Community holds fundraiser for Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ 2026 re-election campaign
April 4th, 20250 DEARBORN – Arab American community leaders, under the leadership of Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe, held a fundraising event Thursday at La Pita Banquet Center in Dearborn to support County Executive Warren Evans' 2026 re-election campaign. Evans is seeking a fourth four-year term. The event drew a large crowd of...
Governor Whitmer declares April as Arab American Heritage Month in Michigan; Trump ignores it nationally
April 4th, 20250 LANSING – On Tuesday, for the fifth consecutive year, Governor Whitmer announced that April will be recognized as Arab American Heritage Month in the state. This designation celebrates the contributions of Arab Americans to Michigan's culture and economy. In stark contrast, President Trump has refrained from officially recognizing the...
Dearborn sees major drop in overdose cases and drug deaths in 2024
March 29th, 20250 Last week , the city of Dearborn announced a significant decline in drug overdose cases and related deaths during the year 2024. According to new data, overdose incidents dropped by 34 percent—from 93 cases in 2023 to 61 cases in 2024 — while overdose-related deaths fell by 43 percent, from 14 to just 8 fatalities in the same...
Florida man sentenced to 18 months for threatening Michigan Islamic organization
March 28th, 20250 Last week, a federal court in Detroit sentenced 73-year-old Michael Shapiro, a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, to 18 months in prison for threatening the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its staff in late 2023. According to court records, Shapiro left six threatening and profanity-laced...
Dearborn youth feed the hungry during Ramadan by turning leftover iftar meals into acts of compassion
March 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – During the holy month of Ramadan, a volunteer initiative in Dearborn has attracted national attention after the Associated Press published a report on a local youth-led organization that collects leftover food from Arab American iftar dinners and redistributes it nightly to the homeless in nearby Detroit. According to the...
$20,000 reward offered in road rage killing of 19-year-old Rawan Baseti
March 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – A month after the tragic death of 19-year-old Rawan Baseti in a fatal shooting that followed a road rage incident, Dearborn police — alongside the crime-fighting organization Crime Stoppers — announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of her killer. The announcement came during a press conference...
Federal judge transfers case of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil out of Louisiana to New Jersey court in positive legal turn
March 21st, 20250 On Wednesday, in a positive development in the case of the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leading figures in the protest movement on U.S. college campuses against the Israeli war on Gaza, a federal judge ordered the case to be transferred to a court in New Jersey from Louisiana, the hardline state chosen by the Trump...
Detroit to add 679 area code in November, marking end of 313-only dialing era
March 21st, 20250 DETROIT – Starting November 7, phone service providers in the Detroit area will begin issuing phone numbers with the new 679 area code, as the historic 313 area code nears exhaustion, according to a statement issued by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MSPC) on Monday. The agency announced that the 679 code will serve the same...
Official and community iftar dinners in the Dearborn area promote Islamic values and compassion during the holy month of Ramadan
March 21st, 20250 DEARBORN, DEARBORN HEIGHTS – During the blessed month of Ramadan, numerous official and community iftar dinners took place in the Dearborn area after a period of intermittent pause in such activities in recent years due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the Israeli wars on Gaza and Lebanon, which heavily...
Trump nominates Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi to be U.S. ambassador to Tunisia
March 15th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a move seen as a reward for his support during Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump announced on March 11, on his Truth Social platform, the nomination of Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi as the United States ambassador to Tunisia. The appointment requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Bazzi,...
Trump nominates Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib to be the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait
March 15th, 20251 WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump has nominated Amer Ghalib, the Yemeni American mayor of Hamtramck, to be the next U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, rewarding him for his support of Trump’s successful bid to return to the White House in the November 2024 presidential election. In an announcement on his Truth Social account on Friday,...
CAIR reports increase of hate against Arab and Muslim Americans, amid war on Gaza and anti-Israel occupation protests
March 15th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported a 7.4 percent increase in discrimination and attacks against Muslim and Arab Americans in 2024 compared to the previous year, detailing crackdowns on university students protesting in support of Palestine. The annual report, titled "Unconstitutional...
Mayor Bill Bazzi appointed as Ambassador to Tunisia by President Trump
March 12th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - President Donald Trump has appointed Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia. In a social media post, Trump said that he was pleased to announce Bazzi as the ambassador. “Bazzi is a decorated U.S. Marine, who honorably served our country for 21 years,...
“Mina’s Ramadan Adventure” – A children’s book by three Dearborn students, now available on Amazon
March 7th, 20250 DEARBORN – On the eve of Ramadan, three students from Dearborn Public Schools celebrated the signing of their children's book about a young girl attempting to fast during the holy month. The book, titled Mina's Ramadan Adventure, is now available on Amazon. The project began last year as a school assignment by two Muslim American...
Iraqi American man’s heroic intervention thwarts armed robbery attempt in Ypsilanti
March 7th, 20250 YPSILANTI – With remarkable courage and composure, an Iraqi American man successfully thwarted an armed robbery attempt at a juice store in Ypsilanti on the evening of Friday, February 28. He managed to disarm the perpetrator and pin him to the ground before allowing him to leave, leading to his later......
Dearborn mayoral race: GOP-backed Almudhegi steps in, another candidate disqualified over felony record
February 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – The race for the 2025 Dearborn mayoral election is taking shape as Yemeni American activist Nagi Almudhegi becomes the first potential challenger to incumbent Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. The election will also determine the city clerk and all seven City Council seats. Although the Dearborn mayoral position is nonpartisan,...
Dearborn Police crack down on vehicles with tinted front windows, give more than 850 citations in three months
February 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – In an effort to enhance public safety, the Dearborn Police Department has been conducting an ongoing traffic enforcement campaign for more than three months, targeting drivers with illegally tinted front windows. Since December 26, police have issued nearly 850 citations to violators. Police Chief Issa Shahin emphasized......
Young Arab American woman killed in road rage shooting incident near Dearborn-Detroit border
February 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – A 19-year-old Arab American woman was tragically shot and killed following a road rage altercation with another vehicle at approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, February 21. According to police, the victim, Rawan Mohamed Baseti, a resident of Dearborn Heights, was driving a black 2018 Jeep Cherokee with two female friends when...
Ramadan: Contemplation and reflections on wealth inequalities, poverty, wastage and famine.
February 28th, 20250 The sighting of the crescent moon on February 28 signifies the commencement of Ramadan, a sacred month of fasting observed by billions of Muslims around the globe. Ramadan is a period of spiritual reflection, fostering a sense of responsibility, discipline, control over evil desires, communal prayers, acts of generosity and family...
Arab American youth killed due to reckless driving
February 21st, 20250 DEARBORN — A young Arab American from Dearborn lost his life after his car overturned on Southfield Freeway in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon. According to the Michigan State Police, the 19-year-old driver was ejected from his seat and became trapped in the front window of the overturned car, which came to rest beneath the bridge wall...
Hamtramck mayor and three City Councilmen attended Trump’s inauguration at taxpayers’ expense
February 21st, 20250 HAMTRAMCK – Mayor Amer Ghalib and three other City Councilmen faced growing criticism last week over their attendance at President Trump’s inauguration last month, after it was revealed that their trip cost the city’s taxpayers at least $9,662, as reported by the Detroit News. Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request,......
Arab Americans reject Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians in Gaza: A call for ethnic cleansing
February 14th, 20250 President Trump’s remarks about taking control of Gaza and resettling its population in neighboring Arab countries under the pretext of achieving lasting peace in the Palestinian occupied territories have sparked widespread condemnation and rejection both inside and outside the United States. Many human rights organizations, civil...
Arab American honored in Dearborn Heights for heroic act
February 7th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – On Monday, in the presence of Mayor Bill Bazzi and Fire Chief David Brogan, an Arab American man who works at a restaurant in the northern part of the city received the "Citizen Award" at City Hall for his heroic efforts in saving the life of a driver trapped inside a burning vehicle following a traffic accident on......
Dearborn honors Police Chief Issa Shahin in a grand ceremony
February 7th, 20250 DEARBORN – The Arab American community in Dearborn honored the city’s police chief, Issa Shahin, at a special dinner held last Friday evening at the La Pita Restaurant Banquet Hall. Businessmen Ali Jawad and Shaker Aoun and The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani organized the event, attended by a large gathering of...
Dearborn honors social media activist and educator Hussein Hachem for serving Arab American communities
February 7th, 20250 DEARBORN – In a gesture reflecting the city of Dearborn’s appreciation for the role of media in shaping community awareness and strengthening communication among Arab American communities, the Dearborn City Council honored social media activist and educator Hussein Hachem and the What’s Up Media Network last week. The recognition......
