, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday the Senate confirmed Dilawar Syed as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration, ending more than two years of delays after a blockade by Republicans in the last Congress. Syed will be the highest-ranking Muslim official in the U.S. government. Republicans on the Small Business......
Young Arab American killed while working in store at downtown Flint bus station
June 9th, 20230 FLINT – A suspect is in custody after police say he shot and killed a Dearborn man inside a bus station in downtown Flint last week. Jamil Kaine, 23, was working at a store inside the MTA bus station when Stand "Face" Robinson, 38, allegedly shot and killed him around 12:15 p.m. Thursday. A police officer who heard the gunshots...
What health experts say wildfire smoke novices need to know
June 9th, 20230 Wildfires are increasingly causing destruction and illness around the world, but the smoke drifting southward from eastern Canada this week is a new experience for the tens of millions who live in the U.S. Northeast. Many in those states are wondering what they need to know about a first-time wildfire smoke event. Are health risks...
Arab American teen honored for saving man’s life after a car crash in Dearborn
June 9th, 20230 DEARBORN — Amneh Yaghmour, 18, recalls details from the morning of January 2 with precision. She spoke of it like it was yesterday. “All I hear was like a big crash. It was a three-car car crash," she told 7 Action News. Yaghmour said she was filling up her tank at the gas station on the corner of Telegraph and Cherry Hill when...
Illinois to add “Arab American” as ethnicity option on registration forms
June 9th, 20230 CHICAGO – Illinois has one of the largest populations of Arab Americans in the country, according to community leaders. Yet, on most registration forms, where you are asked about your ethnic background, Arab American is not an option. "It's really important," said Jeanine A. "There isn't a way for me to represent my ethnicity. I have......
Dearborn Charter Commission rejects a proposal to adopt a district system in City Council elections
June 9th, 20230 DEARBORN — On Wednesday, the Dearborn Charter Commission rejected a proposal to change the current election rules of the City Council members from seven members at large representing the entire city and switch to a wards system with nine districts, in order to ensure fair and equitable representation for all neighborhoods on the City...
Biden administration wants Congress to mandate flight delay compensation
June 9th, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden administration has submitted draft legislation to Congress that would mandate airlines pay cash compensation for delays of three hours or more when carriers are responsible. The proposal sent earlier this week and seen by Reuters would require "cash compensation in an amount commensurate with the......
Trump faces criminal charges for mishandling documents, obstruction
June 9th, 20230 Former President Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury for retaining classified government documents and obstruction of justice, according to a source familiar with the matter. The criminal case, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, amounts to another legal setback for Trump as he seeks to regain the U.S. presidency next...
Gov. Whitmer signs distracted driving law into effect: What does that mean for drivers?
June 9th, 20230 LANSING – The use of handheld cell phones while driving a car will be outlawed in Michigan under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Whitmer that will take effect on June 30. The new law will expand Michigan’s ban on texting and driving to apply to all handheld cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle, including making......
