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...
CAIR-MI welcomes federal court decision allowing lawsuit against Oakland County sheriff for forcing Muslim woman to remove her hijab
January 31st, 20250 The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) has welcomed a federal court ruling in Detroit, allowing a lawsuit to proceed against the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office on behalf of a Muslim woman who was forced to remove her hijab during her arrest in 2023. The Sheriff’s Office attempted to have the...
Dearborn Heights appoints fourth new police chief in three years, mayor accused of violating police union contracts
January 30th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — After a nearly six-hour City Council meeting on Jan. 28, Mayor Bill Bazzi appointed a new police chief, the city’s fourth in just under three years. Bazzi confirmed in a press release that Officer Ahmed Haider will assume command of the Dearborn Heights Police Department as the acting chief while the city...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Detroiters helping each other: “It’s just straight groundwork.”
January 30th, 20250 By Amy Kuras Metro Detroit is blessed with a community of incredible people creating a better world for all of us. They range from highly professional funders and executives crafting strategies to ameliorate complicated social problems, to the hands-on staffers that carry out those plans, at organizations small and large. And then...Mayor Bill Bazzi raises concerns over treasurer’s performance
January 19th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi has raised concerns over the performance of Treasurer Lisa Hicks-Clayton and her ability to accurately conduct city business. According to a press release issued by the city, a Jan. 6 communication was sent to members of the City Council where Bazzi had expressed concerns over issues raised in the...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Seniors A Go-Go keeps Brightmoor seniors engaged
January 15th, 20250 By Julie R. Riddle In the Detroit neighborhood of Brightmoor, a group of pole dancing, crime-fighting, take-no-guff seniors believes their twilight years are for having fun, not sitting still. Organizers started Seniors A Go-Go, a project of the Brightmoor Alliance, a few years ago, after a Brightmoor resident lost patience with...
Michigan officially celebrates “Muslim American Heritage Month” for the first time this month
January 10th, 20250 LANSING – In a historic move highlighting the contributions of American Muslims to the history and culture of the United States, Governor Whitmer declared January as "Muslim American Heritage Month" for the first time in the state’s history. The Democratic governor’s announcement comes as part of growing recognition of the......
Tale of Two Cities scheduled to outline 2025 visions for Dearborn, Dearborn Heights
January 7th, 20250 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual “A Tale of Two Cities” luncheon for both Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi to outline their 2025 visions. The two mayors will address local business leaders and the public at the event, which is presented by Comcast...
Memorial service planned for former Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr.
January 7th, 20250 DEARBORN — A public memorial service to honor former Mayor John “Jack” B. O’Reilly Jr. has been scheduled for Feb. 1. The former mayor passed away at 76-years-old on Jan. 1. O’Reilly became mayor in 2007 when former Mayor Michael Guido died of pancreatic cancer and he was elected to full terms in 2009, 2013 and 2017.......
2024 a year of political, social and cultural milestones for local Arab Americans
January 4th, 20250 Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Lebanese activities continue amid regional conflicts with Israeli invasion of Gaza At the beginning of 2024, activities supporting the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples continued in the Dearborn area, mirroring similar events from the previous year. These activities were organized alongside Israel's aggressive...Former Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr. dies at 76
January 1st, 20250 DEARBORN — Former Mayor John “Jack” B. O’Reilly Jr. passed away on Jan. 1 at the age of 76 according to a Facebook post from the city that had been shared from O’Reilly’s son, Devon. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John B. O’Reilly Jr., who died peacefully January 1st, 2025 listening to his...
Resilient Neighborhoods: O’Hair Park: From a “terrible waste of land” to a neighborhood treasure
December 30th, 20240 By Jaishree Drepaul For some Detroiters, the houses in their neighborhoods are more than just brick and mortar puzzled together. They're a complex Rubik's Cube of community challenges, historical and current, and of resilience over time. This is especially true for many people living in the city's O'Hair Park neighborhood, where today...
Arab American entrepreneur Nora Farhat flourishes with franchises
December 30th, 20240 Being a multi-brand business owner takes a lot of work. Metro Detroit-based Arab American entrepreneur Nora Farhat franchises with finesse. Farhat started her career working at an automotive supplies company while earning her bachelor’s degree in technical and professional communications from the University of Michigan. She has......
Resilient Neighborhoods: Keeping Detroit homes in the family for future generations
December 30th, 20240 By Sarah Williams Poppy red stairs splash from the white house. Planters of brilliant geraniums hang. A front porch stretches wide to offer shade and swing. It’s a place to call home, all right. In the yard, Jeanine gardens to keep ancestors happy. Digging in the dirt is her least favorite thing, but the generations of women who...
Trump’s picks of pro-Israel “dream team” worry some Arab and Muslim Americans who voted for him
December 13th, 20240 Just weeks after winning several of the nation’s largest Arab-majority cities, President-elect Trump has filled top administration posts with staunch Israel supporters, including an ambassador to Israel who has claimed “there is no such thing as Palestinians.” The selections have prompted mixed reactions among Arab Americans and......
White House releases U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate
December 13th, 20240 On Thursday, the White House released the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate. The Strategy was developed through a whole-of-government collaboration with a broad range of civil society partners to describe and address the bias, discrimination and threats Muslim and Arab Americans have long faced....
Dearborn Heights appoints Hussein Farhat interim police chief
December 12th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Mayor Bill Bazzi has announced that Dearborn Heights Deputy Police Chief Hussein Farhat will be appointed interim police chief effective Jan. 6. This appointment comes with the resignation of current interim Police Chief Kevin Swope, who has accepted a similar position in another city. Swope had been appointed......
