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...
Dearborn announces grants to beautify commercial buildings’ façades on Warren Ave., applications open until January 24
December 6th, 20240 DEARBORN – As part of its efforts to enhance and redesign Warren Ave. in northeast Dearborn, the city’s Economic Development Department, in collaboration with the Warren Business District Improvement Authority (WBDIA), announced the launch of a grant program Tuesday, aimed at improving commercial façades along the bustling street...
Amir Ali makes history as the first Arab American Muslim appointed to the federal bench
November 29th, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Egyptian American lawyer Amir Ali recently made U.S. history by becoming the first Arab American Muslim appointed to the federal bench. This milestone comes as part of a broader push by Senate Democrats to finalize judicial appointments before losing control of the chamber in January. On November 20, the U.S....
Taylor woman charged with second-degree murder in the crash that killed Dr. Ghada Mustapha
November 29th, 20240 A woman from Taylor has been charged with second-degree murder in the car crash that killed 33-year-old Dr. Ghada Mustapha from Dearborn, according to a Wayne County Prosecutor's Office press release. On July 19, just before 8 a.m., Felecia Sunshine Lazo's car crashed into Mustapha's pickup truck while driving at an extremely high...
Lielle Saad appointed as new director of Dearborn Heights Community and Economic Development Department
November 29th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Mayor Bill Bazzi has announced the appointment of digital marketing specialist Lielle Saad as the new director of the city's Community and Economic Development Department (CEDD). Bazzi expressed optimism about Saad's ability to advance the department in alignment with the city’s goals and the needs of its residents......
From Dearborn to Washington: Calls to expedite implementation of a national law preventing drunk drivers from operating vehicles
November 22nd, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a push to expedite the implementation of new legislation aimed at preventing drunk drivers from operating vehicles, activist Rana Abbas Taylor from Michigan joined a sit-in alongside members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and U.S. lawmakers. The group urged swift enforcement of the new law, set to take...
Resilient Neighborhood: Dearborn Mayor Hammoud inaugurates second Peace Park in East Dearborn, with a third under construction
November 22nd, 20240 DEARBORN – In the presence of community leaders and local officials, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud inaugurated the second Peace Park in East Dearborn on Friday, November 15. This park is part of a city project to establish three public parks under the name PEACE Parks, which stands for Parks Equality and Access to Civic......
Zaman International featured in Giving Machines in Campus Martius Park
November 19th, 20240 DETROIT - Zaman International is one of five Detroit-area nonprofit organizations featured in the Giving Machines in downtown Detroit. The Giving Machines, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints work as “reverse vending machines,” allowing users to give rather than receive and items can be donated to people...
Dearborn native runs in NYC marathon
November 19th, 20240 DEARBORN - Zahraa Boussi, a local social worker and teacher, was selected by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to be part of its Team TCS Teachers program and to run in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. Boussi, whose parents immigrated from Bint Jbeil, Lebanon in the late 1970s, took up running to lead a healthier lifestyle and...
Dearborn couple get married at Zaman’s 15th Annual Run Walk Picnic
November 19th, 20240 DEARBORN - A couple that met through Zaman’s Detroit Run Team in 2023, got married at the finish line at Zaman’s 15th Annual Run Walk Picnic. The Dearborn couple, Alia Sareini, 27, and Morteza Fradi, 25, had met in October 2023 when they were running with the run team, a running club that helps its members achieve their personal...
Analysis of election results in Arab American majority cities
November 15th, 20240 • Harris’ losses surpass 20,000 Votes in the three cities compared to Biden’s 2020 results • Trump gains around 6,000 additional votes in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and 2,000 in Hamtramck to what he received in 2020. Dearborn For the first time since 2000, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won the cities of......
Dearborn’s free porch and step replacement program has received some 1,300 applications
October 18th, 20240 Dearborn Code Enforcement Manager Renault Arseneau said the city has received more applications than expected for its Front Porch and Step Rehabilitation Program for homeowners, which is funded by federal Community Development Block Grants and the City Council. There have been about 1,300 applications since the program’s launch at...
Poll: Trump slightly leads Harris among Arab American voters, Gaza war is top priority
October 14th, 20242 The ongoing war in Gaza has turned historical Arab American support for Democratic candidates on its head, with 46 percent of likely voters polled by the Arab American Institute saying they would support former President Trump, while 42 percent said they would back Vice President Harris. Normally, Democrats have a 2-to-1 advantage among......
Dearborn launches free front porch steps repair or replace initiative for homeowners
October 4th, 20240 On Wednesday, the city of Dearborn announced a new program to help homeowners rehabilitate, repair or replace damaged or deteriorating porches and outdoor steps, funded in part by federal grant dollars. As of Monday, Sept. 30, eligible homeowners can apply to the Front Porch & Step Rehabilitation Program through the...
Crestwood Superintendent named as 2024 Superintendent of the Year
September 26th, 20241 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - During a recent gathering in California, Crestwood School District Superintendent Dr. Youssef Mosallam was named as the 2024 Superintendent of the Year. Mosallam was selected out of the 21 finalists at the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS) Annual Conference for his “transformative leadership,......
