Author's Posts
As coronavirus spreads to the Middle East, governments struggle to contain the outbreak
February 28th, 20200 DUBAI - Coronavirus cases have now been confirmed in at least nine countries in the Middle East, with the largest number of deaths in Iran, and six countries reporting first infections this past week. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first country in the Middle East to report a confirmed case of the virus, officially known as...
Young Arab American brings unique boutique to Ford’s building in West Dearborn
February 27th, 20200 DEARBORN — When 29-year-old Anissa Ajami noticed the need for a boutique in Dearborn that provided fine-quality clothing that was practical, in-vogue and catered to Dearborn’s dynamic woman, she decided to open her first clothing store, Desert Rose Co. in bustling downtown West Dearborn. After about a year and a half of hard work...
Resource center on Alzheimer’s disease holds community informational meeting in Dearborn Heights
February 27th, 20200 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — At a community gathering on Saturday, Feb. 15, organized by the Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD) at the University of Michigan, elderly Arab Americans and their families learned of new approaches to long-term care and prevention and joined in a lively discussion. Held at...
Former long-time Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak dies in Cairo
February 25th, 20200 CAIRO - Egypt’s state-run television announced on Tuesday that the country’s former leader and autocrat Hosni Mubarak died at the age of 91. After a presidency that spanned three decades, long-time U.S. ally Mubarak was ousted by mass popular protests as part of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011. Egypt’s State TV said Mubarak...
Iraq’s PM Allawi seeks vote of confidence for new cabinet
February 21st, 20200 BAGHDAD — Iraq’s newly appointed Prime Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi said on Wednesday that he has picked a cabinet of political independents and has called on the country’s parliament to hold an extraordinary session next week to give it its vote of confidence. Speaking to the nation in a televised speech, Allawi said that...
Syrian forces consolidate control of Aleppo, Russia and Turkey get pulled in to conflict
February 21st, 20200 ALEPPO — The Syrian army said on Monday it had taken full control of dozens of towns in Aleppo’s northwestern countryside and it would press on with its campaign to wipe out militant groups “wherever they are found." The advances were made after President Bashar al-Assad’s forces drove insurgents from the M5 highway linking...
Netanyahu’s political campaign in trouble as corruption trial looms
February 21st, 20200 TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will spend the last days of his election campaign under the shadow of serious and damaging corruption charges, as Israeli courts announced Tuesday that his criminal trial will begin March 17. Netanyahu is expected to attend the initial hearing just two weeks after the March 2...
Detroit FBI’s new chief aims at breaking down barriers, increasing community engagement
February 20th, 20201 DEARBORN — Steven M. D'Antuono, special agent in charge of Detroit FBI Field Office, is excited about discovering new cultures, food and lifeways in his new role as the director of the bureau in the diverse state of Michigan. This was at the heart of a conversation D'Antuono had with the staff at The Arab American News offices on...
Community celebrates two doctors’ profound achievements in medicine
February 19th, 20200 DEARBORN — Brothers Mohamad and Ali Bydon were guests of honor at a packed dinner celebration on Saturday, Feb. 15, where members of Michigan’s Arab American community gathered to acknowledge recent remarkable medical achievements by two of their own. Both brothers have made significant achievements in their fields. Mohamad is...
Dingell and Pocan call to restore humanitarian aid to Gaza
February 19th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) today sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging the administration to immediately restore all U.S. funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza, including United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations Relief...
Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun’s reelection campaign kicks off in Dearborn
February 18th, 20200 DEARBORN - Supporters of Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun gathered at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center on Monday at a kick-off event for Baydoun’s 2020 reelection campaign. Baydoun celebrated the kickoff with his family, friends from the greater community, notable elected officials and several supporters and...
Family of mentally ill Dearborn Heights man seeks answers following alleged wrongful custody
February 14th, 20200 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Last week, Samer Beydoun, a Dearborn Heights resident with a diagnosed mental illness, was arrested by Dearborn Heights Police and kept in custody for four days without being charged. Beydoun’s sister Samar Beydoun and attorney Issa Fawaz told The Arab American News that the circumstances around his arrest are...
Renowned hair stylist found murdered in Detroit hotel
February 14th, 20200 DETROIT— Nationally known Iraqi American hair stylist Bashar Kallabat was found dead in a hotel room at the JZ Motel on Eight Mile Road in Detroit on Tuesday night. Detroit Police say a 24-year-old man they believe Kallabat met on a dating site has been arrested. Kallabat, 56, died from blunt force trauma to the head. Police said...
Arab American media pioneer Ahmad Berry dies at 75, leaves behind legacy of service
February 13th, 20200 DEARBORN — Ahmad Berry, a well known Arab American media pioneer and beloved community member passed away at the age of 75 at a hospital in Dearborn on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Berry was best known for running cable television programming geared towards Arab Americans in Dearborn through his weekly broadcast Arabic Time Television, which...
Michigan Palestinians stand in solidarity and reject Trump/Netanyahu’s Mid East proposal
February 7th, 20200 DEARBORN - The Michigan Task Force for Palestine hosted an indoor rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The rally was held on Wednesday at the Greenfield Manor Banquet Hall in Dearborn. Attendees of the rally protested President Trump’s declaration of the “Deal of the Century,” which they call a pseudo peace plan to......
With Burgerim in a financial mess, one former local franchisee speaks out
February 6th, 20201 DETROIT — News recently broke that the burger brand Burgerim had fallen into financial ruin, after signing up an unprecedented number of franchisees across the country to a bad business model and unmet promises of success. An investigation by a restaurant publication tells the story of a company with unrealistic sales pitches and an...
Warren Evans praises “self-made” mogul Bloomberg at Detroit rally
February 5th, 20200 DETROIT - Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a campaign stop in Detroit on Tuesday, as other Democratic presidential candidates eyed results in Iowa on the road to New Hampshire. Held in a repurposed industrial building in Eastern Market, the rally was organized by Bloomberg's campaign, which has expanded in both size and......
Senate Republicans swiftly acquit Trump of all impeachment charges
February 5th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. —Just a day after his State of the Union address to the nation, the Senate cast its vote to acquit President Trump of impeachment charges on Wednesday, making this the third such trial in U.S. history with a similar outcome. No president has ever been removed by the senate. The final tally shows the Democrats'...
Benson announces Zaineb A. Hussein as deputy chief of staff
February 3rd, 20200 LANSING – Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced on Monday that Zaineb A. Hussein will serve as Michigan Department of State deputy chief of staff starting Feb. 10. “Zaineb brings a combination of government, policy and engagement experience and insight that will serve our team tremendously,” Benson said. “She has...
WSU medical student Ahmad Hasan makes healing little feet his mission
January 31st, 20202 DETROIT — Children around the world born with clubfoot have a new champion in Ahmad Hasan, a third-year medical student at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Hasan is the driving force behind The Little Feet Club, a new organization dedicated to helping end disability caused by clubfoot globally by ensuring every child...
Dems align with Bolton as impeachment trial draws to a climax
January 30th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A crucial vote by the Senate on Friday will decide if witnesses will be heard from in the impeachment trial of President Trump. Senators grilled both defense and prosecution teams on Thursday, with Republicans seeking an end to what they call a partisan sham of a trial. For now, Democrats are pushing for......
Directive tells CBP officers to detain Iranians, Lebanese and Palestinians
January 30th, 20200 SEATTLE — A report by a community newspaper in Washington unveiled a directive issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Seattle Field Office that instructs officers to perform vetting on individuals from or who have connections to Palestine, Lebanon or Iran, as well as those belonging to other nationalities that have traveled...
Documentary director discusses MLK, Palestine and nonviolence
January 30th, 20200 DEARBORN — To commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day last week, The Arab American News reached out to director and producer Connie Field, to talk about her 2013 documentary Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine. The film was recently shown at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, for the second time since its......
Public invited to Downtown Dearborn’s information meetings on new brand initiative
January 30th, 20200 DEARBORN - The East and West Dearborn Downtown Development Authorities are inviting residents and business owners to two informational meetings to discuss the city’s new brand initiative. The meetings are Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., and Thursday, Feb. 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Ford Community and Performing Arts...
Part of Trump’s wall damaged by gusts of wind
January 29th, 20200 MEXICALI, MEXICO — CNN reports that a newly installed panel on President Trump’s U.S-Mexico border wall fell over on to the Mexican side in the city of Mexicali due to high winds on Wednesday. The area of the wall is under ongoing construction. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent Carlos Pitones said that the panel was set......
