The Arab American News
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Sahara Festival offered something for everyone
LIVONIA Another of a series of local Arab American summer festivals attracted hundreds last weekend at the Basilica of St. Mary's Orthodox Church in Livonia. The first annual "Sahara Fest" featured live Arab and American musical performances, a carnival, a video arcade tent, vendors of authentic imported goods and fresh Middle...Ellison addresses Muslim females
WASHINGTON Female Muslim attorneys, leaders and students from all over the world and the United States descended on Washington, D.C. last week for an intensive summer program on law and leadership. Rep. Keith Ellison spoke with the group near the end of the program, imparting words of wisdom and sharing his own experiences....Yale University hosts first session between prominent Muslims, Christians
Quest for understanding, commonality Top-tier religious leaders in the Muslim world are emerging as major proponents of dialogue with Christians and other world faiths. With two distinct initiatives this month, they are breaking new ground and sending signals to Muslims and others globally that interreligious understanding and joint...
AAPAC endorses local candidates
July 26th, 20080 DEARBORN The Arab American Political Action Committee voted on Tuesday to make endorsements for the upcoming August 5 primary elections. The group's endorsement committee held interviews on July 12 and 15 with candidates for various local offices who had submitted written requests for AAPAC's support. After the committee reported...
The wall at the end of history
July 26th, 20080 Beginning around 100 BC, the fabled Silk Road brought goods and travelers from China and Central Asia, through the lands of Persia and Mesopotamia, and over to Palmyra in Syria. One branch of the road then turned south, crossing through Bethany, the Biblical village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, as it headed west from Jerusalem to...
Candidate for treasurer touts change
July 26th, 20080 Wayne County Commissioner and candidate for county Treasurer Phil Cavanagh For the incumbent Wayne County Prosecutor, Sheriff, Clerk and Register of Deeds, there's little comptetion this election. But the primary race for county Treasurer is heated, as residents sweat over record numbers of property foreclosures and scary...Activists welcome Snoop show cancellation
After receiving pressure from Palestinian, Israeli and other activist groups, rap legend Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus) canceled his September show in Israel. He cited contractual differences, according to YNet News, as to why he will not extend his September "Ego Trippin" tour in Europe to Israel. Initially, the concert was...
LebFest promises good times for all
July 26th, 20080 BIRMINGHAM The second annual Lebfest will descend upon Birmingham, Michigan for a two-day celebration of Lebanese culture. Running from noon-10 p.m. on Friday, August 1 and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, August 2, the festival is expecting big things with its impressive lineup of attractions. Both food and entertainment will be...Islam bullish in a bear market
The funny thing about faith-based mutual funds is, well, that there's anything called a faith-based mutual fund. For one thing, scripture is full of exhortations against accumulating wealth. The New Testament, especially, repeatedly reminds followers of Christ that earthly wealth means nothing in heaven. "It is easier for a camel to...
Obama opens local campaign office
July 26th, 20080 DETROIT Barack Obama's presidential campaign held its grand opening of their Michigan Headquarters on Wednesday at the offices of the The Detroit Federation of Teachers, 2875 West Grand Boulevard. Hundreds of supporters gathered to sign up as volunteers as elected officials expressed their support as campaign workers distributed...
Hamtramck activist running for state post
July 26th, 20080 Abdul Algazali A Yemeni American Hamtramck City Councilman, who has worked on several issues in that city making national headlines, is running for state congress. Abdul Algazali hopes to represent residents of Hamtramck, Highland Park and parts of Detroit, which make up the 5th district, in Michigan's state House of...New Detroit receives grant to improve multicultural leadership
Southfield Comcast, as part of its ongoing community service and outreach efforts, has announced its donation of a New Detroit, Inc. grant in the amount of $15,000 from The Comcast Foundation. The grant supports the Multicultural Leadership Series, which highlights the histories, cultures and socioeconomic issues of communities of...Ford employees get help to complete their degrees
Southfield Lawrence Technological University is waiving fees and offering new payment schedules to Ford employees who no longer receive educational assistance from the company. This spring Ford Motor Company notified employees that it is suspending the tuition assistance program and the salaried dependent scholarship program ...Rethinking Afghanistan
If elected, Senator Barack Obama has the possibility of reengaging a world which seeks an America not defined by Abu Ghraib or Guantαnamo but a familiar America that is defined by the democratic ideals to which we aspire. His election, allied with smart and humane policies, could help restore this country's global reputation and...Book looks at jihad and modernity
Noorani's book hits many of the commonly-made points. The extremism among some Muslims as a consequence of the creation of Israel and the ongoing depredations of Israel against the Palestinians. The primacy of the greater jihad over the lesser. The scriptural limitations on the lesser jihad (war), limitations which relate......
Arab artist featured at Lebanese festival
Ottawa's St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church held its annual Lebanese festival from July 16 to 20, with food, drink, and music. Also present was Ibrahim Shalaby, displaying his art work. Shalaby brought his wife and five children to the festival. Originally from Amman, Jordan, he spent much of his life in Jerusalem...Hamdan case to test military tribunals
NEW YORK (IPS) As the long-awaited trial of Guantanamo detainee Salim Ahmed Hamdan opened this week at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, human rights groups filed suit demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) produce documents related to the U.S. government's ghost detention, torture and extraordinary rendition program.......
Arab and Chaldean festival celebrates 37th year
July 26th, 20080 DETROIT While rain on Saturday caused the attendance to drop a little bit, the spirit of the 2008 Arab and Chaldean Festival was not compromised at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit this past Saturday and Sunday. From food to the gallery of art and artifacts to concerts and other performances, crowds of many different nationalities...Obama in Iraq
Baghdad Government officials in Baghdad make two contradictory points about the state of Iraq. On one hand, they say the government is much stronger, having largely crushed the Sunni insurgents last year and severely weakened the Mahdi Army Shi'a militia in the past six months. They claim journalists like myself do not give them...Bodies swap is uneasy triumph
BEIRUT (IPS) The image of 199 coffins covered with Lebanese, Palestinian and Hizbullah flags neatly aligned in a southern Beirut compound was broadcast last week on all national Lebanese TV stations. On Tuesday this week, 144 of these remains were transferred to Syria, their final place of rest. Such images have stirred varying...
Bush, U.S. military pressure Iraqis on withdrawal
July 26th, 20080 WASHINGTON (IPS) Instead of moving toward accommodating the demand of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a timetable for U.S. military withdrawal, the George W. Bush administration and the U.S. military leadership are continuing to pressure their erstwhile client regime to bow to the U.S. demand for a long-term military......
Roadblocks cripple West Bank economy
July 26th, 20080 HEBRON (IPS) The Israeli military has erected three additional roadblocks, further blocking vehicular access on the road between the south Hebron village of At-Tuwani and the commercial hub of Yatta in the southern West Bank. The West Bank is the Palestinian area west of the Jordan river, much of it under Israeli control....
$10 million suit against McDonald’s
July 26th, 20080 DEARBORN Two Muslim women from Detroit are jointly suing fast-food giant McDonald's for $10 million for alleged acts of discrimination against them in the hiring process involving their rights to wear a hijab at work. The suit, filed on their behalf by Dearborn lawyer and chairman of the Michigan Advisory Board for the......
Cancer on the rise in Lebanon
BEIRUT (IPS) Reports of a rising incidence of cancer now worry many families across Lebanon. Over the past 40 years, reported cases of cancer have risen from 3,000 to about 8,000 a year. "Cancer has certainly increased in terms of real figures. Statistics in the 1960s show 100 incidents per 100,000 individuals. The most recent...
Al-Arian’s win at bond hearing moves him closer to end
July 26th, 20080 Professor Dr. Sami Al-Arian has spent more than five years in prison as the government pursued and lost a case against him. They claim he supported terrorism but could not convict him during a lengthy trial. A later plea agreement gave the government an admission of Al-Arian's guilt on one charge, in exchange for his......
