Zeina Jaafar
Author's Posts
Trump wins presidential election; Arab American voters speak: turning points in Michigan’s general election as Harris loses the state
November 9th, 20243 Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States after receiving 295 electoral college votes, while Vice President Harris won 226. A candidate needs 270 votes to win the presidency. Winning in several swing states, including Michigan, Trump will begin his second presidential term Jan. 20. As of press time, with...
SMART offering free rides on Election Day
November 4th, 20240 WHAT: On Election Day, November 5, SMART will offer FREE transit service to all riders throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties. This initiative aims to eliminate transportation barriers and support voter participation by ensuring access to the polls for all individuals. SMART will provide free rides on the following services: ...
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office promotes two Arab American officers, recruits two others
November 4th, 20240 DETROIT — The Wayne County Sheriff's Office, a diverse body of law enforcement officials, recently promoted two Arab American officers — Ali Mazloum and Milad Fadlallah — and also recruited two other Arab Americans, Agadeer Khadker and Hadi Hammoud. Mazloum, a Lebanese American, began working with the Sheriff's Office in 1999 as...
The booming coffee culture in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights
October 26th, 20240 The sound of coffee brewing and the hum of chatter can be heard in coffee shops across Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. Dearborn, Michigan is home to the largest concentration of Arabs outside of the Middle East and a special facet of Arab culture is coffee. Various Arab Americans in the Dearborn community have ventured into their own...
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie says U.S. taxpayers should not be funding Israel’s strikes on civilians in Lebanon
October 23rd, 20240 U.S. Rep Thomas Massie of Kentucky declared via the social media platform X that the United States should not be funding Israel's campaign of targeting civilian structures in Lebanon. Massie posted his thoughts on X alongside a video clip of an Israeli missile hitting and destroying a residential building in Lebanon. In his post he...
U.S. organizing flights to evacuate American citizens out of Lebanon as Israeli airstrikes intensify
October 14th, 20240 WASHINGTON D.C. — The U.S. State Department continues its efforts to evacuate American citizens out of Lebanon amid escalations between Israel and Hezbollah. During State Department press briefings with spokesperson Matthew Miller on October 8 and 9, discussion regarding the U.S.' efforts to evacuate American citizens out of Lebanon...
Palestinian-Egyptian couple with a story of triumph honored with philanthropy award
October 8th, 20240 In October 1954, a backpack was the only thing Michael Kardoush had to show for 18 years of life in his home country, Palestine, under occupation by Israel after it was established as a new state. On the cusp of adulthood, he faced an incredibly tough decision: flee his home and make the trek into a completely new country by foot, or...
Dearborn man and father of four killed by Israeli strike in Lebanon; bombardment worsens, displacing and killing hundreds
October 4th, 20240 Lebanon continues to be subjected to bombardment by Israeli missiles that have resulted in innocent civilians killed and city infrastructure destroyed. Beirut, the capital, has been heavily hit with an onslaught of airstrikes since Israel began targeting Lebanon amid its war with Hezbollah. As infrastructure is destroyed and...
Michigan judge temporarily blocks shipment of radioactive waste to Van Buren Township landfill
September 20th, 20240 A Wayne County Circuit judge has temporarily halted a shipment of radioactive waste from New York headed to a waste landfill in Van Buren Township. Judge Kevin Cox was able to issue a temporary restraining order that halts Wayne Disposal Inc. from receiving shipments of the World War II-era radioactive soil. Cox signed the injunction two...
Suspect charged in second assassination attempt against former President Trump
September 20th, 20240 Former President Trump was the target in what the FBI believes to be an attempted assassination. While Trump was golfing at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday, Secret Service agents fired shots at a man after seeing his rifle in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club. Trump was reported unharmed and safe....
124 countries vote for resolution in U.N. General Assembly, calling on Israel to end its occupation in the Palestinian Territory
September 20th, 20241 The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a Palestinian-drafted resolution that demands Israel end its "unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility, and do so no later than 12 months." The resolution received 124...
Overtime Athletics Detroit celebrated its grand opening in the heart of Dearborn
August 30th, 20240 Overtime Athletics Detroit celebrated its grand opening on Sunday, August 25. The franchise owners, Ali Kassab and Dina Elzein, celebrated with friends, family and community members. Local representatives were also in attendance, including Dearborn Heights Councilman Mo Baydoun and individuals from the Dearborn Chamber of...
Dearborn Heights appoints new director of public works
August 17th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi announced the addition of John Danci as the city’s new director of public works, effective immediately. Danci is a 10-year veteran of the public works profession – most recently serving as public works director for Sumpter Township. Prior to that position, he held several public...
Canton man shot and killed following confrontation with neighbor
August 17th, 20240 CANTON — A resident of Canton Township was shot and killed during a confrontation with a neighbor, reports state. The Michigan GOP identified him as Nathan Morris, 35. In a statement released by the RNC National Committeewoman Hima Kolanagireddy, shared on the Michigan GOP's X account, Morris was taking a walk in his neighborhood...
The new Community College Guarantee scholarship covers Henry Ford College students’ in-district tuition
August 10th, 20240 DEARBORN — Beginning this fall, most Michigan high school students from the classes of 2023 and 2024 will be eligible for the Community College Guarantee. This new state-funded program covers in-district tuition for students to attend a community college and earn a degree or certificate. This opens another pathway to a valuable,......
Who is Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ pick for vice president?
August 9th, 20241 Vice President Kamala Harris has selected her VP pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The pair made their debut at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, August 6. Harris shared her pride on X, stating, "As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the...
Belal Muhammad becomes first MMA fighter of Palestinian descent to win UFC title
August 6th, 20240 Belal Muhammad has become the first mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of Palestinian origin to win a UFC title. Beating English champion Leon Edwards and snatching away his welterweight crown, Muhammad is the first to defeat Edwards since 2015, according to reports. Muhammad, 36, was born to Palestinian immigrants in Chicago. He......
Dearborn’s Ford Community and Performing Arts Center fitness facility to undergo renovations
August 2nd, 20240 DEARBORN — Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud and the city of Dearborn announced plans for extensive renovations to the city’s Ford Community and Performing Arts Center fitness facilities, located at 15801 Michigan Avenue. Renovations got underway this month. Renovations involve both equipment and design improvements, as well as facility...
Al Jazeera journalist and cameraman killed in Israeli strike
August 2nd, 20240 Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza strip, according to Al Jazeera. Their deaths mark nearly 113 journalists or media workers killed since the violence between Israel and Hamas began, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ...
Painting by the late Egyptian artist Zahran Salama on display in the Michigan State Capitol
July 30th, 20240 A painting by the late Egyptian artist Zahran Salama has made its way to the walls of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. Salama, born in Menofia, Governate of Egypt, painted "Ibn al-Balad" in 1985. That painting now sits in Representative Abraham Aiyash's office. Aiyash, the first Arab American majority leader in the State...
Michigan high school graduates can now attend local community colleges for free
July 13th, 20240 LANSING — Michigan high school graduates can now attend their local community college for free as part of the Michigan Guarantee. Governor Whitmer proposed this idea in her 2024 State of the State address in January and it now reality for high school graduates. A part of Michigan's $19 billion school aid budget, this is estimated......
Dearborn native Ahmad Hider making his mark on the world of medicine
July 11th, 20240 DEARBORN — Dearborn native Ahmad Hider is leading an accomplished and decorated academic and professional career. Hider, a general surgery resident at the University of Colorado and the first in his family to graduate from college, received his B.S. in biomolecular science from the University of Michigan, where he also attended...
Severely sick children medically evacuated from Gaza to seek treatment
July 5th, 20240 A medical evacuation occurred in the Gaza strip for the first time since the area of Rafah and its crossing was seized by Israel, as a group of sick children and their companions were evacuated from the region through the Keres Shalom cargo crossing, reports state. The war that has raged on since October 2023 has decimated parts of Gaza,......
A report finds 41 percent of Michigan residents facing poverty and financial struggles
June 22nd, 20240 A report released by the Michigan Association of United Ways in partnership with United for ALICE, the Consumers Energy Foundation and local United Ways throughout the state shows 41 percent of Michigan residents are living in poverty or financially struggling. This report assesses how the economic conditions influence people using...
MMA fighter Abe Alsaghir achieves first pro title, winning the Lights Out Championship
June 19th, 20241 Dearborn Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Abe Alsaghir achieved a pivotal win in his latest fight. The Lights Out Championship, fought by Alsaghir against Jimmy Sandlin, took place at Hype Athletic Center in Wayne. The fight was scheduled for five rounds. Alsaghir stopped the fight in the second round due to a technical knockout......
