The Arab American News
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UN statehood bid deals a death blow to the old diplomacy
September 30th, 20110 Amid the applause in New York and the celebrations in Ramallah, few seem to have paused to consider where the Palestinian bid for statehood is ultimately leading.The Palestinian application, handed to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week, will now disappear from view — possibly for some time — while the United...
Silent protest held in support of Yemen revolution, future events planned
September 30th, 20110 DEARBORN – City hall has long been the site of vocal protests from local community members, but on Saturday, Sept. 24, demonstrators stood in silence as a means of expressing their views on a key international issue. A demonstrator holds a sign in support of the peaceful youth revolution in Yemen at City Hall last Saturday. Photo...
Palestine in criminal court triggers Western, Israeli fears
September 30th, 20110 UNITED NATIONS — If Palestine fails to achieve full statehood recognition at the United Nations, the only other viable option is to get "enhanced" observer status with the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N.'s highest policy making body. A Palestinian boy has the national flag painted on his face at a gathering to watch President...
Politics throws Palestine under the bus
September 30th, 20110 WASHINGTON (IPS) — The right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could not be more pleased.Not only did the allegedly most "anti-Israel" president ever repeat, for the nth time, that "America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable," but also made crystal clear that Washington will veto any Palestinian...Palestinian statehood discussed by international law experts at Wayne State
DETROIT – The topic of Palestine's quest for UN statehood and how it relates to international law was the focus of a Thursday, Sept. 22 event at Wayne State University. International law experts Steve Ratner, left, and Brad Roth say that Palestine’s statehood bid won’t change much immediately but could provide more options and...Dearborn among cities with violent crime increase in 2010
DEARBORN — An FBI report released on Monday, Sept. 19 shows that Dearborn was one of two communities in Michigan with increases in violent crime from 2009 to 2010 among those in the top ten. Dearborn jumped from 339 incidents to 373 according to FBI statistics while Clinton Township jumped from 277 to 351. Overall, Flint had...Gas station owner, bookkeeper convicted of tax crime
DETROIT — A federal jury last week reached a verdict of "guilty" against Elsayed Kazem "Tom" Safiedine and Mary Fawaz according to the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service. Safiedine and Fawaz were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding and impairing the lawful functions of the IRS....Michigan poverty rate increased according to new data
WASHINGTON — Recent data released by the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau showed that the nation's official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, an increase from 14.3 percent in 2009. There were 46.2 million people living in poverty in 2010 and the rate has increased annually for three years in a row. In Michigan, a substantial rate...Champions of justice honored at ADC annual Judges Night
DEARBORN — The local chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee celebrated the annual tradition of its Judges Night on Wednesday at Byblos Banquet Hall. The goal of the event is to honor judges who have done a remarkable job upholding the core values of the country's legal system in their courtrooms.Speaking before...‘Life in the Terror Decade’ editors: Detroit Arab community growing despite challenges
DEARBORN — Life in the past decade has been difficult for millions in America and internationally since September 11, 2001, but despite challenges faced through discrimination, guilt by association and constant verbal attacks from conservative politicians, the Arab American and American Muslim communities in Detroit are thriving and...Palestine and the UN: History of a double standard
Nowhere have the U.N. ideals and mechanisms been more mired in power politics than in Palestine. The efforts to neutralize U.N. intervention have been championed mainly by the United States. This week's efforts by the Obama administration working on behalf of Israel took advocacy to a whole new level. Failure to...Palestinians prepare for settler attacks over UN vote
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli settler violence in the West Bank is on the rise and is contributing to the risk of displacement of many Palestinian communities. JERUSALEM (IPS) — Amidst reports that the Israeli military is...Pressure piles up on Syria as EU announces new sanctions
BRUSSELS — The EU is to slap fresh sanctions against Syria on Saturday, including a ban on investments in the oil sector and on delivering bank notes and coins made in Europe, diplomats said Wednesday.The sanctions due to come into effect on Saturday will be the seventh round of European Union measures targeting President Bashar...
CIA apologizes, resubmits ads to The Arab American News
September 24th, 20110 The CIA abruptly yanked all its advertisements two weeks ago from The Arab American News because it ran a widely-published Associated Press story that said the intelligence agency was helping the NYPD spy on American Muslims.DEARBORN — The CIA has apologized to the The Arab American News and resubmitted its...
Al-Jazeera drops top executive
September 24th, 20110 DOHA — Al-Jazeera's top executive, Wadah Khanfar, resigned Tuesday after eight years as the head of the satellite news channel, the station announced on its website. Khanfar"For some time I have been discussing my desire to step down with the chairman of the board," Khanfar wrote. "He has kindly expressed understanding and has accepted......
Michigan anti-shari’a style bill still pending, “ex-terrorist” speaks at Capitol
LANSING — House Bill 4769, which was introduced by Michigan State Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville) and prohibits "foreign law" from being used in Michigan courts or administrative agencies, is still pending according to a representative from Agema's office.According to Mark Kasvin of the office, the bill, which was co-sponsored by more...
‘Beyond the Wall’: Detroit art exhibit shows real life in Palestine
September 24th, 20110 DETROIT — The struggle for peace in Palestine is often seen at the forefront of the news both locally and internationally, but few in America have seen dehumanizing conditions on the ground for the natives due to the Israeli occupation, checkpoints and massive walls. "(We hope) this exhibition will bring the realities of this......
Truce stumbles, then falls in Yemen capital
September 24th, 20110 SANAA (MEO) — Artillery fire and shelling rocked Yemen's capital Wednesday despite a truce aimed at ending fighting between rival military units and deadly attacks on anti-regime protesters, witnesses said. Anti-government protesters attend a mass funeral for protesters and defected army soldiers killed in recent clashes with security...
Libya rulers say Gaddafi running out of options
September 24th, 20110 SIRTE/NORTH OF BANI WALID, Libya — Libya's interim rulers said on Thursday they had further consolidated their control over Sahara desert towns that had been among Muammar Gaddafi's last strongholds, and said Gaddafi himself was running out of places to hide. "This resistance is hopeless... They know very well that at the end of the...
Border Patrol action at local church criticized by religious leaders
September 23rd, 20110 DETROIT — There are several complaints about Border Patrol agents profiling ethnic communities in Detroit, but one particular incident is receiving widespread attention because it occurred at a church. Father Tom Sepulveda of St. Anne’s in Detroit said that Border Patrol operations during Mass at the mostly Hispanic church...
Palestinians protest against Obama’s UN speech
September 23rd, 20110 RAMALLAH — Around 1,000 Palestinians gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday to protest against U.S. President Barack Obama's speech to the United Nations. Palestinians hold placards during a rally against U.S. President Barack Obama's address at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, in the West Bank city of......
Dearborn Fresh Supermarket to offer one-stop shopping for local families
September 23rd, 20110 DEARBORN — The city of Dearborn is one of the best places to buy meat, produce, flowers and more in metro Detroit, but the goal of brothers Dr. Fouad Turfah and Kamal Turfah for their newest business is to combine all that and more into a brand new shopping experience for local families. The exterior of the new Dearborn...Sentence in illegal immigrant case splits court
DETROIT — The Michigan Supreme Court has shown a possible difference of opinion within its ranks. A minimum five-year sentence was allowed to stand last week by Chief Justice Robert Young Jr., who joined three justices against the court's conservative bloc. After Jorge Ivan-Torres pleaded guilty to armed robbery in 2009, a......
Two charged in home invasion, killing of Heights man
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Two men were charged in the killing of a Dearborn Heights man last week on Wednesday at 20th District Court, according to local reports. Amaar Kadhim-Shudayer Al-Saady of Detroit, age 34, has been charged along with Antonnie O'Neil Ray, 19 of Detroit; both face felony murder and other charges in the...ACLU files lawsuit against anti-begging law in Michigan
DETROIT — The ACLU of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit last week against a state law prohibiting panhandling in public areas.Attorney General Bill Schuette, Grand Rapids Chief of Police Kevin Belk and officer Gregory Bauer are named as defendants. A person found "begging in a public place" is deemed "disorderly" according to the......