The Arab American News
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Morocco to shut 1,000 mosques at risk of collapse
RABAT — Morocco will shut more than 1,000 unsafe mosques in a bid to avoid a repeat of a minaret collapse in February that killed 41 people, the ministry of religious affairs said Tuesday. "The regional commissions (of the ministry) have inspected 19,205 mosques and decided to completely close 1,256 mosques and partially close 416...Morocco to shut 1,000 mosques at risk of collapse
RABAT — Morocco will shut more than 1,000 unsafe mosques in a bid to avoid a repeat of a minaret collapse in February that killed 41 people, the ministry of religious affairs said Tuesday. "The regional commissions (of the ministry) have inspected 19,205 mosques and decided to completely close 1,256 mosques and partially close 416...U.S. lawmaker cuts $100 million aid to Lebanon army
WASHINGTON — A top U.S. congressman has blocked 100 million dollars in aid to Lebanon's military, saying he cannot be sure the country's armed forces are not working with Hizbullah. Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement Monday that he had placed the hold on August 2,...Sahara Festival returns to St. Mary’s
LIVONIA — The rich sights and sounds of Middle Eastern culture will take center stage August 19-22 at the 2010 Sahara Festival in Livonia as the four-day celebration returns to the Basilica of St. Mary Church in Livonia. The Acrophobic Sherpas will play live at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 21 at Sahara Fest.Arabic food, original...Islamic Center issues statement on fraud charges
DEARBORN — The Islamic Center of America's board of trustees released a statement on Sunday, August 1 in response to accusations from a little-known group that Imam Hassan Qazwini embezzled donation money by sending it to his father's company in California. Imam Hassan Qazwini Following a memorial service for the late Ayatollah...
Views clash over new Helen Thomas statue
August 7th, 20100 The comments Helen Thomas made about Israel May 27 during a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at the White House have prompted some in the Jewish community to express concern over a statue of Thomas that is expected to be on display at the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in a few months. During the event, a rabbi asked...Hizbullah accuses Israel of Hariri murder
BEIRUT — Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday openly accused Israel of the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri and said he would unveil proof to that effect at a news conference next week. Lebanon's Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses supporters through a giant screen during a rally in Beirut...
Lebanese village rattled by battle over trees
August 7th, 20100 Lebanese soldiers take up position as U.N peacekeepers (in blue berets) gesture towards Israeli soldiers while asking them to stop cutting trees at the Lebanese-Israeli border in Adaisseh village, southern Lebanon August 3, 2010. (Inset) An Israeli crane supported by an armed Israeli vehicle prunes a tree on the Lebanese side of the...UN names panel to probe Israeli killings on Gaza-bound ship
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — Despite initial misgivings, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon received the tacit approval of the Israeli government to establish an international panel to probe the widely-condemned killings of nine Turkish civilians onboard a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza last May. "This is an unprecedented...Caterpillar caught in web of Middle East politics
At first glance, the contention that a construction equipment company in Peoria, Ill., is implicated in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems strange. But earlier in July, the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States adopted a resolution that strongly criticized Caterpillar Inc., the manufacturer whose tractors, bulldozers...Palestine is back at the heart of the antiwar movement
Israeli border police officers remove a Palestinian demonstrator who was trying to block an excavator during a protest against the construction of the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank village of al Wallaje, near Bethlehem August 4, 2010. REUTERS/Ammar AwadNew York — The United National Antiwar Conference (UNAC),...Obama drops 2009 pledge to withdraw combat troops from Iraq
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Seventeen months after President Barack Obama pledged to withdraw all combat brigades from Iraq by Sep. 1, 2010, he quietly abandoned that pledge Monday, admitting implicitly that such combat brigades would remain until the end of 2011. Obama declared in a speech to disabled U.S. veterans in Atlanta that "America's...WikiLeaks vindicates reports from Arab media
The recent release on the Internet of a trove of classified military documents draws widespread attention to the high number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan at the hands of U.S. soldiers, and a general disregard for the lives of Afghans. The secret documents, revealed Sunday by WikiLeaks, are not news to Arab media, which over the...ACC holds back to school health fair
HAMTRAMCK — The Arab American and Chaldean Council is holding a free "Back to School Health Fair" for the uninsured and underinsured on Friday, August 27, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Bridge Academy,9600 Buffalo Street, Hamtramck, MI 48212. The following services will be available: - Glucose and blood pressure...Dillon concedes to Bernero, but still has high hopes for Michigan
Shortly after 10 p.m. on primary election night, Michigan Speaker of the House Andy Dillon conceded the Democratic primary to Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero. The election gathering took place at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, at 8 p.m. with close to 300 in attendance. Although Dillon conceded the race, those in attendance still had......
Snyder, Bernero to face off in November
August 6th, 20100 After months of speculation and polls, one of the most unpredictable primary races for governor in recent Michigan history saw Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and Ann Arbor businessman Rick Synder come out on top in their respective primaries on Tuesday, August 3. Snyder, nickanamed "One Tough Nerd", saw his 36% total outpace the 27% mark...Smoke on a bridge: Lebanon awaits a verdict
BEIRUT – Jamal is a Lebanese driver in his late 50's. He appeared unshaven and terribly exhausted as he drove his old passenger van from the airport in Beirut to the Bekaa Valley. Although it was not a particularly arduous trip, it was made more grueling by the way Jamal drove, negotiating the elevation, the hectic traffic and the many......
Dangerous illusions and foreign policy
After a century in which tragedy has been heaped upon tragedy across the Middle East, it is distressing to see how many dangerous illusions still shape the behavior of so many of the region's principal players. This truth was brought home by a recent report, "A Third Lebanon War," issued by the influential Council on Foreign...Helen Thomas, supporters, not anti-Semitic
Arab museum should be supported in efforts to memorialize her life I am disappointed, but certainly not surprised, that the Jewish leadership and community find fault that the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn plans a sculpture in honor of the venerable journalist, Helen Thomas, a native Detroiter. As if that were not...Iran officials slam U.S. admiral’s attack plan remarks
TEHRAN — Iranian officials lashed out on Tuesday at remarks by the top U.S. military chief that Washington had a plan to attack Tehran, saying the U.S. would suffer a defeat worse than in Iraq and Afghanistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday the United States has drawn up the plan to...Iran denies grenade attack on Ahmadinejad
TEHRAN — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was unhurt on Wednesday after an explosive device, officially described as a firecracker, went off near his motorcade. Ahmadinejad was on his way to a sports arena to make a speech in Hamedan, south of the capital, when the explosion occurred. Conservative website Khabaronline, the first......
CAIR-MI sues state police for info on imam’s death
SOUTHFIELD — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan State Police for its failure to release information related to the fatal shooting of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah last autumn. The Michigan State Police, part of a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement task...Nominations for ADC award being accepted
DEARBORN — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is now accepting nominations for the Guardian of Justice Award for the 9th Annual Judges Night Reception which is expected to be held Friday, October 15, 2010 at 6 p.m. The Guardian of Justice Award is presented to judges who have done an outstanding job of upholding......
Lebanese festival held in Rochester
ROCHESTER — The fourth annual LebFest Lebanese festival is expected to take place in downtown Rochester at River Square, Friday, Aug. 6, 5-11 p.m., Saturday Aug. 7, 11 a.m. -11 p.m. and Sunday Aug. 8, 12 p.m.-12 a.m. The festival is being presented by the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce and admission is free. Festival attractions...Families able to locate detainees online
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the launch of ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) on July 23, 2010. ODLS is a public, Internet-based tool designed to assist family members and attorneys in locating detained aliens in ICE custody. Previously, the only way to determine a detainee's location......