The Arab American News
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UAE accused of expelling Lebanese Shi’a
BEIRUT — The United Arab Emirates has expelled dozens of long-term Lebanese Shi'a residents from the country over their presumed affiliation with Hizbullah, a representative said on Wednesday. "The common factor among all those expelled in the past three months is that they are all Shii'a and as such are part of a community that...Riyadh ‘offers airspace’ for Israel attack on Iran?
Israeli fighter jets will be allowed to use Saudi airspace to launch go-it-alone air strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, says a recent report. The issue has been discussed in a closed-door meeting in London, where British Intelligence Chief Sir John Scarlett, his Israeli counterpart, Meir Dagan, and a Saudi official were...EAST JERUSALEM — A diplomat visits, and listens
EAST JERUSALEM — The U.S. consulate on Agron Street is something alien in the carefully calibrated diplomatic world of Arab-Israeli politics. No state has its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. Israel insists the eastern part of the city which it annexed in the wake of the 1967 Arab-Israel War is an integral part of its "re-united"...Students lose school, parents lose thousands in surprise closure of academy
DETROIT — A Detroit private school attended by Muslim students, mostly from Dearborn, closed abruptly last week, leaving over 100 kids without a school. Frustrated parents of former students of the American Muslim Academy in Detroit discuss the school’s abrupt closure during a meeting at the Islamic library of Dearborn on...
Composer, pianist bridges cultures
September 30th, 20090 There are still plenty of things the outside world doesn't understand about Arab culture, but in the quest to inform more people about its accomplishments and beauty, the potential of using the universal language of music can't be overstated. Syrian composer and pianist Malek Jandali: "The goal was to make sure to take the...
Human catastrophe looms as war rages on in Yemen
September 30th, 20090 NORTH YEMEN (IPS/Al Jazeera) — In the searing heat of the desert near the Saudi border, the sound of heavy artillery echoes across the mountains every few minutes, hammering the ears of Askar Ragass and her terrified family. Askar says she and her family fled the fighting and sought refuge at the al-Mazraq IDP camp. PHOTO:...
Peacemaker works to save Yemen
September 30th, 20090 Tribal conflict and revenge killings are rife in Yemen, where about half the population is illiterate and poverty is widespread. Sheik Abdul-Rahman Al-Marwany, president of the Dar Al-Salaam organization, works as an anti-revenge mediator between different tribes. Karim Ben Khelifa / Oeil Public for TIME With war-torn Somalia...Has Netanyahu out-maneuvered Obama or vice versa?
WASHINGTON (IPS) — While Israeli officials claimed a major win in U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to shelve his long-held demand for a freeze on Israeli settlements on the West Bank and East Jerusalem, some analysts here believe it may yet prove a Pyrrhic victory for the hard-line government of Prime Minister Benjamin...
White House may silence Goldstone Report?
September 30th, 20090 WASHINGTON — The Obama administration sought to backtrack at presstime from news reports that it would silence a United Nations report critical of Israel's conduct in its Gaza War earlier this year. The mother of Rabia Tawil mourns at their house in the village of Tsur Baher, in East Jerusalem September 22, 2009. Troops shot...
Cairo sinking in garbage
September 30th, 20090 CAIRO — Garbage collectors in Cairo's Giza district have resumed work, but it could take weeks to clear the 25,000 tons of garbage that accumulated during their month-long strike, and longer still to solve the underlying problems. "We're drowning in garbage," says Hany El-Sayed, a butcher whose shop overlooks a meter-high pile of...Widows and children begin to beg
GAZA CITY (IPS) — There are few parks and green spaces in Gaza, and those that exist are crowded with people hungry for nature. Day and night, people of all ages flock to the Joondi, or the park of the Unknown Soldier, in central Gaza City. An Israeli army convoy drives by the northern Gaza border September 22, 2009. U.S....Religious leaders support Mideast push
WASHINGTON — More than 30 of the nation's most prominent and diverse religious leaders this week signed onto a public letter in support of "strong U.S. leadership to achieve a negotiated sustainable resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict." In the letter, which was coordinated by Churches for Middle East Peace, the leaders...
Qaddafi slams U.N. Security Council, Iran hits out at Western ‘terror’
September 30th, 20090 Libya's president has attacked the permanent members of the United Nations' Security Council during his first ever address to the U.N. General Assembly. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi pretends to rip a Charter of the United Nations and Statute of the International Court of Justice as he addresses the 64th United Nations General...Letters: Investigate the torture
In a guest editorial in last week's issue of The Arab American News, Kareem Shora, executive director of the national American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, called on the Obama administration to "correct the mistakes born out of the Bush-Cheney counterterrorism policies, including the CIA's use of torture." Shora's call came on the...Part 3: Reflecting on 25 years of The Arab American News
Local Arab American community figures comment on The Arab American News' silver anniversary: "My sincere congratulations to The Arab American News and its publisher and my friend Osama Siblani. Your success over the last 25 years doesn't just stem from simply reporting the news, but from being actively and positively involved in......
Fordson stakes its claim as city’s best
September 30th, 20090 DEARBORN — They say most things in sports go in cycles, and for now, the Dearborn Fordson Tractors have firmly established themselves as the top football program in the city. The Dearborn Fordson defense held Dearborn in check en route to a 35-10 win last Friday night at the Pioneers' newly-renovated football field and...Disability awareness in Dearborn
To the editor: After the events of September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina, it was realized that emergency response plans lacked insight into the needs of some of our most vulnerable citizens, the disabled and senior citizens. The Dearborn Commission on Disability Concerns is partnering with the Dearborn CERT Team in order to......
Local Arabs, Jews critique documentary
EAST LANSING — A documentary film exploring local media coverage of Arab American and Jewish American communities, primarily in the aftermath of the 2006 war in Lebanon, was screened at Michigan State University on Monday. Panelists discuss media coverage in the aftermath of the 2006 war in Lebanon. A panel of representatives...Local group protests Qaddafi appearance in New York, demands Imam Sadr’s release from captivity
A group of community activists organized by the Lebanese American Center in Dearborn traveled to New York on chartered buses to protest Qaddafi’s visit to the UN. They demanded the Libyan leader release Imam Musa Al Sadr, a Lebanese religious leader who is believed to have been kidnapped with two other travelers by Libyan...IN BRIEF: Voters to decide on Council make-up
DETROIT — The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey must place Proposal D, a measure calling for City Council members to be elected by districts, on the Nov. 3 ballot. "The citizens of the city of Detroit are entitled to have the proposal placed on the ballot," ordered Judges Michael Talbot,...Rugby team urges ‘give it a chance’
Going into the 2009 season, the University of Michigan-Dearborn rugby team knew they would have to work harder than ever before to be competitive. The University of Michigan-Dearborn rugby team moved up one tier in competition in 2009 after winning the State Championship and Division-II, Tier 2 Title last season. The team is......
First Arab American to be inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame
DEARBORN — Richard Caleal will be the first Arab American to ever be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame on Oct. 6, an achievement and honor that is not easily received. Richard Caleal The Automotive Hall of Fame, in Dearborn, Mich., is the only industry-wide means to honor the men and women of the global...Israel taking sharp measures over Iran
JERUSALEM (IPS) — Questions about Iran's nuclear thrust are tumbling out, echoing around the world in several directions. - Is Iran now "either very near or in possession" of enough low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon, as a senior U.S. diplomat warned? - Will the six world powers involved in the Iranian nuclear......
Campaigns for Israel boycott spread
One possible fallout from Israel's invasion and bombardment of Gaza during 'Operation Cast Lead' less than 10 months ago is that international activists are finding more support for calls to boycott Israel. Though such campaigns have occurred through the history of Palestinian dispossession and life under occupation, the international...
Panetta to Arabs and Muslims: America needs you
September 19th, 20090 DEARBORN — CIA Director Leon Panetta sought to reassure Arab Americans Wednesday that the agency would no longer engage in questionable interrogation tactics, reports of which have fostered resentment toward the agency. CIA Director Leon Panetta, R, during an iftar event in Dearborn Wednesday. PHOTOS: Nafeh AbuNab/American......