The Arab American News
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NAYA symposium tackles community concerns
July 5th, 20080 DEARBORN � The National Association of Yemeni Americans held a two-day community symposium in Dearborn on June 28 and 29, bringing together community organizations, government officials and academics. The group hosted panel discussions on health and social services, youth and second-generation integration into American culture,...
Hizbullah affirms prisoner swap
July 5th, 20080 BEIRUT � Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hizbullah, has announced his group's agreement to a prisoner exchange deal with Israel. In a televised speech on Wednesday, the Hizbullah leader said he expected the swap to take place in one to two weeks. He said that the exchange should include the release of Samir Kantar, a...
Second annual Muslim Unity Picnic draws huge crowd
July 5th, 20080 DEARBORN � Picnic-goers didn't let rain stop them from having fun at a massive celebration of community at Ford Field Park in west Dearborn on June 29. Lead organizer of the second annual Muslim Unity Picnic, Mohamed Beydoun, said the group never considered packing up and going home in the face of initial bad weather. "The show...The madness of attacking Iran
DUBAI � History, language and culture might separate Iran from the rest of the Middle East. But physically and geographically, the Arab world and Iran are very close � closer than they might like to think. When the last big temblor hit the Islamic republic, flattening the ancient city of Bam and killing 26,000 people in December...
Jerusalem Archbishop visits Detroit area
July 5th, 20080 An outspoken, high-ranking Orthodox Church figure from Jerusalem, known for speaking out in defense of Palestinians and for Christian-Muslim unity, visited Detroit area homes, religious institutions and Arab American organizations last week. Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna of the Jerusalem Patriarchate addressed crowds at St....
New TSA airport scanners raises privacy concerns
July 5th, 20080 Since April 2008, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been introducing millimeter wave scanners at airports around the nation under a new program called "Checkpoint Evolution." In the past few years, when new technology was introduced at airports across the country, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination...Sewage plant named after Dubya?
Some presidents get carved into Mt Rushmore; others have airports, motorways, and even entire cities named in their honor. But when George Bush leaves office, his most visible memorial may be a moldering patch of human effluent. In November, alongside casting their ballot for the next president, the people of San Francisco will...
Voters may apply for absentee ballots
July 5th, 20080 Applications available for both primary and general elections DEARBORN � Dearborn voters who are unable to make it to the polls for the August 5 state primary election may apply for an absentee ballot. If you cannot make it to the polls due to age, disability or other legally acceptable reasons, you can request an absentee...
Acupuncture is a safe alternative therapy
June 27th, 20080 DEARBORN � Dr. Mostafa Belkhalfia came to Dearborn from California to practice acupuncture and Oriental medicine. For years, he worked for pharmaceutical companies making drugs to treat different diseases. But he believes that a person should not be hooked on drugs. It is better, he says. to seek a natural and holistic way to...
Hider family has recipe for success
June 27th, 20080 Because it's a mixture of different foods from all over the world, American cuisine should by definition have the ability to bring different groups of people together. And when the Hider family brought hamburgers to Beirut, Lebanon, that's exactly what it did. Civil war hit Lebanon in 1974, but that didn't stop...Nader takes aim at Obama
WASHINGTON � Legendary Arab American consumer advocate Ralph Nader's remarks about Barack Obama's campaign and race garnered wide media attention. Last week, the third party candidate said the Democratic nominee for president was not challenging the white power structure and was feeding off of "white guilt." On Wednesday,...
Sadollah crushes competition, wins The Ultimate Fighter Finale
June 27th, 20080 LAS VEGAS � Amir Sadollah continued his incredible and unexpected run with a win over C.B. Dollaway on Saturday, June 21 in Las Vegas in The Ultimate Fighter Finale for middleweights. Sadollah, a half-Iranian, half-Irish kickboxer, was crowned "The Ultimate Fighter" for the popular cable show's seventh season and will receive a...Can the ‘center’ hold?
Muasher has a hard row to hoe, as a moderate, a democrat, and a peacemaker in the turbulence of the Middle East. This is his memoir as a Jordanian career civil servant and diplomat. It is a book that offers fascinating insight into the actors in Middle Eastern politics and, as well, into the making of U.S. foreign policy...
Shared vision for hospital can foster peace
June 27th, 20080 At a function for a Jewish Israeli hospital held June 16 in Birmingham, about a third of the attendees were Arab American and one of them was honored. The hospital, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, is known for treating Arab, Jewish and other patients equally. And local attorney Tim Attalla, who has been involved in...
Changing of the guard at Dearborn Public Schools
June 27th, 20080 Outgoing Dearborn Schools Superintendent John Artis with elementary school students. DEARBORN – On July 1, Dearborn Schools Superintendent John Artis, who's run the complex district for the last six years, will turn over the reins to Brian Whiston, who the board of education unanimously approved as Artis' replacement in May.......
Community participation campaign launched at Arab International Festival
June 27th, 20080 DEARBORN � ADC Michigan has launched a new campaign to effectively organize the Arab American community by creating a communications medium that will keep individuals informed on issues that affect them. The initiative, entitled "One Voice," began with a kick-off event at last week's International Arab Festival, where...
A good time was had by all
June 27th, 20080 DEARBORN � The 13th Annual Dearborn Arab International Festival took place last weekend and attracted well over 100,000 people from across the country and parts of Canada. The American Arab Chamber of Commerce, along with its partners, Ford Motor Company, A.C.C.E.S.S., the City of Dearborn and the Lebanese American Heritage......
U.S. trying to “legalize” permanent occupation of Iraq
In recent weeks the Bush administration has intensified its longstanding effort to make the U.S. occupation of Iraq permanent. First choice is to coerce the U.S.-backed Iraqi government to sign an ostensibly "bilateral" agreement � what the White House would like to call a "status of forces agreement" (SOFA). The administration is...Sarkozy’s straight talk is promising
President Nicolas Sarkozy's state visit to Israel on 22-24 June was striking for the candor with which he addressed his hosts. He spoke as an intimate friend � certainly Israel's best friend in Europe � but he did not mince his words, both on his arrival at Ben Gurion airport and a day later in the Knesset. "The time to make peace...Terrorism trial begins in Ottawa
It's been a long time since Momin Khawaja was arrested by the RCMP back on March 29, 2004, but his trial finally got off the ground in Ottawa on June 23, after years of legal wrangling, mainly over what evidence the prosecution could withhold from the defense on grounds of national security. He is charged with taking part in a...
Sierra Pacific Industries sued by EEOC for discrimination against Egyptian worker
June 27th, 20080 SACRAMENTO � Sierra Pacific Industries, which owns and harvests forests in California and Washington and is the third largest landowner in North America, violated federal law when it permitted employees to harass an Egyptian co-worker and fired him in retaliation for reporting the discrimination, according to a lawsuit filed this......
Hamas and Hizbullah gain, almost hand in hand
CAIRO (IPS) � Hizbullah's dramatic seizure of Beirut last month stunned observers and dealt a heavy blow to Washington's Lebanese allies. In Cairo, analysts compared the episode to last year's takeover of the Gaza Strip by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, noting that both actions were pre-emptive � rather than offensive � in...
A blueprint for withdrawal from Iraq
June 27th, 20080 WASHINGTON (IPS) � Proponents of a U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq routinely brush off criticisms that their ideas are "irresponsible." But until this week, the charge that withdrawal cannot be accomplished responsibly � and just how that would be done � has never been coherently answered. With the release Wednesday of the......
Anti-torture campaign wins influential backers
WASHINGTON (IPS) � On the eve of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, a bipartisan group of some 200 religious leaders and former top U.S. national security and military officers launched a campaign for a presidential order to outlaw torture and cruel and inhumane treatment of all detainees. The campaign,...Iraq: ‘Special weapons’ have fallout on babies
FALLUJAH (IPS) - Babies born in Fallujah are showing illnesses and deformities on a scale never seen before, doctors and residents say. The new cases, and the number of deaths among children, have risen after "special weaponry" was used in the two massive bombing campaigns in Fallujah in 2004. After denying it at first, the......
