The Arab American News
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Wayne County officials federally charged, Ficano rejects call to resign
During a Wayne County Commission meeting Thursday commissioner Laura Cox asked County Executive Robert Ficano to resign, describing his administration as corrupt and incompetent.Ficano responded in this statement released by his office: "I am not resigning, and there have been no allegations of wrongdoing made against me. My...Landmark home loan settlement presents new opportunities for struggling homeowners
DETROIT — For those who will never be able to repay their existing home loan, today’s loan modification programs are nothing short of a golden opportunity. While the concept of modifying a loan is legally legitimate in its purpose, the inability of homeowners to seek the correct assistance has left millions “underwater.” Prior to...
Arraf, fellow American citizens deported for peaceful protests in Bahrain
February 18th, 20120 University of Michigan graduate and human rights lawyer Huwaida Arraf has been a familiar face at many of the countless peaceful demonstrations in occupied Palestine and was also a participant on the original Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which landed her time in an Israeli prison. Huwaida Arraf (R) and Adam Shapiro.This past week, Arraf...Interfaith initiative celebrated by Girl Scouts in metro Detroit
DETROIT — Members of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan celebrated 100 years of the Connecting Communities Through Faith initiative at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church.Hundreds of Muslim Girl Scouts members from from the Islamic House of Wisdom participated while presentations were given by Bishop Hanchon, Rabbi Shere, Pastor...
Pulitzer-winning reporter dies from asthma attack in Syria
February 18th, 20120 New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid apparently died while on assignment, according to paper Anthony ShadidAward-winning journalist Anthony Shadid has died while on a reporting assignment to Syria, his employer The New York Times says.The exact circumstances for his death were not clear, but the paper said he apparently died of an...
The march to war against Syria: The long shadow of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon
February 18th, 20120 Syria has been on the Pentagon's drawing board for years, largely because of its important geo-strategic placement in the Middle East. The process of cornering the Syrian Arab Republic started with earlier accusations pertaining to the alleged development of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). From 2003 to 2004, George W. Bush Jr....Egypt to hold presidential poll in May
Egyptian man walks past a symbolic grave for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir square in Cairo, February 16, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed SalemEgypt will hold its first presidential election since the fall of Hosni Mubarak by late May, a government minister was quoted saying in the state newspaper al-Ahram on Wednesday.The...
Nasrallah denies involvement in recent bombings, urges political reflection
February 18th, 20120 Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his party was not involved in recent bombings that took place in India, Georgia, and Thailand earlier this month, while reiterating the party's intention to avenge the killing of its leader Imad Mughniyeh four years ago."It is insulting for Hizbullah to avenge its great leader (Imad...
Yemeni elections to be held in the shadows of Saleh
February 18th, 20120 In less than one week, Yemenis will go to the voting booth in the first time in decades to approve Vice President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi as the consensus president of Yemen, something longtime ruler of Yemen Ali Abdallah Saleh is finding hard to stomach. A man carries a poster of outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as he walks...
Life after Gaddafi: Libya a militia mess one year on
February 18th, 20120 Stability still evades Libya as heavily-armed militias run rampant one year after protests began to oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi and install democracy in the north African state. A member of the National Transitional Council forces wave the Libyan flag as they parade along a main street in Tripoli February 14, 2012. Friday marks the...Mormon university to launch Islamic art exhibit at its museum
The Brigham Young University (BYU) Museum of Art is expected to launch its exhibit, “Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture” on Feb. 24.It features over 250 objects from 40 lenders and nine countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. BYU is a Mormon University located in Provo, Utah, and its...Faraj murder case dismissed, case refiled due to late prosecutor
DETROIT – Fadi Hassan Faraj, the 35-year-old man accused of killing 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan after a pickup basketball game in Dearborn this past summer, had his murder case temporarily dismissed this morning after the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office was not ready for jury selection. The case has been refiled but must now work...Shabaik brings Irvine 11’s case to Metro Detroit
DEARBORN/DETROIT — American universities have long bastions for free speech, but in February 2010, a one-line statement from 23-year-old activist Osama Shabaik was enough to land him in handcuffs and in front of an Orange County prosecutor along with nine of his peers."Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free...Israel vying for war: Attacking Iran will not repeat history
On April 10, 2002, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons, “Saddam Hussein's regime is…developing weapons of mass destruction, and we cannot leave him doing so unchecked.” A year later, Blair, enthusiastically joined a U.S.-led coalition that launched an illegal war against Iraq. Their hunt for...Kuwait Parliament: Islamists seek shari’a amendment
Kuwait’s Islamist opposition and their allies won a major victory in the recent parliamentary elections that took place on February 2.Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah once again asked Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah to form a government. The latter began consultations on this matter immediately, while the Islamists began to make some very......
Guns and diplomacy: Militarizing the Syrian conflict
February 11th, 20120 Russia and China vetoed the latest UN Security Council resolution Saturday on the ongoing violence in Syria because it leaves out sanctions on the opposition alongside those on the Assad government, and leaves out Russian proposals. Moscow says it had no other option but use its veto right, claiming the draft didn't realistically...Report: Abuse, neglect of children costs U.S. $124 billion
A new report estimates that $124 billion is the cost of child maltreatment, including physical abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. That's according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as published in the Child Abuse and Neglect, The International Journal.Lifetime costs for a victim of maltreatment on......
Report: Tax changes in Michigan will hurt low income families the most
A report recently issued by the Michigan League for Human Services shows that businesses in Michigan will benefit from new tax cuts from the state while individuals will end up paying more. According to the report's author Joanne Bump, low income families will be hit the hardest, she said, citing an analysis of the state's tax...City of Detroit in the development phase of Immigration Affairs Office
DETROIT — The city of Detroit has recently announced that it is in the development phase of opening up its very own Immigration Affairs Office with the collaboration of New Michigan Media sometime this year. The announcement seems appropriate after many have noted a strong continued trend of Immigration growth not just in Detroit, but...Ficano modifies county ethics policy
DETROIT - Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano announced on Thursday that a new ethics policy will be mandated that will manage a broader scope of executive branch at-will employee conduct. Policy changes will include strengthening at-will employee accountability, promoting greater transparency and implementing mandatory...Family shocked by charges in wedding day accident
DEARBORN – A Dec. 25 accident that took the life of 22-year-old Eitedac Alghathie has led to preliminary charges of reckless driving and second-degree murder for two of her brothers who were drivers during the incident, according to family members, with a preliminary exam set for Friday, Feb. 17 at 9 a.m.The grieving family said they......
Dearborn’s Abbatt to run for 19th District Court this year
DEARBORN — Attorney Candyce Abbatt announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8 that she plans to seek eelction as District Judge in the 19th District Court of Dearborn in the upcoming 2012 election. Candyce AbbattAbbatt is a lifelong Dearborn resident and graduate of Fordson High School, The University of Michigan-Dearborn as well as Wayne State...
Former Dearborn man charged in multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme
February 11th, 20120 Judge rules Iraqi charged with investor fraud poses flight riskFormer Dearborn man allegedly bilked locals out of millions Ahmed AlabadiDETROIT - In a detention hearing on Wednesday Magistrate Judge Mona K. Majzoub ruled Ahmed Alabadi, a former Dearborn resident convicted of investor fraud poses flight risk, and ordered him to......
Detroit billboard responds to Bay City ad, protests U.S. aid to Israel
February 11th, 20120 DETROIT — The latest episode in the Israel/Palestine public advertisement feud has unfolded in Michigan, but this time around, the pro-Palestinian side has had a fair chance to make its voice heard. A new billboard protesting American aid to Israel to the tune of millions per day went up on Monday, Feb. 6, with the message “$8...Saleh plans Yemen’s return to vote in presidential polls
SANAA - Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in New York for medical treatment after agreeing to step down following months of protests, will return to vote in presidential polls, a member of his party and state media said Wednesday."He will return and the General People's Congress party wants him back to attend and supervise the......