Councilwoman Nancy Bryer seeks re-election this fall
June 20th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With election time fast approaching, Councilwoman Nancy Bryer is hoping to retain her seat on the council. Bryer was elected in 2021 and seeks to serve another four-year term. Having earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Tacoma Community College in Washington State, she previously served as...
Community celebrates Judge Mariam Bazzi’s historic elevation to the Michigan Court of Appeals
June 20th, 20250 DEARBORN — Before a large gathering of local officials and community leaders, the Bint Jebail Cultural Club in Dearborn hosted an honorary celebration on Wednesday for Judge Mariam Saad Bazzi, recently appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Bazzi, originally from the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil, made history in May as the...
Dearborn Police warn against illegal fireworks use during Independence Day celebrations
June 19th, 20251 DEARBORN – On Tuesday, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin issued a public safety message warning about the dangers of fireworks during upcoming Independence Day celebrations on July 4, highlighting stricter security measures and legal penalties, including fines for parents whose children violate fireworks laws. In a video message that...
Dearborn summer packed with community events: Local market, entertainment festival and outdoor movies
June 19th, 20250 DEARBORN – The city of Dearborn is hosting dozens of community events this summer, scheduled across weekends through late August. The lineup includes a summer market, outdoor movie screenings and the annual Dearborn Homecoming entertainment festival, which will take place August 1 to 3. According to city officials, the planned...
Arab American Civil Rights League celebrates its founding and confronts today’s challenges: “We remain committed to achieving justice”
June 6th, 20250 DEARBORN – Under the theme “Fight for Justice” the Arab-American Civil Rights League (ACRL) held its 13th Annual Gala at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, drawing a large crowd that included public officials, civil rights activists and representatives from numerous communities across Metro Detroit,...
Dearborn Heights police chief pledges full cooperation with investigation of alleged sexual assault charges against former sergeant
May 7th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Police officials were recently made aware of an incident that led to an officer sharing information regarding an alleged sexual assault that occurred between 2021 and 2022 at the Dearborn Heights Police Headquarters. The accused individual has not been employed by the department since 2023. Police Chief Ahmed...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Neighbors drive development at Brightmoor’s Eliza Howell Park
May 2nd, 20250 By Carole Hawke This past October, Brightmoor resident Marlin Franklin went camping in a unique spot– right in his own Detroit neighborhood at Eliza Howell Park. Accompanying him were his son and two grandchildren, and this was their first camping trip. Franklin, who is the digital manager for Brilliant Detroit and a Boy Scout...
Major General Hassan Ezzat Choucair reaffirms Lebanon’s stability despite regional unrest, urges diaspora to visit homeland
April 25th, 20250 “Lebanon is secure, resilient and open to its people”: Major General Hassan Ezzat Choucair emphasizes stability and reform in visit to MichiganThe director general of Lebanese General Security calls on the diaspora to return this summer, highlights cross-border security cooperation, modernization efforts and the evolving role of...
Gov. Whitmer elevates Judge Mariam Saad Bazzi to Court of Appeals, making her the state’s first Arab and Muslim appellate judge
April 25th, 20250 LANSING / DEARBORN – In a historic first for Michigan’s judicial system, Governor Whitmer appointed Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Mariam Saad Bazzi to the Michigan Court of Appeals- First District, making her the first Arab and Muslim American to serve on the appellate court in the state’s history. The historic appointment...
Lebanese general security chief visits Metro Detroit: Honored with warm reception and community tribute
April 25th, 20250 DEARBORN – The visit of Major General Hassan Ezzat Choucair, director general of Lebanese General Security, to the Detroit area last week was met with great enthusiasm. The trip, which spanned more than five days, included official meetings and community events that reflected the Lebanese American community’s deep appreciation for...
Student crackdown intensifies: Mahmoud Khalil’s case takes alarming turn as federal lawsuit filed in Michigan
April 18th, 20250 A sweeping federal crackdown on international students has intensified, with the U.S. government canceling the visas of approximately 1,000 current and recent foreign graduates from American universities. Among them is Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate, whose potential deportation...
Resilient Neighborhoods: East Side seniors better equipped to age in place with home repair grants and education
April 18th, 20250 By Allison Torres Burtka Seniors in Detroit often face challenges maintaining older homes. The nonprofit organization U SNAP BAC (which stands for United Streets Networking And Planning: Building A Community), on Detroit’s East Side, created a program to help with home repairs and to address needs that it often sees among the...
American Muslim imams urge President Trump to stop the war on Gaza
April 18th, 20250 DETROIT – In an emotionally and morally charged open letter, the "Coalition of Imams for Supporting Trump for President" made a heartfelt plea to President Trump, urging him to take a decisive ethical and political stance on the worsening humanitarian tragedy in Gaza due to Israel's ongoing assault on the...
CAIR accuses Wayne State University police of discrimination against Arab and Muslim students
April 18th, 20250 DETROIT — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) has filed a formal complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), accusing Wayne State University (WSU) campus police of racial and religious discrimination against Arab and Muslim students. The complaint follows a pro-Palestinian...
Arab American child struck and killed by ice cream truck in Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood
April 18th, 20250 DETROIT — A tragic accident in Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood has left the Arab American community in mourning after Mubarak Walid, a 6-year-old boy, was fatally struck by an ice cream truck Monday evening. According to Detroit Police Department Capt. Shannon Hampton, the incident occurred around 7 p.m. at the intersection of......
Dearborn attorney detained at Detroit Metro Airport after family vacation; CBP questioned him about clients and attempted to seize his phone
April 11th, 20250 A brief family vacation turned into a harrowing experience for Dearborn-based Arab American attorney Amir Makled, 38, when federal agents detained him at Detroit Metropolitan Airport upon his return from the Dominican Republic. Makled, who specializes in criminal defense and civil rights cases, was subjected to extensive questioning and...
Know Your Rights: CAIR releases educational guide for dealing with ICE officers
April 11th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under the title “Know Your Rights”, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently published an educational guide outlining what to do when interacting with officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies. CAIR said in a statement that the guide......
Four Hamtramck City Council members under investigation for election fraud
April 11th, 20250 Four of the six members of the Hamtramck City Council, along with a former member, are under criminal investigation for conspiracy and election fraud related to the illegal acquisition of absentee ballots. This is according to official documents recently released by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which requested the...
Ahmed Moneka becomes first Iraqi to be nominated for Canadian Juno Award
April 9th, 20250 DEARBORN — Ahmed Moneka, who currently resides in Toronto, has become the first Iraqi to be nominated for a Canadian Juno Award. The Juno Awards are the highest form of honor and recognition in the music industry in Canada. Moneka was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq and fed off of his rich Sufi African heritage for inspiration...
Abdul El-Sayed resigns as Wayne County public health director ahead of potential 2026 U.S. Senate run in Michigan
April 9th, 20250 ANN ARBOR – Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, director of the Wayne County public health department, has officially resigned from his position in preparation for a potential run for the U.S. Senate in 2026. Democratic Senator Gary Peters has announced he will not seek re-election, creating an open field for his seat. In comments to the Detroit...
Religious leaders, human rights activists urge Wayne State University officials to protect students supporting Palestinian rights
April 4th, 20250 DETROIT – On Wednesday, religious leaders and human rights activists in Michigan sent an open letter to Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy and members of the university’s Board of Governors, expressing deep concern over what they described as repressive campaigns targeting students protesting acts of genocide in......
Community holds fundraiser for Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ 2026 re-election campaign
April 4th, 20250 DEARBORN – Friends of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, led by Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe, organized a well attended fundraising event last Thursday evening at La Pita Banquet Center in Dearborn in support of Evans’ 2026 reelection campaign. The event drew an impressive crowd of public officials, elected leaders, business...
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......
