The Arab American News
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Deadline for voter registration is July 5
LANSING – The office of new Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson is reminding potential voters that the deadline to register is Tuesday, July 5 in order to vote in the upcoming Aug. 2 primary election.Polls on Election Day will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; applicants must be 18 years old by Election Day and be U.S. citizens. They...Boxer Al-Mashadi continues Kronk’s championship tradition
DETROIT – The world-famous Kronk boxing gym is known for its many champions including heavyweights like Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and more. The 9-year-old boxing prodigy has already won two national tournament championships. But the gym's latest champion comes in a much smaller size. Husam Al Mashadi, age 9, who trains at Kronk,...MPAC honors voices of courage and conscience at 20th Media Awards Gala
LOS ANGELES — Before a full house last weekend, the Muslim Public Affairs Council honored acclaimed actress Hiam Abbass for her portrayal of Hind al-Husseini in the film "Miral," the thought-provoking legal drama "The Good Wife," and the poignant documentary "Fordson." In a night filled with celebration and emotional moments, the...Immigrant rights advocates applaud decision to delay vote on E-Verify bills
LANSING — Recently Michigan State Rep. Wayne Schmidt, Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, reversed his plan to put both House Bills 4024 and 4026 to a vote and placed them on hold until the fall. Both bills require state contractors and temporary staffing companies to use the federal E-Verify system when hiring workers...Metro Detroit Youth Day set for July 13 on Belle Isle
DETROIT — One of the highlights of summer for more than 37,000 youngsters from the Metro Detroit area is the annual Metro Detroit Youth Day (MDYD). This year (2011) the colorful event for children will celebrate its 29th anniversary on July 13. It is the largest youth event in Michigan. Ed Deeb: "Metro Detroit Youth Day is...New peace flotilla to Gaza: A voyage of audacious hope
ATHENS, Greece — Later this week, I will be on board a ship named The Audacity of Hope, bound for Gaza along with 50 other Americans. Part of an international flotilla of about 10 vessels from a variety of countries, my fellow passengers and I will be unarmed. Our only cargo is thousands of letters to the people of Gaza from...Targeting minorities: The “black” drug that isn’t
SAN FRANCISCO — Ethnic Americans — whether black, Hispanic, Asian or members of other groups — face different and usually more serious health risks than our majority-group compatriots. We face higher rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, as well as greater difficulty in accessing the U.S. healthcare system to get needed...National dialogue set to begin in Bahrain
MANAMA — Bahrain on Monday announced a high-ranging "national dialogue" opening on July 2, although the largest Shi'a opposition bloc said it has not yet decided whether to take part."The National Dialogue chairmanship has received views and recommendations" on parliament, the cabinet, electoral districts, citizenship, corruption and...Iran fires medium-range missile in war game
TEHRAN - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards fired 14 missiles in an exercise Tuesday, one of them a medium-range weapon capable of striking Israel or U.S. targets in the Gulf, state media said.The Guards' aerospace commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, insisted Iran's missile program posed no threat to European nations but was...
Lebanon: Indictment timing raises questions
July 1st, 20110 Four indictments issued in Hariri killing probe Timing of indictments slap in the face of newly formed government after months of intense discussionBEIRUT — A United Nations-backed court has handed down indictments requesting the arrest of four members of Hizbullah in connection with the 2005 killing of former Lebanese...Threats to Arab spring are both domestic and international
In the Arab Spring there is a steady turbulence: dynastic regimes, patriarchal order, fanatic movements and self-serving foreign intervention. Over the last century, the entire nation-building process has been dysfunctional. Rulers legitimize people, not the reverse; religion trumps human rights; reactionary political movements...
“Fordson” wins over audience, takes Best Documentary Award at Detroit-Windsor Film Festival
July 1st, 20110 Award-winning documentary slated to premiere in Dearborn on September 7DETROIT — The 2010 debut of the trailer for the movie documentary "Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football," generated a huge amount of buzz among local Arab Americans and Muslims as well as many others eager to see a real-life portrayal of the community on...
Al Jazeera wilts in Arab Spring
July 1st, 20110 Al Jazeera English was recently hailed by no less a person than U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for providing "real news." Viewership of the Los Angeles public television station, KCET-TV, increased by 135 percent after it started broadcasting Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera Arabic, however, seems to have fallen from grace....Saudis tell NATO they’ll pursue Nukes if Iran does
LONDON/TEHRAN - Saudi Arabia has warned NATO that it would pursue policies that could lead to “untold and possibly dramatic consequences” if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, a British newspaper reported Wednesday.The Guardian newspaper quoted Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington and...Iran shows Russia downed U.S. drones
Iran has said it has shown Russia U.S. drones it shot down over the Gulf, Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hadjizadeh was quoted as saying on Tuesday."Russian experts requested to see these drones and they looked at both the downed drones and the models made by the Guards through reverse engineering,"......
Local mosques among several non-profits to apply for federal security grant
July 1st, 20110 DEARBORN — Although non-profits across the United States take advantage of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Non-profit Security Grant Program (NSGP) every year, the Islamic Center of America's interest in it has been misunderstood, officials say. FEMA is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security...
Ongoing unrest threatening Syrian economy
July 1st, 20110 DAMASCUS — As protests persist in Syria, the economy is becoming an increasing concern for many, who wonder if it will eventually falter in light of the recent unrest. "The global financial crisis had a moderate affect on Syria," Syrian economist Samir Seifan told IPS. But now, "people are only spending on basic items, which is......
Human rights groups cast doubt on Libya war atrocity allegations
Ground troops being considered NEW YORK — The Independent of London reports human rights organizations are beginning to cast doubt on some of the claims of atrocities committed by forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi that were used to justify NATO's war in Libya.Gaddafi's regime was accused of ordering mass rapes, using foreign...Muslim woman fired by Air France for wearing headscarf
Herndon, VA. — Nineteen-year-old Riham Osman, a Muslim from Herndon, Virginia, was reportedly fired on the job at Dulles International Airport by Air France in early June, after a supervisor had told her that her head scarf violated the company's uniform policy.Osman, who was hired to be a passenger service agent for Air France by an...
Freedom Flotilla II ready to sail despite threats and sabotage
July 1st, 20110 ATHENS (IPS) — As the 10 ships of the Freedom Flotilla II — Stay Human make their final preparations to set sail for the Gaza Strip, purported acts of sabotage have been added to threats from Israel.The flotilla, which will attempt to break through Israel's blockade of Gaza for the second year in a row, includes two cargo vessels...Michigan Radio wins diversity award for “Muslims in Michigan”
ANN ARBOR — The Radio Television Digital News Association announced that a 2011 RTDNA/UNITY award has been given to the "Muslims in Michigan" series by Michigan Radio. The award honors outstanding television, radio and online journalism focused on diversity. Presented since 1999, the purpose of the award is to encourage......
Egypt rejects IMF conditions
July 1st, 20110 CAIRO — Egypt has cancelled plans to borrow 3 billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund because of conditions that violated the country's national sovereignty and a public outcry that warned against terms that were blamed for impoverishing many Egyptians.According to several Egyptian newspapers, General Sameh Sadeq, member...Yemen VP says Saleh’s health worse than originally thought
ADEN- Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh was so severely injured in an assassination attempt that it is uncertain when he will return, Yemen Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has said.Saleh was injured in an attack on his palace in early June and is receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. Yemen has been shaken by months of......
Economy alone fails to explain Turkey’s success
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) shakes hands with his ruling AK Party parliamentarians during a swearing-in ceremony in the Turkish Parliament in Ankara June 28, 2011. Erdogan faced a turbulent start of his third term as the main opposition party and Kurds said they will boycott parliament's swearing-in on Tuesday to protest...
Egypt: U.S., Israel stoking religious strife inside country
July 1st, 20110 CAIRO — Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Yahia al-Gamal on Sunday accused the United States and Israel of fomenting religious tensions to weaken his country. "The United States and Israel are behind the religious sedition in Egypt" as "they realize this is the only way to break up the country," the MENA news agency reported. "Israel is......