The Arab American News
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Beaumont hospitals enhance language services
Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak held a press conference Dec. 3 to announce a new initiative to improve language services for patients thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. The foundation is the United States' largest philanthropic organization devoted exclusively...
Dispute over veil spreads across Egypt
December 12th, 20090 CAIRO — A decision by the government to ban the veil in some academic institutions has reignited debate about personal rights. "The niqab (Islamic face veil) is certainly one of the more extreme manifestations of Islam," Hossam Bahgat, director of the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights tells IPS. "But according to...Lebanese tension is expressed in demand for reform
The Lebanese have worked hard to rebuild their country after a fifteen-year civil war that ended in 1990. They do not seem ready now to take radical steps of reform. A Lebanese government official carries a ballot box in a polling station in Beirut ahead of last June 7th’s parliamentary elections. In order of size, the three...New salon specializes in lavish beauty treatments
DEARBORN — With its luminescent, multi-colored flashing sign and polished exterior, it's hard to miss European Tanning Salon & Hair Design's newest location on Ford Road in Dearborn Heights. European Tanning Club & Hair Design’s state-of-the-art new facility (top) is on the site of a former print shop (bottom)...After Dubai World debt panic, UAE guarantees all bank deposits
DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates' central bank sought to reassure investors rattled by the debt woes of the politically-connected conglomerate Dubai World on Sunday with an announcement that it was backing all deposits in locally owned and foreign banks. Asian markets were cheered by the news, rising more than 3 percent on Monday...Immigration reform is good for economic recovery
There are signs that the nation is slowly emerging from the longest and most severe recession since the Great Depression. But a full economic recovery will require solid thinking about the strength of our workforce so that we are better positioned to produce and consume goods, contribute to the tax base, and expand job opportunities...Israel’s illegal settlements in America
U.S. Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, was highly enthusiastic about Israel's partial, temporary illegal settlement freeze stating "it is more than any Israeli government has done before and can help move toward agreement between the parties." In fact, Israel has done more. In 2005 Israel reversed settlement construction...Reflections on Michael Moore’s “Capitalism”
The thrift in me allowed me to wait until Michael Moore's "Capitalism - A Love Story" came out in second run theatres. It was well worth the wait. The powerful effect that Moore has on his audience derives from the personal stories he relates combined with a sense of humor that highlights the bizarre nature of our capitalist society....
Best Buy’s commitment to diversity must be rewarded
December 5th, 20090 Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is a specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Canada, Mexico, and China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada it operates under both the Best Buy and Future Shop...
Don’t let Department of Energy subsidize illegal settlements
December 5th, 20090 The day before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it is awarding Motorola Israel with $900,000 for a joint energy management system with SmartSynch Inc. This contract is intended to develop energy saving technologies, but amounts to subsidizing Israel's settlement industry. Aside from energy management...The birth of punk Islam
Punk rock doesn't trigger images of Mecca during the Hajj or fasting during Ramadan. Likewise, Islam doesn't exactly bring to mind pictures of spiky haired, angst-ridden youth slam dancing to the sounds of bands like Discharge and Anti-Nowhere League, all within a subculture that's against authority and embraces chaos. Yet since the...The war is a threat to our national security
(Editor's note: Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich made the following statement on the House floor regarding President Barack Obama's speech to the nation on Afghanistan. We couldn't say it any better, so here it is:) Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich "America is in the fight of its life and that fight is not in Afghanistan —...ADC prepares for major fundraiser Dec. 11
From Thanksgiving to Eid al-Adha and Christmas, the holiday season brings out the spirit of giving like no other time of year. The ACCHR building in Dearborn. And this time around, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan is hoping for a strong response from the local community in a time of great need at...My compatriots’ vote to ban minarets is fueled by fear
(Editor's note: A referendum banning the construction of minarets in Switzerland was endorsed by 57.5 percent of voters on Sunday, November 29, 2009. The referendum was sponsored by the extreme rightwing Swiss People's Party This is a response to the surprise vote by Swiss citizen and Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan.). It wasn't meant to...Zionism’s un-Christian Bible
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign should widen its scope to target non-Israeli companies who contribute significantly to the oppression of Palestinians. As part of this broader strategy, priority should be given to one of the most egregious offenders, the prestigious British publisher, Oxford University Press. As......
News in Brief: Popular Syrian actors coming to Detroit area
December 5th, 20090 Town halls scheduled on Dearborn schools budget DEARBORN — The first of three town hall meetings on severe budget cuts Dearborn Public Schools have to implement was to take place Thursday evening at the Michael Berry Career Center in Dearborn Heights. Dearborn Public Schools students and parents protest expected teacher...
Report shows jump in anti-Muslim bias incidents
December 5th, 20090 WASHINGTON — An annual report released this week by a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization shows an increase in the total number of bias-related incidents, but a decrease in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2008. The report by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), titled "Seeking......
‘A Country Called Amreeka’ author to visit Dearborn Thursday
December 5th, 20090 To fully and accurately relate the Arab American experience in a book, an author would have to present the stories of communities and individuals of countless backgrounds from throughout the country. Alia Malek did exactly that in "A Country Called Amreeka." A civil rights lawyer born to Syrian immigrants in Baltimore, Malek traveled...Free Gaza Movement raises funds
DEARBORN — Activists from multiple backgrounds joined together Wednesday at Bint Jebail Banquet Hall in Dearborn for a fundraising dinner in support of the Michigan Peace Team's upcoming trip to Gaza near the end of December. Huwaida Arraf The event, created by the Students for Socially Responsible Investing at the...Habib’s will deliver inspired cuisine
DEARBORN — Habib's Cuisine Restaurant and Banquet Center held its grand opening celebration on Tuesday, December 1, with guests in attendance ranging from Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly to city council members and other community leaders. Guests mingled and listened to dedication speeches while enjoying a buffet featuring some of the...Clark-Coleman distributes Thanksgiving dinners with staffers, volunteers
DEARBORN — State Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman and her staff held a second annual Thanksgiving turkey drive Nov. 24. Over 160 families benefited from the effort, made in collaboration with the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). Abbas Elhadi, right, a......
Obama switches gears on Afghanistan
December 4th, 20090 WASHINGTON (IPS) — President Barack Obama presented a case Tuesday for sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan that included both soaring rhetoric and a new emphasis on its necessity for U.S. national security. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, December...
Nasrallah: Sectarianism impeding democracy
December 4th, 20090 BEIRUT — Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday the major problem facing Lebanon's political regime was political sectarianism, which hindered the establishment of a true democracy. He also stressed the continued need for the resistance, given the absence of a strong Lebanese state. Lebanon's Hizbullah......
Tea on the Axis of Evil
December 4th, 20090 Jean Marie Offenbacher moved to Syria to meet ordinary people and see what life was like on the "Axis of Evil." Her documentary "Tea on the Axis of Evil" was screened recently at the Arab Film Festival. Following is an interview by Suzanne Mannneh from New America Media. What made you want to make this film? One friend of mine told...Palestinians building institutions of statehood
RAMALLAH (IPS) — The Palestinian Authority (PA) appears to be successfully countering the Israeli government's refusal to work towards a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict. A Palestinian demonstrator uses a tennis racket to return an empty tear gas canister at Israeli soldiers during a protest against the......