Zahraa Farhat
Author's Posts
Local Arab American student receives Rhodes scholarship
November 23rd, 20170 DEARBORN — Lebanese American student Nadine Jawad, 21, might be the first Arab American from Dearborn to receive one of the most prestigious fellowship awards in the world, the Rhodes scholarship. Jawad, a senior at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, is one of 32 American Rhodes scholars chosen for...
Dearborn Board of Education holds forums, discusses solutions to overcrowding
November 17th, 20170 DEARBORN — Since the end of last month, the Dearborn Board of Education has been holding community forums that educate and solicit community feedback on three boundary line change proposals— the possible solution to overcrowding in the district's high schools. The forums, which are open to all community members, started on Oct. 24...
Meet Mike Khader, Yonkers’ first Arab American City Council president
November 17th, 20170 YONKERS, NY — Last week, Mike Khader, an Arab American attorney and a former Central Intelligence Agency official, made history when he beat incumbent Republican City Council President Liam McLaughlin for his seat in the fourth largest city in New York. Khader, 41, had never held elective office, but said he decided to run after he...
Palestinian refugee’s catering company subject of documentary
November 10th, 20170 BOURJ EL-BARAJNEH — When you’ve lived your entire life in a 69-year-old refugee camp, you’d probably never expect your own journey to be documented and potentially qualify for an Academy Award, as there are so many living in similar circumstances— but that’s the exact story of Mariam Shaar and her friends. In the...
Voters in Detroit and Westland stay with the status quo
November 10th, 20170 DETROIT — On Tuesday, Nov. 7, incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan retained his seat, defeating State Sen. Coleman A. Young II in a landslide victory, with 72 percent of the vote. "It's been a year-long campaign and though all of the different kinds of attacks, I've been treated with nothing but warmth and kindness from Detroiters… I am...
Dearborn Heights diversifies its police force one step at a time
November 3rd, 20170 DEARBORN HEIGHTS— Back in May, The AANews spoke to Dearborn Heights Police Chief Lee Gavin about the lack of Arab American interest in the police force. At the time, Gavin said that they barely apply. "We've had meetings ," he said. "Right now, in all the law enforcement agencies in the area, there are a total lack of...
Dearborn to elect seven council members, new clerk in lukewarm races
October 27th, 20170 DEARBORN — There are only ten days left until the November 7 general election and residents are still considering their options, but not much has changed since the primary election. The city council and clerk races are still overshadowed by the contentious mayoral race. City Council President Susan Dabaja and Councilman Michael...
Tafelski shares why he should be Dearborn’s next mayor
October 27th, 20170 DEARBORN — This Monday, mayoral candidate and council President Pro-Tem Tom Tafelski was supposed to take part in a video interview with reporters from The AANews, as Mayor Jack O’Reilly had done, but due to a bout of laryngitis, he was unable to participate. Instead, he answered our questions via email. Some people believe...
The Fordson incident: Hazing or sexual assault?
October 20th, 20170 While the school district, community and police look for answers, here are some professional perspectives. DEARBORN — Last week, Dearborn Public Schools officials informed the community about an alleged afterschool hazing incident involving several of Fordson High School's junior varsity football players in the locker...
ICA program improves seniors’ quality of life
October 13th, 20170 DEARBORN— The Islamic Center of America kicked off its senior program again in partnership with ACCESS on Oct. 10, after a summer break due to the holy month of Ramadan and family related events. The program, designed to benefit Arab and Muslim American seniors in Dearborn, was established in January. Approximately seven people...
Mayor, City Council share thoughts on potential sale of 40 acres in Camp Dearborn
October 6th, 20170 DEARBORN — During a candidate forum hosted by the Dearborn Area Board of Realtors on Wednesday, Oct. 4, the incumbent mayor and City Council members addressed the possible sale of 40 acres of Camp Dearborn, which has had residents fretting on social media. According to a press release by the city, 40 of Camp Dearborn's 626 acres may...
Muslims march against injustice in Dearborn
October 6th, 20171 DEARBORN — A few days before the fifth annual "March for Justice" took place in Dearborn, the Ashura Project released a video promoting its organized procession with the question, Why do we march? The video powerfully displayed scenes of injustices around the world that call for action and revealed the reasons. They march for Black...
Community members share Ashura experiences and traditions
September 29th, 20170 DEARBORN— When comparing the Ashura programs offered at local mosques to those found in the Middle East or any Muslim countries, for that matter, there’s evidently a lot of time and effort put into them with hopes of keeping the message of Ahlulbayt’s (the Prophet Mohammad’s family) sacrifice for humanity alive and teaching it to...
Ashura: A sacred time of humanity and reform
September 22nd, 20170 DEARBORN — This year, Friday, September 22, marks the beginning of Ashura, the 10-day commemoration of Imam Hussein's (the Prophet Muhammad's grandson) martyrdom and his family and follower's sacrifice— known as a historical tragedy mostly observed by Shi'a Muslims. Every year there's an increase in social, political and economic...
Dearborn School Board tables redistricting options, seeks community input
September 14th, 20170 DEARBORN- No community members shared their feedback at the September 11 Dearborn Board of Education meeting regarding the trustees’ possible solutions for overpopulated high schools, including boundary line changes and class additions, as the turnout was low. Still, board members expressed the hope that after the October 9 board......
Police militarization heightens chances of misconduct and brutality
September 14th, 20170 DEARBORN— During his campaign, President Trump promised to revoke former President Obama’s executive order that demilitarized local police to remilitarize them once again— reportedly for their own and their communities’ safety. Only two weeks ago, Trump issued an executive order that rescinded Obama’s. Obama’s order had...
Dearborn School Board agrees on possible solutions for overpopulated high schools
September 8th, 20170 DEARBORN — School is back in session and the Dearborn School Board of Education continues to tackle the overcrowding issue at Fordson and Dearborn High schools. In an August 29 study session, the board eliminated proposals of forming a new high school or a ninth grade academy, calling them unfeasible. It found boundary line changes......
Arab American poet finds inspiration in her heritage
August 25th, 20170 REDMOND, WA— Born to a Palestinian father and Syrian Jordanian mother in Seattle, poet Lena Khalaf Tuffaha draws on her diverse background when writing her story— which, in essence, begins with her Arab identity. Tuffaha told The AANews that every U.S. citizen is an immigrant with a story that begins somewhere else— except...
Pill mill in Dearborn: The medical clinic that turned lethal
August 25th, 20170 DEARBORN — On Aug. 17, Michigan State Police, Dearborn police and the FBI raided the Dearborn Medical Clinic at Warren and Yinger avenues after residents complained about disorderly conduct, which prompted an investigation beginning in July. Judge Gene Hunt of the 19th District Court arraigned Dr. Mohammad Derani and his...
Dearborn Heights police heighten traffic enforcement
August 18th, 20171 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn's neighboring city seems to be tackling drastically similar types of reckless driving on its roads and has found no better way to control it than to heighten traffic enforcement. The Dearborn Heights Police Department kicked off the crackdown in July, According to Police Chief Lee Gavin, it's been a...
Dearborn stands in solidarity with Charlottesville against White supremacy
August 18th, 20170 CHARLOTTESVILLE/DEARBORN — Dearborn residents assembled in healing and solidarity with Charlottesville, Virginia on August 13 and 16, against White supremacy — reemphasizing the city's cohesive nature in visible diversity that trumps hate. The first peaceful vigil, in which at least 100 demonstrators gathered on Sunday, was......
Local Islamophobe sues Dearborn Heights to “stop sharia”
August 4th, 20172 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Debbie Schlussel, an attorney known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric, filed a lawsuit against Dearborn Heights and its officials on May 15 for being denied access to booking photos and videos of resident Malak Kazan without her hijab. Police had arrested Kazan for driving on a suspended license on July 9, 2014....
Palestinian architect creates transition guide for refugees
July 29th, 20170 SEATTLE— Palestinian American architect Rania Qawasma was planning her thesis proposal halfway through her distance learning master’s program in sustainable design at Boston Architectural College (BAC) when she realized she needed to omit her original idea after spending a day with and listening to the concerns of resettled Syrian......
Teenager returns to Detroit from Gaza for new prosthetic leg
July 28th, 20170 DEARBORN HEIGHTS— In November 2012, a 12-year-old cancer survivor from Gaza arrived in Michigan to the open arms of Yasmeen Hamed and her family, who had hosted his three-month stay through the Palestinian Children Relief Fund (PCRF) — a non-profit organization devoted to “healing the wounds of war and...
Arabic is the most prominent foreign language in Michigan
July 21st, 20172 DEARBORN — Michigan first welcomed Arabs back in the 1880s when Lebanese and Syrian immigrants arrived in the city of Detroit seeking employment. The Arab American community has continued to grow, and with it their mother tongue. It's now the most popular foreign language in the state. Weekend Arabic programs for kids formed......
