Art & Culture

Palestinian American YouTuber stars in ‘Madea’ movie

October 24th, 20160 CALIFORNIA - YouTube star Yousef Erakat, better known as “FouseyTube," has nabbed a break on the big screen. The 26-year-old Palestinian-American social media giant can now add ‘actor’ to this resume, as he stars in ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween,’ the latest installment in the Tyler Perry franchise centered around the gun-toting...

Naked Hillary Clinton statue removed from New York street

October 20th, 20160 A statue of a bare-breasted and goat-legged Hillary Clinton being groped caused a confrontation in downtown New York before police ordered it removed. The statue, which depicts the Democratic presidential nominee with her breasts bared while being assaulted by an unknown bald man — thought by some to represent a generic Wall Street...

Morgan Freeman attends Shia Muslim ceremony

October 14th, 20160 LONDON — Photos have been circulating on Twitter of Hollywood giant Morgan Freeman attending a commemoration ceremony for Shia Muslims in London. Freeman was pictured sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by worshippers marking Ashura, a major festival for Shia Muslims. He was attending the ceremony at Al-Khoei Foundation,...

Local makeup artists use Instagram as a platform for business

October 14th, 20160 @beautybitexoDEARBORN — The modest history of makeup in America has transformed into a booming industry for cosmetic companies and makeup artists.  Recently, makeup artistry has become increasingly widespread as social media sites like Instagram and YouTube have enabled individuals to share their talents, generate clientele and...

Child “terrorist” Halloween costume causes outrage

October 11th, 20160 IRELAND - A “child terrorist” Halloween costume has been withdrawn from sale after numerous customers complained it was offensive. The outfits were being sold for £15 at a Halloween pop-up shop in the Diamond Shopping Centre in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They included a shirt, vest, pants and...

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih announces pregnancy

October 4th, 20160 LOS ANGELES  - Former Miss USA Rima Fakih announced she was pregnant on the front cover of Marie Claire Arabia.Fakih, 31, a former Dearborn resident, tied the knot in Lebanon in May to music producer Wassim Salibi, 35. Salibi is the manager of Grammy award winning R&B singer The Weeknd. Fakih made...

Muslim woman on cover of U.S. fitness magazine

September 28th, 20160 FARMINGTON HILLS - 33-year-old Rahaf Khatib has become the first Muslim woman in a hijab to pose on the front cover of a fitness magazine. Women's Running has a strong recent history of groundbreaking covers, and its October issue is no different with Khatib on the cover.Khatib had emailed the magazine and mentioned the lack of...

Muslim woman faces backlash for appearing in Playboy magazine

September 25th, 20160 American Journalist Noor Tagouri usually sees negative comments on social media from Islamophobes who take issue with her hijab. But now the 22-year-old is taking some heat from her own Muslim community. Tagouri appears in Playboy magazine’s October “Renegades” issue wearing her hijab proudly. Tagouri is depicted fully clothed,...

Jazz music meets the Middle East in “Arab-esque” Detroit concert

September 23rd, 20160 DETROIT- Detroit’s funky jazz scene is colliding with the aesthetics and music of the Arab world in a must see event for music and arts lovers. The event, titled “In Transit Detroit-Arab-esque,” will take Sean Blackman’s monthly “In Transit Detroit” concert series, hosted on the last Thursday of every month at the Garden...

Celebrities launch ‘We Are Not Afraid’ refugee campaign

September 23rd, 20160 LONDON — More than 175 world renowned artists including Sting, Robert Plant and Elvis Costello, have joined forces to back a song that supports greater action to address the global refugee crisis, campaign organizers said on Monday. The royalties from "We Are Not Afraid" will be divided between the International Rescue Committee –...

Egyptian American actor Rami Malek wins Emmy

September 19th, 20160 Rami Malek (Reuters)LOS ANGELES — Egyptian American actor Rami Malek beat veterans Kevin Spacey and Liev Schreiber to scoop the Outanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for playing a socially inept computer hacker in "Mr. Robot.""Oh my god. Please tell me you are seeing this too," said a stunned Malek, 35.Sunday's Emmys were...

Muslim rapper depicts journey to Hajj

September 16th, 20160 LOUISIANA - Rapper Kevin Gates is grabbing attention on social media for depicting his journey to becoming a devout Muslim. Gates, a Louisiana born rapper known for his hit single “2 Phones,” recently traveled to Hajj with his wife. Gates posted a video to Instagram of himself and his wife approaching the Black Stone. He...

Muslim woman aims to get Hijab emoji approved

September 13th, 20160 BERLIN - Rayouf Alhumedhi, a 15-year-old Berlin teen originally from Saudi Arabia, is aiming to get developers to approve a Hijab emoji. According to a story published by washable.com, Alhumedhi drafted a proposal featuring a hijab to the emoji subcommittee of the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit organization that develops and promotes...

Iraqi American photojournalist documents the journey of refugees in Metro Detroit

September 2nd, 20160 Iraqi boy grilling fish - Photo by Salwan Georges. DETROIT — Over the years, wars and abysmal living conditions in Middle Eastern countries have displaced 60 million people from their homes. The refugees' struggles to get to Western countries and start over is documented regularly in photographs and videos in hopes...

Post Civil war era film shoots at Greenfield Village

August 26th, 20160 DEARBORN — A film production used Greenfield Village's unique and historic scenery as a backdrop for its post Civil War-era plotline.  "Akoma", a short film shot around the metro Detroit region with the assistance of local producers, actors and crew-members, recently wrapped its shoot after a summer production that highlighted...

Local renaissance woman strives to make art accessible

August 19th, 20160 Suha with her painting 'The Other Side'.DEARBORN — As henna and makeup artists continue to flourish in the community, more and more young women decide to put their talent to work and showcase it on social media, gaining fans around the world. Suha Suleiman, a freelance henna and makeup artist in Dearborn, is one of many who...

Will Smith speaks out against Trump, Islamophobia

August 9th, 20160 DUBAI — Will Smith was in the Middle East promoting the movie ‘‘Suicide Squad’ in Dubai when he made comments about Donald Trump and rising Islamophobia in the U.S.‘‘In terms of Islamophobia in America, for me that’s why it’s important to show up,’’ he said.He encouraged local film makers and producers to find more...

Daesh Girl: A film about love

July 1st, 20160 NEW YORK — In the global fight against terrorism, drowning in the noise of political rhetoric, fear-inducing news and bullet-firing drones, an arguably more effective – and certainly a creative – method of uniting people in the muddled battle against extremism is film. A Saudi-American filmmaker, Abdul Almutairi, aims to do just...

Muhammad Ali, boxing icon, dead at 74

June 4th, 20160 Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose record-setting boxing career, flair for showmanship and political stands made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, died on Friday aged 74. Ali, who had long suffered from Parkinson's syndrome which impaired his speech and made the once-graceful athlete almost a...

Muslim rapper Belly & The Weeknd cancel TV performance over Trump

May 28th, 20160 NEW YORK— Muslim rapper Belly, a Canadian of Palestinian origin, cancelled a coveted appearance on a late-night US television show as a protest against fellow guest Donald Trump. Belly had been due to perform his hit single “Might Not” with R&B sensation The Weeknd on Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the...

Library cardholders offered discounted and free passes to Michigan parks

May 19th, 20160 LANSING — Library card holders statewide can once again get free or discounted access to hundreds of Michigan's state parks, historic sites, cultural attractions, campgrounds and recreation areas through the second annual Michigan Activity Pass program.  The initiative is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the...

Rima Fakih’s star-studded Lebanon wedding

May 16th, 20161 Fakih with husband Salibi and R&B singer The Weeknd.LEBANON  - Former Miss USA Rima Fakih has finally tied the knot in Lebanon to music producer Wassim Salibi on Sunday, May 15.The star-studded event included attendance by R&B singer The Weeknd, Rapper French Montana and Lebanese Singers Haifa...

Rapper 2 Chainz releases bold video defending Muslims

May 14th, 20160 LOS ANGELES - Rapper 2 Chainz gets takes a stand with Muslim Americans in his new music video for his song “100 Joints.” The video is a response to people like Donald Trump who accuse Muslims of being a threat to the country.  The clip opens with the Republican presidential candidate's controversial statements about Muslims,...