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The real reasons behind Washington’s war on UNRWA

October 1st, 20180 The U.S. government’s decision to slash funds provided to the United Nations agency that cares for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is part of a new American-Israeli strategy aimed at redefining the rules of the game altogether. As a result, UNRWA is experiencing its worst financial crisis. The gap in its budget is estimated at around...

General election information for Dearborn voters

September 30th, 20180 DEARBORN – In the Nov. 6 general election, Dearborn voters will make their choice for governor, state senator, state representative, county commissioner and other important offices. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 6. The deadline to register to vote in the November general election is Oct. 9. The City...

Pentagon: U.S.-led fight against ISIS killed over 1,100 civilians

September 30th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 1,100 civilians have been killed in U.S.-led strikes against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria since the operation began in 2014, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The coalition fighting ISIS militants said in a statement that during the month of August it had determined that an additional 53 civilians...

Federal court blocks Arizona anti-BDS law

September 30th, 20180 PHOENIX — On Thursday, Sept. 27, a federal court blocked an Arizona law that requires state contractors to certify that they won't boycott Israel, finding that the law likely violates state contractors’ free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “A restriction of one’s ability to participate in...

U.N. Palestinian refugee agency narrows shortfall after U.S. cuts

September 30th, 20180 NEW YORK — A United Nations agency that supports Palestinian refugees received contributions of $118 million on Thursday, narrowing a budget gap for this year to $68 million as it aims to fill a shortfall left by a cut in U.S. funding. Pierre Krahenbuhl, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA),...

League of Women Voters urges residents to use online resource

September 30th, 20180 DEARBORN — The League of Women Voters in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, urges voters to use resources from VOTE411.org in preparation for the general mid-term elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6. VOTE411.org’s online interactive voter...

Michigan men set to be deported find ways to stay

September 29th, 20180 DETROIT — According to press release by Michigan United, two men scheduled to be deported found ways around the orders of removal last week.  An Albanian immigrant named Ded Rranxburgaj, who took sanctuary in a Detroit church, has a federal hearing on Nov. 13.  Francis Anwana, who came from Nigeria for help with hearing and...

Artists denied visas to attend Arab Film Festival in Minneapolis

September 29th, 20180 MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. denied visas to two artists planning to attend the Arab Film Festival, while a third encountered a delay which kept her from getting her visa in time to travel. According to a report by City Pages, a fourth still waits to get back his passport after receiving his visa. The festival has never faces visa denials...

Green Party of Michigan endorses proposal for marijuana legalization

September 29th, 20180 LANSING — The Green Party of Michigan announced its formal endorsement of Proposal 18-1 to legalize and regulate marijuana at its recent statewide membership meeting. The Green Party stated in a press release that it discussed concerns about Proposal 18-1 before taking a vote to endorse it.  The press release also included Green...

Palestinian president urges Trump to rescind Jerusalem, aid decisions

September 28th, 20180 UNITED NATIONS —  On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United States to reverse its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and cuts in aid to the Palestinians, saying these had undermined the two-state solution to the conflict. “With all of these decisions, this administration has reneged on all...

Amidst community hopes and fears, Dayton races to prepare for Census 2020

September 28th, 20180 Dayton, OH — The city that gave America and the world aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright and their friend, poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar, is still ahead of the curve. Aware of a steep price to be paid if it can’t up its game, Dayton’s new Dayton-Montgomery County Complete Count Committee is the first organization in the state...

Dearborn Schools superintendent discusses new meal plan

September 28th, 20180 By Farah Harb   DEARBORN – On Sept. 12, the Dearborn Public Schools announced and implemented the expansion of its meal program, and the implementation of a free breakfast and lunch, to include students of all grades. “It is a positive for the students that we can provide the meals because the state came up with...

President of Zionist Organization of America doubles down on his “filthy Arabs” slur

September 25th, 20180 Facing criticism over his use of the slur “filthy Arab” in a tweet last week, Zionist Organization of America national president Morton Klein repeated the phrase in a voicemail to the Forward — and pointedly refused to back down. Klein asserted in the lengthy voicemail that he had meant that “Arab murderers are filthy...

Comerica Park food handler charged for spitting on pizza

September 25th, 20180 DETROIT - Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Jaylon Kerley, 20, a resident of Detroit, in connection with spitting on pizza dough he was preparing while working at a concession stand in Comerica Park.  On September 21, 2018, it is alleged that Kerley spat on a pizza he was preparing and covered his saliva with pizza sauce....

YallaPunk: A response to racism

September 24th, 20180 By Marrim Akashi PHILADELPHIA — Rana Fayez’s inaugural YallaPunk festival hit Philadelphia this past month and it has been revolutionary, to say the least. Self-described as “A direct response to negative depictions of populations of Middle Eastern and North African descent in mainstream media”, this is not another effort...

Feds shut down fake document sellers

September 24th, 20180 Beware of fake document sellers. When you apply for credit, a mortgage, a place to live, government benefits or tax refunds, most likely you need documents showing your income, employment and other personal information. But not everyone plays by the rules. Some businesses sell fake documents to people who use them to get products and...

Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate believes America should not ‘provide entitlements’ to refugees

September 24th, 20180 Immediately after progressive Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum became the first African American major party candidate for governor of Florida, his GOP opponent, Trump-loving Rep. Ron DeSantis, caused outrage when he said Florida should not "monkey this up" and vote for Gillum. DeSantis insists there was nothing racial about the...

CAIR-MI files complaint against DTE Energy on behalf of Muslim man

September 23rd, 20180 SOUTHFIELD — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, (CAIR-MI) a civil rights and advocacy group, filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against DTE Energy on behalf of Ibrahim Canales, a former employee who allegedly was forced to leave his job after attending Friday prayer for his Muslim...

U.S. seeks to negotiate a treaty with Iran

September 23rd, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States is seeking to negotiate a treaty with Iran to include Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its regional behavior, the U.S. special envoy for Iran said on Wednesday ahead of U.N. meetings in New York next week. Iran has rejected U.S. attempts to hold high-level talks since President Trump tore...

Blue wave poses governing risks for Democratic Party

September 23rd, 20180 A blue wave in November could not only take the House majority away from the GOP, but could also cause turmoil within the Democratic party next year, according to a report by The Hill. As a progressive wave grips the party, producing upset primary victories in cities like the Bronx, the publication writes that Democrats are bracing...

CAIR-MI to represent family of man killed by Detroit Police

September 23rd, 20180 DETROIT — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, (CAIR-MI) a non-profit advocacy group for Muslims, plans to represent the interests of the family of Abdullah Beard (aka Abdullah Abdul Muhamin) regarding his fatal shooting by the Detroit Police on Friday, Sept. 14. "Per the family's request, we will not...

Hang up on Medicare card scams

September 23rd, 20180 Scammers follow the news — and the money. A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission shared the news that Medicare is sending new cards to everyone who gets Medicare benefits, replacing your Social Security number with another number. As expected, scammers have been trying to cash in on this change. These scammers typically...

The right to boycott is as American as it gets

September 22nd, 20180 Palestine, Israel and the right to boycott (BDS) have made their way to the front and center of Michigan’s gubernatorial race. In the past few weeks, Democratic candidate Gretchen Whitmer has publicly expressed support for the right to boycott Israel, after which her Republican opponent, Bill Schuette, vehemently attacked her for it,...

Israeli burger franchise to open in Arab American neighborhood

September 22nd, 20184 DEARBORN — Walk on the border of Dearborn and Detroit, near Warren Avenue and Greenfield Road, and you'll be surprised by a sign announcing the upcoming opening of Burgerim, a local branch of a franchise that entered the fast food world in 2015 and is owned by Israeli restaurant entrepreneur Oren Loni. Following an investigation,...

Stop abusing government power to quash Palestinian activism on campus

September 22nd, 20180 The re-opening of a seven-year-old Department of Education (DOE) complaint against Rutgers University, alleging anti-Semitism, perpetuates a false stereotype that Israel represents all Jews in America. The 2011 event hosted by Palestinian rights groups, which include Jewish students, featured speeches by Nakba and Holocaust...

U of M professor refuses to grant student referral to study in Israel

September 21st, 20180 ANN ARBOR — A University of Michigan associate professor is facing criticism for not writing a student a letter of recommendation to study in Israel. John Cheney-Lippold, who teaches in the American Culture Department on the relationship among digital media, identity and the concept of privacy, had initially agreed to write the...