The Arab American News
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Cruise ship discrimination lawsuit settled
HONOLULU – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on May 15 the settlement of a federal lawsuit against a cruise line company for $485,000 to seven former employees and remedial relief. In its lawsuit, filed in 2006 under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the EEOC alleged that NCL America, Inc. discharged seven...Comcast opens first Arabic-English customer service center in Dearborn
DEARBORN – On May 19, Comcast, Michigan's leading provider of communications services and products, announced the opening of a new 3,360 sq. ft. state-of-the-art bilingual Arabic-English customer service center in Dearborn. The new center will serve customers from throughout southeast Michigan and is capable of handling requests and...Business leaders discuss opportunities in Muslim country of Malaysia
DETROIT— International businesspeople described Malaysia as one of the most modern Muslim countries in the world during a conference on U.S.-Malaysian business opportunities at the MGM Grand Casino May 15. "Kuala Lumpur looks like any American city, from its stores to its restaurants," said Mark Baker, senior vice president and...AMEW holds annual fundraising dinner
DEARBORN — The American Association of Middle Eastern Women (AMEW) held its 4th annual fundraising dinner on Friday, May 16, at the Fairlane Club in Dearborn. The event focused on AMEW's mission to develop several facilities that will serve the Arab American community by offering support and social services to those who seek...Broom Brigade
DEARBORN — Students walk down Moross Street near McDonald Elementary School carrying brooms as part of the school’s Clean-Up Parade on May 22nd. The parade was part of Dearborn’s annual Clean-Up Parades and was one of 17 participating sites from the days of May 5th-22nd. The parades are conducted as a means of teaching local youth...Dearborn Stars Update
The Dearborn Stars and the FSC Rangers met on Sunday, May 18th in a Michigan Premier Soccer League Open Division match in Dearborn, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. The Stars are currently 2-1-1 on the season with 7 points and in first place in the Open Division. Their next game is Friday, May 30th at Oakland Yard at 9 p.m. ...Dearborn Rotary Club sells tickets to win ’67 Mustang
DEARBORN — If you dream of owning a classic car, the Rotary Club of Dearborn is giving the public an opportunity to purchase tickets at $10 each to win a '67 Mustang. Raffle tickets are now being sold to raise funds for a variety of Dearborn Rotary projects that benefit the local community and others in need worldwide. "As...“Rock’n Rotary Classic Cruise” to help benefit Patient Comfort Room at Oakwood Hospital
DEARBORN — On Saturday, June 14, as classic car enthusiasts participate in the first inaugural "Rock'n Rotary Classic Cruise" hosted by the Rotary Club of Dearborn, they will help ensure the establishment of a room for the comfort of terminally ill patients and their families at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn. "Our club has initiated...Memorial Day Parade set for May 26
DEARBORN — Michigan's oldest continuous tribute to men and women who have died in U.S. military service, Dearborn's annual Memorial Day Parade, is set to take place in east Dearborn on Monday, May 26. The parade will start at 10 a.m. along Michigan Avenue from Firestone Street to Schaefer Road. The city considered the...American Palestinians move from al-Nakba to organizing
WASHINGTON — In the past few weeks, Palestinians around the globe have commemorated the 60th anniversary of al Nakba, or the catastrophe, that led to their displacement from their homeland. Israel's establishment in May 1948 continued and accelerated the forcible Palestinian exile at the hands of Israel's founding pioneers....Syria sees influx of Arabic language students
DAMASCUS — Syria may be a largely closed society, but students from Europe and America are flocking there to study Arabic. They're drawn by the inexpensive tuition and housing rates, as well as the relative purity of the Syrian dialect, which is considered close to classical Arabic. At Damascus University, not far from the heart...The war on (name your euphemism)
WASHINGTON (IPS) — From the people who brought you the "war on terror" and the "axis of evil" comes a new verbal tonic for combating that amorphous emotion. Out with pejoratives like "Islamo-fascists" "jihadis" and "mujahadeen" and in with "words that work," that is according to a George W. Bush administration memo that was leaked...Muslim youth try humor to rout stereotypes
NEW YORK (IPS) — "There are almost 1.2 billion Muslim people in the world. And at least 15 of us are not terrorists. It could even be more than that. Maybe even a lot more," quipped Obaida Abdul-rahim, 28, owner of the Muslim t-shirt business Phatwa Factory. The Calgary, Canada-born Abdul-rahim runs one of several Middle...Fashion students at university design abayas
RICHMOND, Va. — The assignment for Virginia Commonwealth University fashion students: design an abaya, an enveloping cloak worn by Muslim women, that is stylish yet acceptable in Arab countries. The results: elaborately beaded designs, a flamenco-influenced abaya, a punk rock abaya — and perhaps a better understanding of cultural...Sixty years of denial
"Don't ask for what you never had," is the underlying message made by supporters of Israel when they claim Palestine was never a state to begin with. The contention is, of course, easily refutable. Following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century, colonial powers plotted to divide the spoils. When......
No evidence to prove U.S. claims against Iran
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Early this month, the George W. Bush administration's plan to create a new crescendo of accusations against Iran for allegedly smuggling arms to Shi'a militias in Iraq encountered not just one but two setbacks. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki refused to endorse U.S. charges of Iranian...Iraq’s antiquities garner international attention
Across southern Iraq, large stretches of terrain resemble a moonscape, the earth pocked by dozens of untidy craters. The man-made holes have been dug as part of the looting of Mesopotamia's archaeological sites that experts say is robbing Iraq of its ancient heritage. The looting not only funds unscrupulous dealers of......
Around The World: China hit by massive earthquake
China's confirmed death toll is 41,353 as of May 21, 2008. After last week's massive earthquake, more than 32,000 remain missing. Officials expect the final death toll to exceed 50,000. A survivor searches for his relatives amid the ruins of a collapsed house where he once lived, in earthquake-hit Beichuan, Sichuan province May...The U.S. war on journalists
Sami al-Haj is a free man today, after having been imprisoned by the U.S. military for more than six years. His crime: journalism. Targeting journalists, the Bush administration has engaged in direct assault, intimidation, imprisonment and information blackouts to limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs. The principal...Let’s hope Bush does no more damage
In the troubled, conflict-ridden Middle East, President George W Bush has done everything wrong. But his mandate still has half a year to run and, unless restrained, he can do a lot more damage — to the region and to America — before he retires to his ranch at Crawford, Texas, and to the obscurity he amply deserves. At the heart...Memorial Day a time to reflect on troops
It is time for our annual day of reflection, commemorating U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. This holiday began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. Arab Americans have......
Can we learn from the Irish experience?
Canadian General John de Chastelain was the invited speaker at a public meeting held at the National Library in Ottawa, under the auspices of Potlucks for Peace. Potlucks for Peace is an Ottawa group of Arabs and Jews striving to understand each other's experiences and hopes relating to Palestine/Israel. De Chastelain was...Omar’s brother fights deportation & The Harkats are Stuck
Omar Khadr's older brother Abdullah is currently fighting extradition from Canada to the United States. He is accused of participating in al-Qaeda training camps and of supplying military equipment and supplies to al-Qaeda for use in Afghanistan. After a year in prison in Afghanistan, during which time he was interrogated by......
Guantanamo trials hit setbacks
NEW YORK (IPS) — Key elements of the George W. Bush administration's anti-terrorist detention policies appear to be unraveling, according to human rights and legal advocates. In the past two weeks alone, a military judge has disqualified a Pentagon legal official from participating in the Guantanamo war crimes trial of Salim Ahmed...Gaza cannot be compared to Holocaust
The 60th anniversary of Israel's "independence" was met with all the usual fanfare celebrating the "achievements" of the "only democracy" in the Middle East and as a refuge for Jews – Bush fed into that, saying Masada won't fall again. What was missing, of course, was the real meaning of that anniversary. It's imperative, then, to......