The Arab American News
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Lose your house, lose your vote
The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP's effort to challenge some voters on Election Day. "We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will...
Ramadan Mubarak
September 6th, 20080 Muslims around the world began observing the holy month of Ramadan this past week. Many will fast from dawn to dusk for the entire month, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims believe the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammed during this month. The streets of east Dearborn, as in many places around the...
ADC to recognize judicial excellence
September 6th, 20080 DEARBORN — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Michigan will recognize excellence in the judicial community during its 7th annual Judges Night reception, on September 23, 2008, at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn. This annual event is organized and hosted by ADC Michigan's Advisory Board, chaired...
Officials recognize Ramadan, offer warm wishes to American Muslims
September 6th, 20080 Marking the beginning of Ramadan, a number of elected officials at various levels circulated statements recognizing the Islamic holy month. "The holy month of Ramadan is a special time of prayer, fasting and service," read a statement from President George W. Bush. "I thank the men and women of the Muslim community for their...
Ghamloush brothers corner the market
September 6th, 20080 DEARBORN — Many people dream of getting a chance to travel across Europe. But it took a nightmare for Joe Ghamloush to get that chance. Ghamloush, owner of three businesses on the corner of Warren and Chase roads in East Dearborn including Arabica Bistro and Coiffure D'Elegance Salon, was forced to leave his home and salon...
Community gets involved
September 6th, 20080 Amirah Kaid, 26, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, holds up a bobblehead doll in the likeness of the Illinois senator during a watch party at a Dearborn restaurant for his speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 28. Obama campaign leaders in Michigan are scheduled to meet with Arab Americans...Peace team members arrested at Republican National Convention
Minneapolis, MN — Late Wednesday, September 3, while working to keep people out of harm's way outside a concert at the Republican National Convention, Rev. Peter Dougherty of Michigan Peace Team and three members of the Minnesota Peace Team were arrested, handcuffed, detained for almost five hours, and presented with citations...
Auto leases suspended for most vehicles
September 6th, 20080 DEARBORN — After a pricing competition that has hurt dealerships' bottom lines, GM and Chrysler have suspended leasing programs for many cars across the country. Local sales consultants say that the problem has become as big in Michigan as it has anywhere else, if not worse, because of the prevalence of leases leading to big...
Nader to rally in Detroit
September 6th, 20080 Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader After two weeks of intense media focus on the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, independent candidate Ralph Nader intends to have his voice heard as he tours the Midwest gathering support for his anti-war, anti-corporate message. Nader, who is Arab American, is...
Mayor attracts audience
September 6th, 20080 Reporters and curious citizens camped out in front of the Manoogian Mansion waiting for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to leave for his final address to the city in the hours following his resignation Thursday. Some citizens were supporters while others, like Joseph Salmassi (right), 21, and Mohamed Kaddoura, 18, both Arab Americans...
Bully-Cummings retires as Detroit Police Chief
September 6th, 20080 DETROIT — Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings, who was appointed by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, announced her retirement Thursday through a news release minutes after Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felonies and agreed to resign. Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee and Assistant Chief Robert Dunlap will handle the affairs of the...Some charges tossed in case against Muslim charity
DALLAS (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped most charges against two men accused of helping a Muslim charity finance terrorism, an apparent sign that the government will focus its case on two other men who were leaders of the group. Leaders of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, based in Richardson, Texas, are accused...
Al-Arian finally free; ex-professor released on bail
September 6th, 20080 Dr. Sami Al-Arian, the Palestinian professor at the center of a terrorism case, was just granted a release on bond after five-and-a-half years in government detention. He will await further legal proceedings with his family in Virginia. His many supporters around the country are relieved that he is at least free from...Sarah Palin’s frontier justice
Long before any of us knew about Sarah Palin's daughter's baby-daddy, the stage was being set. And the narrative that preceded her apotheosis was one of life and death. The Palin family "chose not to murder that beautiful soul," said an evangelical friend, as she closed her eyes and lifted her palms heavenward. "Choosing not" to...Neither respected nor feared
In an exalted phrase, the keynote speaker at the Republican convention reviewed the record of the administration, and asked, "When have we rested more secure in friendship with all mankind?" That wasn't in St. Paul, where the Republicans are gathered this week, but at the 1904 Republican convention in Chicago, when the speaker was Elihu......
Our twenty-fourth year
September 6th, 20080 With this issue of The Arab American News, we head down the stretch to our Silver Anniversary. That momentous event will occur September 7, 2009. Twenty four years ago, not many people believed it would ever happen. Over the past year, we have strengthened our outreach to and coverage of the local community, one of our primary...Religious accommodation in universities
Muslim students at McGill and the University of Montreal have been battling for prayer space, facing the contention of the schools that they are non-sectarian and not obliged to provide space for religious practices. Besides, they say, the space is simply not available. Students have complained to the Quebec Human Rights......
Israel pushes ahead with settlement expansion
September 6th, 20080 JERUSALEM (IPS) — Israel has published tenders for the construction of 1,761 illegal housing units for Israeli settlers in occupied east Jerusalem alone, according to the Israeli rights group Peace Now. The expansion plans come despite promises by the Israeli government at last year's peace summit at Annapolis, Maryland (in the...Israel of the Caucasus
WASHINGTON (UPI) — NATO guarantees that an attack against one member country is an attack against all are no longer what they used to be. Had Georgia been inside NATO, a number of European countries would no longer be willing to consider it an attack against their own soil. For Russia, the geopolitical stars were in perfect...‘Switzerland of the Middle East’ looks for revival
BEIRUT (IPS) — Lebanon was long dubbed the 'Switzerland of the Middle East' for its advanced banking sector. It lost its status 23 years ago at the dawn of the 1975 civil war, which lasted 15 years. The country has since been unable to regain the title, in spite of the brief economic revival witnessed in the 1990s. Since 2005,...Iraq says all troops out by 2011
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signaled last week that that all U.S. troops — including those with non-combat functions — must be out of the country by the end of 2011 under the agreement he is negotiating with the George W. Bush administration. That pronouncement, along with other moves indicating that......
The Saudi Arabia of solar energy
In the wake of the first Gulf War, the U.S. Army assessed Saudi Arabia's solar energy resource potential in a classified effort to determine how oil fires had affected the region. The results were clear and surprising. In addition to being a vast petroleum repository, the desert nation was also the heart of the most potentially...Stretching the truth at the GOP
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth. Some examples: PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by......
Syria sets basis for peace talks
Damascus has sent a proposal to Israel laying out the basis for direct peace talks, Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has said. "We are awaiting Israel's response to six points that we have submitted through Turkey," he said on Thursday. "Our response would be positive, paving the way for direct talks after a new U.S....Muslim charities negotiate a minefield
NEW YORK (IPS) — As Muslims begin one of their most important holidays — the month of Ramadan — charitable organizations serving the American Muslim community are taking what some observers believe is a desperate last step to keep the U.S. government from shutting them down. Muslim Advocates (MA), a San Francisco-based national......
