The Arab American News
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Hello: Iraq is not our country
A few reminders: Iraq is not our country. Our invasion and occupation are illegal, being in violation of both international law and our own traditions. We were lied into war. We are still being lied to. Both the Bush administration and the Democrats intend to maintain American troops in Iraq indefinitely.The catchy little phrase "If you...A moment before the lights go out
Alan Johnston, the BBC corresponded kidnapped in Gaza, related in an interview that at a relatively early stage, he started suffering from all kinds of aches because of the water he drank. This was the same water that the kidnappers drank, but Johnston's unaccustomed body sent warning signals: This is not water that is fit for drinking....
Fight over gas prices ends in death
November 17th, 20070 DETROIT — The owner of a Southwest Detroit gas station was shot and killed by the owner of a competing gas station at about 10:30 a.m. Friday morning, according to Detroit Police.An argument over gas prices was said to have escalated into a physical confrontation involving a baseball bat and then leading to the 51-year-old owner of a...Dealing Syria out of rogue statehood
For decades Syria has played the role of a bad student at school, its leaders thinking that if you don’t cause trouble, no one will pay attention to you. The Syrian regime meddled in Iraq, nurtured Palestinian militants opposed to peace with Israel and dominated its smaller neighbor, Lebanon. Syria’s gambits in a tough part of the world...
LAHC observes 25th anniversary
November 17th, 20070 A local soccer club put together in 1982 is now a 25-year-old cultural organization that’s given about $1.5 million to Arab American students in scholarship money.The Lebanese American Heritage Club will celebrate its 25th anniversary Nov. 21 at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. The group expanded its role in...Hersch gives pessimistic assessment
In keynote speech renowned journalist says there is no hope for Mideast with Bush, Cheney DETROIT — Renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh spoke with blunt pessimism about various Middle East conflicts and the Bush administration at a banquet in Detroit on Thursday. The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter keynoted the American...Innovative dinosaur show adds performances
DETROIT — By popular demand, a second week of performances has been added to see the smash hit WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – The Live Experience, at Detroit's legendary Cobo Arena, which is playing from Wednesday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Nov. 24. Detroit is the first North American city to feature a second week of performances!...Two area mosques burglarized
DEARBORN — Money from donation boxes was stolen from two mosques broken into this week in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, according to officials from the Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW) and the Islamic Center of America (ICA).An ICA employee said Dearborn police have been given surveillance footage of a suspect caught by cameras there early...Arab museum holds fourth annual gala
The National Arab American Museum's fourth annual gala, featuring the Egyptian national Um Kulthoum Orchestra, filled the Detroit Opera House a few weeks ago with more than 2,000 guests. The museum's third annual film festival the following weekend drew large audiences. And a new jewelry exhibit opens next week. ...Gilda’s Club to host international visitor leadership program
Royal Oak — Gilda's Club in Detroit will host 17 medical delegates from the Near East and North Africa in Michigan as part of an exchange program to explore breast cancer awareness and community outreach. The group that includes high-level medical experts will convene at Gilda's Club Metro Detroit, 3517 Rochester Road, Royal Oak, 48073,...Arab youth community summit
ANN ARBOR — It's being billed as the Arab Community Summit 2007, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Sponsored by the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA), the conference is taking place Saturday, November 10, 2007 at the Trotter Multi-Cultural Center, 1443 Washtenaw. Questions up for discussion include what does...Low voter turnout frustrates activists
DEARBORN — Dearborn voters approved two ballot proposals Tuesday at the polls, clearing the way for City Council to attempt to sell the Dearborn Towers, and passing revisions to the city charter. Voters also re-elected school board member Joseph Guido and chose 20-year resident Mary Petlichkoff to replace outgoing board member Mary...Crime took life of husband, father
Detroit — Detroit Police are still searching for a man who opened fire in a laundromat on Detroit's west side Sunday, killing one man and wounding another. The suspect entered the business about 7:30 p.m., forced open a door to an office, and started shooting at Hassan Chaaban, 47, owner of the laundromat on the 18000 block of West...Senate hearing urges engagement with Muslims
Washington — At a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing held last week about "The Role of Local Law Enforcement in Countering Violent Islamist Extremism," Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) called for enhanced engagement by local law enforcement agencies and American Muslim...Dearborn boxer looking to the future
DEARBORN — Wistful fans of old-time boxing like to complain that modern fighters don't fight enough, and in some respects, they may be right. But for up-and-coming fighters like Dearborn's Brian "The Lion" Mihtar, the next challenge is often only days away. The 28-year old, 162-pound Mihtar just finished up a grueling stretch in......
Great American smokeout coming
New interactive resources available to help smokers quit Southfield — The American Cancer Society will celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, November 15. With exactly half of the United States now protected by smoke-free laws, and a variety of cessation resources available, there has never been a...The importance of a successful Annapolis summit
The skeptics have unassailable arguments: History and a consistent record of failure are on their side. Weak Israeli and Palestinian governments, an American president in the last stretch of his second term, dysfunctional Israeli and Palestinian body politics, and cynical media coverage, all dampen any reasonable expectations of success......
The importance of a failed Annapolis summit
Do not belittle the Annapolis summit. Despite all the prophecies of failure, justified as they are, this summit could still make an important contribution to the history of Israeli-Arab negotiations: For the first time, it will become crystal-clear who aspires toward peace and, more important, who flees from it as if from fire. Israel...U.S. energy challenge is Michigan’s economic opportunity
During November, I will be traveling around the state with my economic development team, talking to local business leaders who are growing a new industry right here in our backyard. We’ll be visiting cities where the alternative energy sector is growing jobs and helping to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. And I will be listening to...Will a new Lebanese president make a difference?
Today the Christian community of Lebanon retains a political privilege from the past, privilege that comes at a heavy cost. Lebanon is on the verge of collapse if a strong and respected presidential leader does not emerge by November 24. Elections are scheduled for November 12, but they may be postponed again, this time only for a...Cheney tried to stifle dissent in Iran intelligence report
WASHINGTON (IPS) — A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been held up for more than a year in an effort to force the intelligence community to remove dissenting judgments on the Iranian nuclear program, and thus make the document more supportive of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's militarily aggressive policy toward......
Israel escalates campaign against IAEA , ElBaradei
Israel escalated its campaign Thursday against the winner of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), by describing him as a "danger to world peace" and calling for his dismissal for what it says are his policies towards Iran's nuclear program. The call by Israel's Deputy...A spiritual first in Baghdad
BAGHDAD — There is neither a cross nor a sign on the heavy metal gate to indicate that this is the official residence of one of the country's most prominent Christians, the first in Iraq in modern times to be elevated to cardinal by the Roman Catholic Church. The simple structure, in a dilapidated neighborhood of this capital, opposite......
Big entertainment weekend in Detroit
DEARBORN — He strolls through Shatila Pastries with an entourage, and instantly you know something special's going on. Yep, it's Lebanese favorite Marcel Khalife, in town for a weekend of concerts with Al Mayadine Ensemble. The line at the register? A cashier in the middle of a transaction runs over to get her picture taken...Torture ruling in Egypt boosts rights
CAIRO (IPS) — Anti-torture activists in Egypt scored a rare win this week when an Egyptian judge handed down three-year prison sentences in a high-profile case to two police officers filmed last year abusing and sodomizing a man in custody with a broomstick. Torture is not uncommon in this country whose regime is known for its......