The Arab American News
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Turkey going its own way
WASHINGTON — The recent diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel has raised questions about the future of relations between the two closest allies of the United States in the region and the direction of the markedly independent foreign policy agenda that Turkey has pursued in recent years. Turkish honor guard soldiers hold...Why German public schools now teach Islam
Dinslaken-Lohberg, Germany – When Lamya Kaddor started teaching at the Gluecklauf School in this mining town, where most children are of Turkish origin, she didn't expect her "Islamic Studies in German" class to focus on everyday life. Mosque in Duisburg But it has, says Ms. Kaddor, a Muslim whose parents are Syrian. Her...U.S. names Bagram prisoners, withholds details
NEW YORK — After years of stonewalling, the U.S. Defense Department has released the names of people imprisoned at the notorious Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan Made available in response to an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, the list contains...Control of terrorism is most effective at the grassroots
The Christmas day terrorist has shaken the confidence of the public in airline safety and aroused worldwide attention. As of January 4, air passengers originating from or passing through terror-suspect countries will be subjected to special measures of security checks. The new security rules will cause anger in the Muslim world. Of...‘Know your rights’ forum planned
Several organizations led by the Muslim Student Association at the University of Michigan-Dearborn are scheduled to hold a "Know Your Rights" forum on Jan. 28, 4 p.m on campus in the CASL building. Speakers are to discuss what rights a person has when stopped, questioned, arrested or searched by law enforcement. Fears and concerns...Budget cuts cause massive layoffs
DEARBORN — Students will have to stay home from school on Jan. 29 and Feb. 1 to allow teachers and administrators at Dearborn Public Schools to reorganize classes after the district implements massive mid-year cuts. The district has laid off over 140 teachers in order to balance a budget strained by $12-million cuts imposed by the...
American prejudice against Muslims, Islam higher than bias against other major faiths
January 23rd, 20100 NEW YORK (AP) – Americans are more than twice as likely to express prejudice against Muslims than they are against Christians, Jews or Buddhists, a new survey found. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they have little or no knowledge of Islam. Still, a majority dislike the faith. The analysis, for release Thursday, is from...
ICE responds to requests, grants Hamtramck family man more time before deportation
January 23rd, 20100 Anees Sous had his bags packed on Tuesday afternoon, in preparation for a Wednesday flight to Jordan that would have fulfilled a deportation order from immigration officials. He began saying goodbye to his friends, but still held out hope for a last-minute reprieve. Anees Sous, facing deportation proceedings after living in the...Runaway Ohio girl to remain separated from Muslim parents
Rifqa Bary COLUMBUS, Ohio — A runaway teenage girl from Ohio who converted from Islam to Christianity has reached a court settlement that allows her to remain free of her Muslim parents. The agreement Tuesday says that 17-year-old Rifqa Bary will stay in a foster home under state custody in Columbus until she turns 18 in...
Negotiating is a process of give and take
January 23rd, 20100 The Dearborn Federation of Teachers Local 681 (DFT) is the union that represents the teaching staff in the Dearborn Public Schools (DPS). It is important to understand that to be a member of the DFT, and a teacher employed by DPS, a person must possess a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and pass a state certification...He said, she said…
During the last few months we have heard a lot of "he said, she said" types of comments in the local papers, blog sites, and at Board of Education meetings. I thought that perhaps searching for a different type of "he said, she said" comment might help us navigate the difficult change that we face in the weeks ahead. Personally, I could...Rebuild Michigan’s economy through opportunities for our skilled trades
Within Michigan's unemployment rate, which has been among the nation's highest for years, is another disturbing statistic: one-third of our construction industry is jobless. Bouchard: "Now more than ever, we need people to deepen their investment and commitment to this great state. Under my plan, they can do so without being...A view of Muslims in America
After the "Sweatshirt Scandal" at Edsel Ford led by 15 juniors at the high school, Debbie Schlussel, a well-known blogger/lawyer, had the audacity to categorize all Muslims as supporters of homicide bombings and plane hijackings. The sweatshirts featured a Class of 2011-themed design on the back with each digit in the number 11...IRS to look at tax-exempt funding of illegal settlements
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in press release this week commended the decision by IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman to publicly commit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to tackling the issue of U.S. charities that launder tax exempt U.S. donations into illegal Israeli West Bank settlement activities....Museum begins new season of music, film
DEARBORN— Compelling films fresh from the international festival circuit and an Arabic music virtuoso marking his latest recording will warm up metro Detroit audiences this winter and early spring during a new season of Global Thursdays at the Arab American National Museum (AANM), 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. Bassam Saba,......
Movie of Gaza chaos screened
January 23rd, 20100 On Monday, January 18, various sites across the globe hosted screenings of the ground-breaking documentary "To Shoot an Elephant," which can be downloaded and shared at www.toshootanelephant.com. Aladdin Sweets & Cafe in Hamtramck was the site of one showing, as local residents and activists gathered to watch the film, which is...Why is the American press silent on the Israeli role in NW Flight 253?
On January 10, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz carried a news article by correspondent Yossi Melman pointing out the role of an Israeli security firm, International Consultants on Targeted Security (ICTS), in the failed attempt to detonate a bomb on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253. ICTS subsidiaries I-SEC and PI are......
Republican victory a rebuke to Obama
January 23rd, 20100 WASHINGTON — Tuesday's loss by the Democrats of their 60th Senate seat has raised serious questions about the outlook for the White House's policy agenda and spurred a rash of finger-pointing among Democrats over who bears responsibility for the very public rebuke issued by Massachusetts voters. Scott Brown's victory Tuesday...Harsher Gaza war looming on horizon?
RAMALLAH — According to several prominent Palestinians and Israelis, another major Israeli military assault on Gaza, even harsher than last year’s Operation Cast Lead, is imminent. But will this change anything and have the underlying causes behind the previous bloody war been addressed? A Palestinian woman poses with a...Zionism’s destabilizing force: “Israeli Exceptionalism” reviewed
In his new book "Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism," M. Shahid Alam successfully argues that the moral force behind the Zionist movement is a sense of Jewish, and consequently Israeli, exceptionalism. This claim of exceptionalism underpins what he calls the "destabilizing logic of Zionism." According to Alam,...
HOW YOU CAN HELP… Haiti donations
January 16th, 20100 The American Red Cross is contributing an initial $1 million from the International Response Fund to support the relief operation in Haiti, and has opened its warehouse in Panama to provide tarps, mosquito nets and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families. In addition to Red Cross staff already in Haiti, six disaster management......
Bodies pile up as Haiti quake toll rises
January 16th, 20100 PORT-AU-PRINCE - Troops and planeloads of food and medicine trickled in to Haiti on Thursday to aid a traumatized nation still rattled by aftershocks from the catastrophic earthquake that flattened homes and government buildings and buried countless people. A Haitian reacts after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince January 13, 2010....Suicide rate among veterans surges
WASHINGTON (IPS) - Suicides among United States military veterans ballooned by 26 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to new statistics released by the Veterans Affairs (VA) department. U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion 4th Marines walk by their vehicle during sunset at base Delaram in Nimroz province, southern Afghanistan,......
Hamtramck man to be deported, leaving behind six U.S.-born children
January 16th, 20100 A Hamtramck man who's been in the U.S. for 27 years is set to be deported next week unless a U.S. Congressman intervenes. Anees Sous, (second right), a Hamtramck business owner who's been in the U.S. for 27 years, is set to be deported to Jordan on Wednesday, leaving behind six U.S.-born children, unless a U.S. Congressman...
Dubai debts prompt review of Islamic finance
January 16th, 20100 BEIRUT (IPS) - 'The World’ is a manmade archipelago off the coast of Dubai. Developed by the Nakheel real estate company - which partly relied on the issuance of Islamic bonds, or sukuk, to finance the ambitious project - it has come to symbolize for many the vulnerability of the Islamic financial market. “The World”......