Zahraa Farhat
Author's Posts
Undercover missionaries alarm Dearborn Muslims
March 17th, 201711 DEARBORN —Having the highest concentration of Arab Americans, primarily Muslims, in the country has brought Dearborn to the attention of Christian missionaries, not all of whom declare their intentions openly. The city's annual Arab International Festival, a three-day family event celebrating Arab culture, attracted both...
Councilman Mike Sareini and mother attacked at funeral service
March 15th, 20170 DEARBORN— As Dearborn City Councilman Mike Sareini and his mother left the funeral service for his friend, former Fordson High School principal Imad Fadlallah, at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge on Monday, two men verbally and physically attacked them. The incident took place about 7:30 p.m. “I want to make it clear that I...
Arab American reporter plans to tell community’s rich stories
March 10th, 20170 DETROIT—WXYZ reporter/anchor Ameera David, born to a Lebanese-Syrian father and Palestinian mother, never thought of becoming a journalist as a child, but her love for Arab culture, activism and writing evidently played a role in her pursuing that career. “My parents were activists in the community, so anywhere they were, I tagged...
Dearborn City Council approves resolution opposing travel ban
March 10th, 20170 DEARBORN— On Wednesday, Feb. 15, the City Council passed a resolution introduced and authored by Councilman Mike Sareini, opposing President Trump’s executive order and welcoming all law abiding persons to Dearborn— irrespective of race, creed, nationality or religion. Sareini’s resolution resists the order Trump...
Random acts of kindness trump hate
March 10th, 20170 DETROIT— Over the weekend, protests by non-Muslim and Muslim Americans alike erupted all over the country. These citizens joined together in resisting President Trump’s executive order that prohibits immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for three months. Attending the protest and...
Local woman starts sign campaign to welcome Arab neighbors
March 10th, 20171 I would invite them to spend the day with me and my family and take a tour of my neighborhood, take a tour of downtown Dearborn, go to East Dearborn, visit a mosque with me. Come meet my neighbors… see that they’re no different… Then you’ll never want to leave. DEARBORN — At first, local resident Jessica Woolley, 31, wanted...
Dearborn couple shares impact of inclusivity
March 10th, 20171 DEARBORN — If there's one policy people can learn from a couple living in Dearborn for more than 30 years, it would be inclusivity. John and Carol Bodary got married in 1984, the year Carol moved to Dearborn. However, John has been living in the city since he was born in 1930. Carol was born in 1937. "We both got a lot of...
Tanning: An ad for skin cancer?
March 6th, 20172 DEARBORN — People like to take care of their skin and look good no matter their age, but what if they're using procedures with serious health repercussions? In her article, "The Dangers of Tanning Beds", published at Doctoroz.com, Dr. Susan Evans revealed that the negative effects of tanning booths— which have been popular in the...
Lebanese American illustrator merges graphic design and comics
February 27th, 20170 DEARBORN — On Saturday, Feb. 25, Lebanese American graphic designer and illustrator Aya Krisht will deliver a talk called "Design in Comics" from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Arab American National Museum, where she works as the media designer. Krisht told The AANews that she has been fascinated by art and storytelling from a...
O’Reilly: Crime rates down, home values up and businesses being courted
February 27th, 20170 DEARBORN —Mayor Jack O'Reilly delivered his annual state of the city address through a five-part daily video series, Feb. 12-16, that discussed the successes and development of some of Dearborn's major components — the fire department, police department, economic development, neighborhoods and his vision for Dearborn's...
Poet Nathalie Handal: A global citizen rooted in Palestine
February 10th, 20173 NEW YORK, NY— Through her diverse experiences and approach to poetry, multicultural award-winning author Nathalie Handal metaphorically tears down borders. Her work embraces the world and connections— allowing her to be in Palestine even when she’s not physically there. Born in 1969 to Palestinian parents from Bethlehem, Handal...
Identity Politics: Denying and distorting Arab women’s experiences
February 10th, 20170 DEARBORN — Arab women have reached the summit of their education and careers, yet one perception prevails in many Westerners' minds— "They are oppressed." According to Arab American women, no one answers the question, "Who said so?" rationally or allows them to speak for themselves. Instead, Westerners use the news as their...
Islamic Center of America holds vigil for victims of Quebec mosque terror attack
February 10th, 20170 DEARBORN— Last Friday, the Islamic Center of America held a candlelight vigil to honor six worshippers killed in the Jan. 29 Quebec City mosque shooting. A small crowd gathered in the cold outside the ICA at 6:30 p.m. as dignitaries and community leaders spoke about the terror attack. “This week six of our brothers walked...
Palestinian artist reflects homeland’s struggles
January 29th, 20170 FAIRFAX, VA— Visual artist Manal Deeb uses her Palestinian heritage as a basis for her artwork— uncovering the many struggles of Palestinians while integrating Arabic calligraphy to show the influence culture and religion has on their lives. “My artwork presents a twist to modern art through a combination of digital art and...
Race politics: Racializing Islam and seeing beyond stereotypes
January 29th, 20170 DEARBORN— In today’s political climate, many people overlook the difference between the “religious” and the “fanatical”, as the media often hastily interlaces those terms when it comes to Islam. Western media have regularly designated persons who allegedly follow Islam and have committed atrocious crimes as Muslims in......
Lebanese-born game designer makes Forbes 30 under 30 list
January 19th, 20170 Beirut native Khaled Abdel-Rahman REDWOOD CITY— Beirut native Khaled Abdel-Rahman, who came to the U.S. on a student visa to earn his master’s degree in computer science from the University of Southern California, has made the 2017 Forbes 30 under 30 games list. Only 25-years-old, Abdel-Rahman has worked on the concept and design...
Former Dearborn residents share why they moved away
December 2nd, 20160 DEARBORN — Arab Americans living outside the eighth largest city in Michigan perceive it in both a somewhat positive and negative light. Many former Dearborn residents moved to nearby cities like Dearborn Heights, Northville, Bloomfield Hills, Livonia or townships like Canton. Others decided to move out of the state. When......
Small business empowers refugee women and breaks employment barriers
December 2nd, 20160 ANN ARBOR — A common emotion most mothers carry is hope— especially when carrying their babies in their wombs. They paint pictures of the future and attain strength from carrying that feeling, which Brea Albulov called "Hope Carried." When the mother of two started her home-based business a year and a half ago, she didn't know...
Refugee and immigrant students’ first Thanksgiving experience
November 24th, 20160 McCollough-Unis school teachers and students celebrating Thanksgiving. DEARBORN — When three refugee students were asked last Friday what they learned about the history of Thanksgiving, the best friends brawled and talked over each other— all trying to answer. They eventually agreed to let Sleiman Alaeddin, a...
Iraqi American woman teaches fellow hijabis self-defense
November 24th, 20160 Zaineb Abdulla - Photo by Brittany Palm CHICAGO — Following Donald Trump's election, hate crimes rocketed and Muslim women wearing the hijab felt it essential to learn self-defense or at least carry shielding products like pepper spray. Zaineb "Zee" Abdulla, a Chicago native, said she looked up a self-defense move...
Arab superstitions are hard to undo
November 18th, 20160 DEARBORN — Living in a city with a high percentage of Arab Americans can play a role in how prevalent superstitions are. According to the young, they're quite prevalent. If at tata's (grandma's) house, grandchildren playing together are destined to run into some here and there. "'You can't step over your little brother lying on......
Post Trump’s election: A spike in racism and hate crimes
November 18th, 20160 DEARBORN — A string of racist episodes and hate crimes broke out across America right after Donald Trump's presidential election on Nov. 8, causing minority groups to assemble in an effort to shield each other. To many citizens, the president-elect's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again", took the country back to its years of...
McCollough-Unis School holding winter clothing drive for refugee and new immigrant students
November 11th, 20160 Students from the outreach program working on a Halloween activity and learning about the holiday - Courtesy of Mariam Abadeh. DEARBORN — As Dearborn Public Schools receive more refugee and immigrant students, the Multi-Tiered System of Support team at McCollough-Unis School started a winter clothing drive through......
Dearborn voters elect Hussein Berry and Fadwa Hammoud to School Board
November 11th, 20160 DEARBORN — On Tuesday Nov. 8, voters elected real estate broker Hussein Berry and Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Fadwa Hammoud Dearborn School Board trustees. They came in first and second place, respectively. Berry received 16,303 votes and Hammoud received 15,913. Candidate Adel Mozip trailed behind with 11,195 votes and Khodr...
Palestinian graphic novelist merges art and activism to tell refugees’ stories
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN— Chicago-born Palestinian graphic novelist Leila Abdelrazaq is showcasing her work in an exhibition called “Drawing in the Diaspora” at the Arab American National Museum from Nov. 12 to April 19. The 24-year-old said she identifies as Palestinian because she feels inclined to do so as Israelis have continued to......
