The Arab American News
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Fadwa Hammoud appointed first Arab American and Muslim solicitor general in U.S. history
January 15th, 20190 LANSING — Fadwa A. Hammoud, a resident of Dearborn, has been appointed as the state's solicitor general by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. She is the first Arab American and Muslim solicitor general in U.S. history. “I am proud of the seasoned veterans who have chosen to return to state government – and to those who have...
McCormack elected chief justice of Michigan Supreme Court
January 14th, 20190 LANSING - In an unanimous vote by her colleagues, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack was elected chief justice on Wednesday, making this the first time in the state's history that the offices of governor, attorney general, secretary of state and chief justice are all held by women. McCormack succeeds Steve Markman, the...
Japanese citizens hold most powerful passport ranking
January 12th, 20190 Japan has the strongest passport in the world, followed by Singapore and South Korea. Japanese citizens can travel visa free and obtains visas on arrival in 190 destinations. according to the 2019 Henley Passport Index. Singapore and South Korea share second place. Those countries’ citizens can visit 189 nations without needing...
Muslim youth group volunteers to clean national parks
January 12th, 20190 Saturday volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association picked up trash outside Independence Hall, the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and other national parks closed by the partial government shutdown. They cleaned up litter, swept the grounds and emptied garbage cans at the Everglades...
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell introduces the “Abbas Stop Drunk Driving Act”
January 11th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Debbie Dingell has introduced the Abbas Stop Drunk Driving Act. The legislation would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to set a federal motor vehicle safety standard that would require all new vehicles to be equipped with an ignition interlock device. DOT would have to complete this standard...
116th Congress most diverse in U.S. history
January 8th, 20190 WASHINGTON - A record number of women, 126, took the oath of office in the Thursday swearing-in of the 116th U.S. Congress. It is the most diverse group of lawmakers to assemble on Capitol Hill, with the first two Muslim American women, the first two Native American women, the first two Latinas from Texas, the first Black woman from...
Latino-Arab American Ammar Campa-Najjar narrowly lost in midterms, plans to run in 2020
January 7th, 20190 SAN DIEGO - In November, Ammar Campa-Najjar hoped to become the first Latino Arab-American member of Congress. Though he was facing off against Rep. Duncan Hunter – who with an ongoing finance scandal is embroiled in controversy – he faced an uphill battle. The 50th Congressional District in California – which encompasses parts of...
Iran rejects U.S. warning against space launches, ballistic missiles
January 3rd, 20190 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected a U.S. warning against carrying out space vehicle launches and missile tests, saying on Thursday they did not violate a U.N. resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a pre-emptive warning to Iran earlier on Thursday against pursuing three planned space rocket...
Sudanese security forces use stun grenades to disperse protesters
December 28th, 20180 KHARTOUM - Sudanese security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at anti-government protesters in Khartoum and other cities on Friday, the tenth day of demonstrations sparked by an economic crisis. Protests over rising prices, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crunch erupted in the city of Atbara over a week ago and...
4 tips for a good, safe online shopping experience
December 24th, 20180 Unless you enjoy the bustle of traditional holiday shopping, you’re probably thankful for being able to get what you need online. Unfortunately, the Federal Trade Commission has gotten reports from consumers who didn’t get their orders as expected — or never got them at all. Here are tips to have a good online shopping...
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation awards grant to develop Hamtramck Veterans Memorial Park
December 24th, 20180 HAMTRAMCK — The Michigan Municipal League Foundation announced a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to develop Hamtramck’s 26-acre Veterans Memorial Park, create a safe area for children to play and make the site a source of community pride. The $807,200 grant will help to create a plan for 26-acre recreational...
Government reviewing reports of Chinese forced labor goods in U.S. market
December 21st, 20180 WASHINGTON— The U.S. government said Tuesday it is reviewing reports of forced labor at a Chinese internment camp where ethnic minorities are sewing clothes being shipped to the U.S. market. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that reports from the AP and other media “appears to link the internment camps...
Several killed, arrested as protests over soaring prices spread in Sudan
December 21st, 20180 KHARTOUM — At least eight people were killed in protests across Sudan on Thursday as thousands took to the streets against soaring prices, with some calling for the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir, officials and witnesses told Reuters. Six died in the eastern city of al-Qadarif and two more in northern Nile River state,...
Bahia Amawi and the strangest loyalty oath Americans are forced to take
December 21st, 20181 Bahia Amawi works as children's speech pathologist for the Pflugerville Independent School District in Texas. Or, rather, she used to work as a children's speech pathologist for the district. After nine years, Glenn Greenwald reports at The Intercept, the district's administration declined to renew her contract because she refused to...
Defense Secretary Mattis quits after clashing with Trump on policies
December 21st, 20180 WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Trump over his foreign policies, one day after Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria. Mattis announced plans to resign in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare......
Israel claims it sealed off cross-border tunnels from Lebanon
December 21st, 20180 TEL AVIV — The Israeli military claimed it sealed off four tunnels on Thursday that it said had been dug by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah under the border from Lebanon. The work was being carried out on the Israeli side of the frontier demarcation, known as the “Blue Line”, according to an Israeli military...
Netanyahu threatens to intensify attacks against Iran in Syria after U.S. exit
December 21st, 20180 TEL AVIV — Israel will escalate its attacks against Iranian-aligned forces in Syria after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. Some Israeli officials have said President Trump’s move, announced on Wednesday, could help Iran by removing a U.S. garrison that......
Texas speech pathologist loses her job after refusing to sign pro-Israel pledge
December 21st, 20180 AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin public school district told a children’s speech pathologist she cannot renew her contract because she refused to sign a statement pledging not to boycott Israel. Bahia Amawi said that the no-boycott requirement is a violation of her First Amendment right of free speech. Amawi, a child language...
Trump orders withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria, claims victory against ISIS
December 21st, 20180 WASHINGTON — President Trump has begun what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, declaring on Wednesday they have succeeded in their mission to defeat ISIS and were no longer needed in the country. A decision to pull out completely, confirmed by U.S. officials, coincides with the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops finishing...
Hammoud introduces resolution to observe International Human Rights week
December 16th, 20180 LANSING — State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) has introduced House Resolution 464, which declares Dec. 10-14 as International Human Rights Week in Michigan. The resolution urges Congress to provide funding for educational assistance to refugee children. “Increased federal funding for educational programs is a vital and...
Friends, community and political leaders commemorate the legacy of Don Unis
December 15th, 20180 DEARBORN — Friends and family of pioneering Arab American leader Don Unis gathered at the House of Condolences on Dec. 5 for a memorial service arranged by AAPAC. Unis, 79, died on Nov. 24. The center was originally created by a coalition of five Lebanese American businessmen and brothers to honor their late father, Hajj Jamil......
Israel will authorize thousands of illegal settler homes in occupied West Bank
December 14th, 20180 TEL AVIV — Israel will authorize thousands of the settler homes built illegally in the occupied West Bank, some of them decades ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. The move is likely to please pro-settler members of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition while further angering Palestinians, who want the West...
Jordanians stage new anti-austerity protests in the capital
December 14th, 20180 AMMAN — Jordanian authorities deployed hundreds of riot police in the capital and warned activists to stay within the law on Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators staged more protests against tough austerity measures backed by the International Monetary Fund. Large demonstrations in the summer over an unpopular IMF-backed tax bill......
FOX 2 meteorologist Jessica Starr passes away
December 14th, 20180 Fox 2 Detroit announced Thursday morning that meteorologist Jessica Starr took her own life Wednesday night. "All of us here at FOX 2 are in deep shock and cannot believe that such a wonderful, bright and intelligent individual will no longer be with us,” the station announced on air. Her family and friends will be in our thoughts...
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell: Congress has a moral responsibility to end the war in Yemen
December 14th, 20180 WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D- Dearborn) has released an official statement highly critical of continued U.S. military action in Yemen, based in large part on feedback from constituents in her hometown of Dearborn. “Families in my hometown are telling me about horrific conditions," Dingell said in a statement released......
