The Arab American News
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Democratic gubernatorial hopeful meets with Arab American leaders
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero met with Arab American leaders in Dearborn on Thursday at Habib's restaurant to discuss his expected gubernatorial bid. Lansing Mayor and expected gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero met with Arab Americans in Dearborn on Thursday. The gathering was not a fundraising event but a meeting to discuss his...Community leaders meet with Sen. Levin, discuss immigration issues
Representatives of the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) met with U.S. Sen. Carl Levin at his office in Detroit on Wednesday to discuss immigration issues. Various cases reported to the regional chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and other community entities involving Immigration and Customs...
Egypt blocks aid to Gaza
January 9th, 20100 SOMETHING ODD, almost bizarre, is going on in Egypt these days. About 1400 activists from all over the world gathered there on their way to the Gaza Strip. On the anniversary of the "Cast Lead" war, they intended to participate in a non-violent demonstration against the ongoing blockade of Gaza, which makes the life of 1.5 million...Locals rally in solidarity with Gazans
With over 1,300 activists from a total of 43 different countries, the Gaza Freedom March from Egypt into the battered, blockaded territory was the culmination of over a year of frustration for those who felt they had no choice but to help in any way they could. The planned Dec. 29 march to meet and provide aid to locals inside Gaza on...New revelations tear holes in nuclear trigger story
WASHINGTON (IPS) - New revelations about two documents leaked to The Times of London to show that Iran is working on a "nuclear trigger" mechanism have further undermined the credibility of the document the newspaper had presented as evidence of a continuing Iranian nuclear weapons program. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...
Countries, rights groups protest new TSA directives
January 9th, 20100 The Obama administration's decision to subject travelers to the U.S. from 14 listed nations to extra airport security screening has drawn sharp criticism both internationally and from domestic civil liberties groups. A security official (R) prepares to scan his colleague posing inside a RapiScan full-body scanner being trialled...
New TSA guidelines are ethnic profiling at its worst
January 9th, 20100 The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directives will require citizens from 14 countries, all Arab or Muslim countries with the exception of Cuba, to go through enhanced security screening. Such screening can include full pat-downs, scans, delays, and anything associated with secondary screening - an extra search of the...Muslims misunderstood Swiss vote
To the editor: I would like to respond to the article by Ali Moossavi (Minaret ban indicates evolving fascism, 24 December). Mr. Moossavi has completely failed to understand the reasons for the Swiss vote in favor of a ban on the construction of minarets. A protestor carries a sign in Switzerland. The call for a referendum was...
2009 Year in Review
December 29th, 20090 The Arab American News' top headlines and front pages of 2009 Local • Community protests Gaza genocide • Arab American quarterback to play for Wolverines • District denies Arabic will be banned at Fordson • Jewish group selling olive oil to benefit Palestinian farmers • MLK rally highlights support for...Egypt cracks down on foreign protesters heading to Gaza Strip
CAIRO - Getting in to the Gaza Strip is no easy feat, but driving across Egypt should not be this hard. Palestinians take part in a protest near the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt December 28, 2009, against the construction of an underground barrier. Egyptian officials confirmed that Egypt is building an underground...
Nigerian-American Muslims condemn attempted Christmas Day attack
December 29th, 20090 The Texas-based National Council of Nigerian Muslim Organizations in the U.S.A released a statement condemning Friday's attempted bombing of a Northwest Airline flight into Detroit. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab On approach to Detroit International Airport, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to ignite explosives sewn...Fifty thousand to march in Gaza, spotlight inhumanity
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — More than 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Gaza on Dec. 31 for a mass march designed to send a message to the United States, a key supporter of Israel's army, that the situation in Gaza violates international human rights laws. A man walks near a truck carrying humanitarian aid to the...
Love for Jesus unites Muslims, Christians
December 25th, 20090 "'Behold!' The angels said: 'O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God.'" Palestinian schoolchildren visit the Grotto, where Christians believe the Virgin Mary gave birth to...
Locals headed for Gaza; Dearborn vigil supports march
December 25th, 20090 Since Hamburg Township resident Yusif Barakat left his Haifa, Palestine home with his family in 1947 at age 12, he’s only had a chance to go back to his homeland one time, in 1970. Heavy machinery is seen on the Egyptian side of the border with the Gaza Strip December 22, 2009. Hamas and other militant groups called on Egypt...Israel’s fictional undivided Jerusalem
Israel's near hysterical reaction to a Swedish proposal to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, their stubborn refusal to include East Jerusalem in their questionable "settlement freeze" and their defense of repressive policies imposed on Palestinians in that holy city are framed in language that masks......
Doctor admits Israeli pathologists harvested organs without consent
Israel has admitted pathologists harvested organs from dead Palestinians, and others, without the consent of their families – a practice it said ended in the 1990s. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the body of a Palestinian man named Bilal Ahmed Ghanem was abducted by Israeli soldiers and returned several days later...
With video: Santa Claus visits south-end school
December 24th, 20090 Santa Claus poses with a Salina Elementary School student Dec. 18 at the south-end Dearborn......
Bilingual holiday banners posted in Dearborn
December 24th, 20090 Local news in brief: Holiday banners to be posted in English and Arabic in Dearborn DEARBORN — In celebration of the holiday season, 90 decorative banners are to be posted back to back on 45 street lamps along Warren Avenue this weekend featuring greetings in English and Arabic. The Arab American News, Dish Network and ART...
Minority businesses locked out of stimulus loans
December 24th, 20090 Loans handed out to struggling small businesses as part of President Barack Obama's stimulus package have largely shut out minority businesses — especially those owned by Blacks and Latinos — according to data provided by the federal government's Small Business Administration (SBA) to New America Media (NAM). On June 15, the...Cruise missile attack in Yemen kills 49 civilians
Given what a prominent role "terrorism" plays in our political discourse, it's striking how little attention is paid to American actions which have the most significant impact on that problem. In addition to our occupation of Iraq, war escalation in Afghanistan, and secret bombings in Pakistan, President Obama late last week ordered...Hard line on Hizbullah clashes with political reality
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Lebanese President Michel Sleiman visited Washington last week for his first visit with President Barack Obama. The meeting was a quick one, tucked in amongst the myriad of domestic issues that are demanding Obama's attention. Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaks via a giant screen......
Season’s Greetings
December 24th, 20090 As is our practice, we have combined the final two issues of the year to give our staff a much-needed break and to facilitate the observance of all the year-end holidays of 2009. We at The Arab American News wish all of our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. While 2009 was a special year for the...
Gaza must be rebuilt now
December 24th, 20090 It is generally recognized that the Middle East peace process is in the doldrums, almost moribund. Israeli settlement expansion within Palestine continues, and PLO leaders refuse to join in renewed peace talks without a settlement freeze, knowing that no Arab or Muslim nation will accept any comprehensive agreement while Israel retains......
Minaret ban indicates evolving fascism
There are many reasons to be worried about the Swiss minaret ban, but one of the most important – and least discussed – is the fact that a far right party was successful in mobilizing people to institutionalize racism. The success of the Swiss People's Party in this endeavor points to the dark truth that fascism isn't dead, but...
Groundbreaking study examines Arab Americans
December 24th, 20090 This is an excerpt from the newly published book,"Citizenship and Crisis: Arab Detroit After 9/11," by the Detroit Arab American Study Research Team, of the University of Michigan. The team conducted in-depth interviews with a scientific sample of 1,016 Arab Americans and Chaldeans from southeast Michigan in 2003. Ron Stockton is a......