The Arab American News
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White supremacists and the far right are the real threat to America’s security
January 31st, 20250 By Peter Schurmann Donald Trump has ridden the xenophobic political tiger into the White House once again, convincing Americans that immigrants in this country are an existential threat to our safety and the well-being of the nation. It’s a politically effective trope that in practice diverts attention and, critically, resources from...
Dearborn to provide free gym memberships for seniors
January 31st, 20250 DEARBORN — On Thursday, the city announced its participation in the SilverSneakers program, allowing anyone over 65 with qualifying health insurance to use the fitness amenities at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center at no cost. Starting Monday, Feb. 3, anyone on a qualifying Medicare Advantage or Supplemental Health Plan...
Trump administration to cancel student visas of pro-Palestinian protesters, likely to draw legal challenges
January 31st, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, President Trump signed an executive order to combat anti-Semitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests. A fact sheet on the order promises "immediate action" by the Justice Department to prosecute "terroristic threats, arson, vandalism...
Ahmed al-Sharaa declared transitional president of Syria, consolidating his power
January 31st, 20250 DAMASCUS – Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa was also empowered to form a temporary legislative council for a transitional period and the Syrian...
Three injured in armed clash during home invasion attempt in Dearborn Heights
January 31st, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – A violent armed confrontation during an attempted home invasion in Dearborn Heights resulted in three people being injured, authorities confirmed. The incident took place late Monday night, sending shockwaves through the residential community as law enforcement responded swiftly to the...
Nassib Fawaz hosts book signing for memoir “Essence of Time” at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn
January 31st, 20250 DEARBORN – Lebanese American businessman and longtime community leader Dr. Nassib (Ned) Fawaz hosted a book signing event last week at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn to celebrate the release of his Arabic-language memoir Essence of Time, along with its English translation, which bears the main title "Building Blocks" and...
Senator Gary Peters announces retirement, shaking up 2026 Michigan senate race
January 31st, 20250 BLOOMFIELD – In a surprising decision, Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters has announced that he will not run for reelection in 2026, choosing instead to retire after completing his second six-year term. This decision paves the way for an intense electoral battle to determine his successor from both the Democratic and Republican...
Jocelyn Benson is the first Democratic candidate to officially enter the 2026 gubernatorial race
January 31st, 20250 LANSING — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson officially launched her campaign for governor last Wednesday, making her the first Democratic candidate to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race. With this announcement, Benson becomes a key contender to succeed Governor Whitmer, who is term-limited. "I have decided to run for governor because...
CAIR-MI welcomes federal court decision allowing lawsuit against Oakland County sheriff for forcing Muslim woman to remove her hijab
January 31st, 20250 The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) has welcomed a federal court ruling in Detroit, allowing a lawsuit to proceed against the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office on behalf of a Muslim woman who was forced to remove her hijab during her arrest in 2023. The Sheriff’s Office attempted to have the...
The massive return of Palestinians to Northern Gaza and of Lebanese Southerners: A blow to Israel and proof of its military failure
January 31st, 20252 The sight of hundreds of thousands of Gazans returning to the northern areas of the Strip, coupled with the return of southern Lebanese residents to their villages on Sunday, served as a double blow to the Israeli occupation. It was also a practical declaration of the failure of Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon, which the...
Palestinians’ return to northern Gaza complicates Netanyahu’s war aims
January 31st, 20250 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed 15 months ago that Israel would achieve “total victory” in the war in Gaza — by eradicating Hamas and freeing all the hostages. One week into a ceasefire with the militant group, many Israelis are dubious. Not only is Hamas still intact, there’s also no guarantee all of the hostages...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Detroiters helping each other: “It’s just straight groundwork.”
January 30th, 20250 By Amy Kuras Metro Detroit is blessed with a community of incredible people creating a better world for all of us. They range from highly professional funders and executives crafting strategies to ameliorate complicated social problems, to the hands-on staffers that carry out those plans, at organizations small and large. And then...
Trump escalates campaign against diversity, threatens private sector probes
January 26th, 20250 President Trump escalated his campaign against diversity programs on Tuesday by pressuring the private sector to join the initiative and telling government employees in offices administering such programs they would be placed on paid leave. On his first day in office Trump issued a series of executive...
Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship
January 26th, 20250 SEATTLE — On Thursday, a federal judge blocked Donald Trump's administration from implementing the Republican president's executive order curtailing the right to automatic birthright citizenship in the United States, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional." Seattle-based U.S. District Judge John...
Residents leave homes in Jenin as Israeli West Bank raid continues
January 26th, 20250 RAMALLAH — Hundreds of Jenin residents left their homes on Thursday, prompted by messages from drones fitted with loudspeakers, witnesses said, as the military demolished a number of houses on the third day of a major operation in the West Bank city. The operation, involving large columns of vehicles......
As Trump shapes up his presidency, a fight is looming on his birthright citizenship executive order
January 26th, 20250 By Amjad Khan On the first day of his second term, the nation stood watch as President Trump issued a plethora of controversial executive orders that disrupt all corners of American life. From his pardoning of violent January 6 rioters to his withdrawal from the near decade long Paris Climate Agreement, it is clear that the...
Rights groups warn Trump executive order would restore Muslim “travel ban”
January 26th, 20250 Immigration activists rally against the Trump administration's new ban against travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2017. - File Photo by Reuters WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. civil rights groups are warning that an executive order signed by President Trump on......
Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state
January 21st, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a China hawk and staunch backer of Israel, as President Trump’s secretary of state. The Senate backed Rubio by a vote of 99-0, days after the long-term member of the Senate foreign relations and...
Special counsel report found Trump engaged in “criminal effort” to overturn 2020 election
January 17th, 20250 By Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith concluded that Donald Trump engaged in an "unprecedented criminal effort" to hold on to power after losing the 2020 election, but was thwarted in bringing the case to trial by the president-elect's November election...
Who is Nawaf Salam, the new prime minister designate of Lebanon?
January 17th, 20250 Born on December 15, 1953, in Beirut, Nawaf Salam hails from a prominent political family. His father, Abdullah Salam, was one of the founders of Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, and represented the family on its board of directors between 1956 and 1983. Salam is married to Sahar Baassiri, a journalist and Lebanon’s...
State Rep. Alabas Farhat appointed as vice chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee
January 17th, 20250 LANSING – Recently, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), appointed Arab American State Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) as vice chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee. In his new role, Farhat will oversee the state’s $82 billion budget alongside Committee Chair Ann Bollin (R-Brighton......
Cautious optimism among Arab and Muslim Americans in Detroit over the Gaza ceasefire agreement
January 17th, 20251 After 647 days of relentless violence and genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday was seen as a moment of hope, marking the potential end of a devastating nightmare. This long-overdue agreement represents more than just a pause in conflict; it is a...
Lebanon: A race on two fronts
January 17th, 20250 In Lebanon, citizens welcomed the election of a president after more than two years of vacancy. However, a political crisis emerged when the "Shi'a duo" — the Amal Movement and Hezbollah — felt an agreement had been breached regarding their support for President Joseph Aoun. The duo was taken aback when 88 parliamentarians designated......
Dearborn Public Schools combat teen vaping with new detectors placed in bathrooms
January 17th, 20250 DEARBORN — A Metro Detroit school district is taking measures to hopefully stop students from vaping on campus with vape detectors. Dearborn Public Schools is tackling vaping, which school officials say is not isolated to Dearborn, as more public school districts are taking actions on the three fronts of epidemics affecting teens:...
Gazans may breathe the air of peace after 467 days of genocide
January 17th, 20251 Finally, on Wednesday, January 15, a detailed ceasefire agreement was announced, bringing a much-needed end to the suffering in Gaza after 467 days of brutal Israeli aggression. During this period, Israel employed all forms of killing and destruction, but Gaza’s resistance stood firm. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip endured unimaginable......
