The Arab American News
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Arar case back in court
In June, a federal Appellate Court in New York tossed out Canadian engineer Maher Arar's suit against John Ashcroft and other officials for shipping him to Syria to be tortured. Technically, the court held, he was never in the U.S. He was taken into custody while transferring from an overseas flight en route to...
Detroit Ignition’s Assadpour talks goals
August 29th, 20080 Independence Park, on Denton road in the suburb of Canton, is an unlikely place for a soccer camp for kids, given the sport's relative unpopularity in Michigan � and the United States for that matter. In addition, the Detroit Ignition, an indoor soccer team that's part of the Major Indoor Soccer League, runs the camp, despite the...Illegal Israeli settlements get tax breaks
JERUSALEM (Reuters) � The United States says Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank threaten any peace between Israel and the Palestinians � yet it also encourages Americans to help support settlers by offering tax breaks on donations. As Condoleezza Rice flew in on Monday for another round of peace talks, Israeli and American...New Web site geared toward Arab youth
The struggling Michigan economy has been known to close a lot of doors for hard-working people. But sometimes, the need to adapt and find creative new ways to make a living opens doors as well. That just might be the case with Nofila Seklawi, a 24-year old Henry Ford Community College student from Dearborn who created and...
Restoring standards and honor to the Detroit Hardship Panel
August 29th, 20080 At a time when foreclosure rates are up and Michigan citizens are scrambling to make ends meet, our state needs city counsel-appointed committees to ensure those who are struggling the most can receive financial assistance. The Detroit Hardship Panel was created for this purpose, however, the press has recently reported that...Georgia and the push for Cold War
John McCain said it first: "In the 21st century nations don't invade other nations." George W. Bush said it, too: Russia's way is not the "way to conduct foreign policy in the 21st Century". And Condoleezza Rice on August 19 said it: "Russia is a state that is unfortunately using the one tool that it has always used whenever it...
Parking enforcement starts in October for Dearborn’s Public Service Days program
August 29th, 20080 DEARBORN � People in Dearborn should be aware that enforcement begins in October of the City ordinance prohibiting parking on the street during Public Service Days in their neighborhoods. Public Service Days mean cleaner neighborhoods in Dearborn. Twice a month, the City delivers concentrated services like street sweeping to...
Dearborn Police cleared following investigation into 2004 bar fight
August 29th, 20080 DEARBORN � The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, in conjunction with the Michigan State Police, has closed its extensive investigation of the Dearborn Police Department regarding a 2004 bar fight, concluding there is no credible evidence of any illegal behavior by members of the department. Robert Donaldson, lead attorney of the...
A downsized occupation disguised as withdrawal
August 29th, 20080 Back in January, the Bush administration proposed a Status of Forces Agreement to govern relations between American troops and the Iraqis after the U.N. mandate expires in December 2008. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton accused the White House of trying to tie the hands of a future American president and many Democrats in...
ACC chairman elected head of Republican committee
August 29th, 20080 MunfakhThe Executive Committee of the 11th District Republican Committee elected former Plymouth Township Trustee Abe Munfakh as its Chairman on July 29. The committee is elected by Republicans of the 11th District of Michigan, which covers communities in Western Wayne and North Oakland Counties. The District is...Hizbullah’s triumph is blow for Israeli policy
NEW YORK (IPS) � Since the 34-day Israel-Lebanon two years ago, and particularly after the Doha accord in May which restored Hizbullah to the Lebanese government and essentially gave it the veto power it demanded, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been the most popular figure anywhere in the Arab world. "For decades, the Shi'a...
U.S. Treasury Department holds roundtable with Arab Americans
August 22nd, 20080 On Friday, August 15, members of the Arab American and American Muslim communities gathered at the U.S. Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C. to participate in a roundtable discussion entitled "Charitable Principals of Good Governance and Anti-Terrorist Financing Best Practices." The day-long event was co-organized by the...Arab countries take six medals
After winning three medals in their first week at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics last week, Arab countries upped the ante and won three more medals this past week, including their first two gold medals. Both gold medals represented landmark achievements for their countries, as Oussama Mellouli won the first swimming medal for...
Local caf� has college town feel
August 22nd, 20080 DEARBORN � When Ahmad Hamdan opened up the Hot Spot Caf� on Michigan Avenue in West Dearborn in February, he brought with him a tremendous understanding of the sandwich business. Hamdan had owned a Subway franchise in Inkster and worked at a Tubby's, and he knew what his customers liked. But what he didn't know was how to cook...
U.S., Iraq have draft to pull U.S. troops out
August 22nd, 20080 BAGHDAD � Iraq and the U.S. have reached a preliminary agreement to withdraw American forces from Iraqi cities by next June, six years into the increasingly unpopular war, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Thursday after meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The negotiations over a withdrawal timetable follow......
Wygonick, community leaders meet
August 22nd, 20080 Judge WygonikDEARBORN � Five weeks after accusations arose that 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik made disparaging comments about Dearborn Arab Americans in a conversation with another elected official, community leaders met with the judge and said they�ve agreed to a potential resolution that would ease tensions and...
Presidential candidate pays visit to Dearborn
August 22nd, 20080 About a dozen Arab American community leaders and activists met with Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr on Aug. 8 at Ollie's restaurant in Dearborn. Barr visited the Islamic Center of America, spoke at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and held a fundraiser at the Ritz Carlton during his visit to Dearborn. Barr is on the......
Demonstrators protest apartheid at State fairgrounds
August 22nd, 20080 DETROIT � Dozens of pro-Palestinian, anti-occupation activists demonstrated outside the Michigan State fairgrounds on Thursday. They protested a celebration of the 60th year since the creation of the state of Israel, put on by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit (JFMD). Invitees of the JFMD had access to all the rides...Big three block Iran attack
The United States is in a huge foreign policy muddle in the Middle East. It wants to dominate and control Iran but requires the support of the world community to accomplish its aims. Diplomacy and sanctions require only a low level of support. On the other hand, to launch a military attack or green-light one by Israel, the United...McCain shows same intellect as Bush
New York � Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation. His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning...
Back to school with new backpacks
August 22nd, 20080 Over the past five years, 5,000 young lives have been touched by Wayne County's hugely popular Back-to-School program started by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. This year, 1,500 more children were presented with backpacks filled with school supplies to start the school year off right. On August 20, as part of the......
Tlaib credits pounding the pavement for her landslide win
August 22nd, 20080 DEARBORN � In today's political age, it seems as if the best way to win an important race is to spend more money on advertising than the next candidate. But after her win in the Democratic primary election (with 44% of the vote) for State Representative in Michigan's 12th House District, Rashida Tlaib is giving most of the credit...
5th annual NAAMA walk for women’s cancer
August 22nd, 20080 One out of every four deaths in the U.S. is from cancer, making it the second leading cause of death in the U.S. More than one-third of these victims are women. On October 18, 2008 at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) will hold its fifth annual walk aimed to raise awareness......
Hang up on Motorola
Advocates for Palestinian rights are calling for a boycott of Motorola phones. The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, an advocacy group based in Washington, DC, urged its members to contact Motorola leaders about the company's role in providing communications technology to Israeli occupation forces. Motorola...Documentary on gay Muslims
Homosexuality and Islam. Can the two coexist? Parvez Sharma, a secular Muslim, has put together a documentary film about gay and lesbian Muslims who ask themselves the same question, not always with the same answer. One constant, however, is lots of suffering. Some people in the film do in fact marry, with tragic......