City of Dearborn Heights approves budget just days before deadline
June 29th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - The city of Dearborn Heights has finally reached an agreement and approved a budget for fiscal year 2024 to 2025. As the city’s administration was preparing for a government shut down due to the budget not being approved on time, at a last minute meeting held on June 28 that lasted almost four hours long, the City...
City of Dearborn and Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit reach agreement to be voted on by the City Council
June 28th, 20240 DEARBORN — Just days before the contract between Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit and the city of Dearborn was set to expire, the two have reached a four-year agreement. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a Facebook post that the agreement is a win for all. “This agreement is a win for all of Dearborn, and establishes a robust...Dearborn Heights braces for possible government shut down
June 28th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — As the budget deadline looms, the city of Dearborn Heights has failed to approve a budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, 2025. During a nearly two and a half hour-long City Council meeting on June 25, Councilwoman Nancy Breyer was the only Council member to move for the...
SMART unveils bus wrap dedicated to Arab American leaders
June 28th, 20240 DETROIT — In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), is unveiling an empowering bus wrap featuring notable Arab American individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields. "Honoring the Arab American community's contributions is essential to...
Crestwood High School vandalized as part of a senior prank
June 7th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — As part of a common senior prank, several students were caught vandalizing Crestwood High School on May 24. Through a thorough investigation conducted by the Crestwood administration, multiple students were identified vandalizing the school with spray paint. “The investigation consisted of camera footage,...
Mayor Hammoud’s young age prevents his nomination for vice president by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein
June 7th, 20240 DEARBORN – The young age of Dearborn’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, has prevented his nomination for U.S. vice president by the Green Party in the Nov. 5 presidential elections. Had it not been for this age restriction, Hammoud, of Lebanese descent, would have been the first Arab and the first Muslim to run for vice president in U.S....
Protesters demand Wayne State University divest from companies supporting Israel and refrain from prosecuting students
June 7th, 20240 DETROIT – Dozens of professors, employees, alumni and students at Wayne State University protested on Tuesday evening against the forced removal of a student encampments and the dispersal of the pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday, May 30. An open letter sent to the university’s administration and Board of Governors asked them to...
U.S. Customs and Border Protection offers helpful travel tips ahead of Hajj travel
June 4th, 20240 DETROIT – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations reminds travelers preparing for their pilgrimage to the Hajj to be aware of important travel tips to help ensure a smooth return into the United States. Travelers should familiarize themselves with current money reporting requirements and be...
Dr. Ghada Beydoun: a trailblazer in the field of dentistry
June 1st, 20240 DEARBORN — Dr. Ghada Beydoun has embodied the American Dream, which fills the hearts of immigrants all over the world looking to build better lives for themselves and their families. The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, she is a first-generation American and the first in her family to attend college. She told The Arab American...
Muslim nurse in New York fired after calling Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide”
May 31st, 20240 A New York City hospital fired a Palestinian American Muslim nurse after she called Israel's war in Gaza a "genocide" during an acceptance speech for an award for her work with bereaved mothers who lost their children during pregnancy and childbirth. A spokesperson for the hospital, NYU Langone Health, said on Thursday that labor and...
Michigan Fuels, in conjunction with ExxonMobil, donates $15,000 to Dearborn Public Schools
May 8th, 20240 DEARBORN – Continuing an annual tradition of more than 30 years, Michigan Fuels – in partnership with ExxonMobil – donated $15,000 to Dearborn Public Schools, on Friday, April 26, in a ceremony at Fordson High School. “We are incredibly pleased and grateful to continue supporting our area high school students throughout...
Book: Awakening the Sleeping Tiger Within
May 6th, 20240 By Anne Marie Ameri, Ph.D. Dearborn has been called the “Sleeping Tiger” because of the potential political power of particularly the Dearborn Arabic residents when it is “awakened.” For five years, I was compelled to write this powerful book, Awakening the Sleeping Tiger Within: Breaking the Power of Mainstream Media’s...
Three Arab American candidates challenge pro-Israel Democrats in Michigan’s primary
May 4th, 20240 Three vocal Arab Americans against the Israeli genocide in Gaza who have been demanding a ceasefire in the war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have filed petitions to challenge two Democratic members of Congress and a pro-Israel Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan. The candidates cited frustration over their...
Michigan implementing “kinship care” rule; feds say it’s first in the country to do so
April 19th, 20240 Michigan has become the first state to be approved to implement separate licensing standards for kin caregivers — extended family members like grandparents, aunts and uncles serving as foster care providers. Advocates said goal of kinship care is to keep families together, increase equity in the child welfare system and allow...
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani visits Metro Detroit, meets with community
April 19th, 20240 On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani paid a quick visit to Metro Detroit. The Iraqi leader's first stop was at the Islamic Institute of America, a Dearborn Heights mosque, and his second stop was at the Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, where he had dinner with local Iraqi Americans. al-Sudani's visit was......
LaPita Restaurant in West Dearborn celebrates 30 years of serving authentic Mediterranean cuisine
April 19th, 20240 DEARBORN – During the last week of the Holy month of Ramadan, LaPita Restaurant in Dearborn held a Ramadan Iftar on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its founding, attended by local officials and community leaders. While Dearborn has plenty of Middle Eastern restaurants that make it a destination for connoisseurs of...
New York City to pay $17.5 million for forcing women to remove hijabs for mug shots
April 12th, 20240 NEW YORK CITY —The city agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit by two Muslim American women who said the police violated their rights after arresting them by forcing them to remove their hijabs before being photographed. The preliminary class action settlement covers men and women required to remove religious attire......
A shooting at an Eid event in West Philadelphia left three people injured
April 12th, 20240 PHILADELPHIA — At least three people were injured and hundreds fled the scene following a shooting at an Eid al-Fitr event in West Philadelphia. Police said about 1,000 people attended the celebration. The annual Eid al-fitr event took place in the Parkside neighborhood at the Clara Muhammad Square. The event came to an abrupt...
Muslim and Arab American leaders are “out of words” as they tire of the White House outreach on the war in Gaza
April 12th, 20240 WASHINGTON , D.C.— Osama Siblani was sipping his morning coffee at the office when his phone buzzed with a message from one of President Biden’s advisers. As publisher of The Arab American News in Dearborn, Michigan, Siblani serves as an occasional sounding board, and the White House wanted to know what he thought of Biden’s recent...
“Death to America” chants during Al-Quds rally in Dearborn receive strong condemnation from Arab Americans: It has no place in our community
April 12th, 20240 DEARBORN – Anti-American chants from some participants in the International Day of Al-Quds or “International Jerusalem Day” march held in Dearborn last Friday sparked wide condemnation by local Arab and Muslim Americans. Several local officials and leaders in the Dearborn area were quick to condemn the chants, while the right-wing...
Palestinian doctor walked out of Biden meeting, underscoring tensions over war in Gaza
April 7th, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – A private meeting between President Biden and Muslim community leaders at the White House underscored tensions between the two camps as the Israeli war on Gaza rages on. Palestinian American doctor walked out of Tuesday evening's closed-door session, which was part of the administration's scaled-back events to mark......
CAIR reports anti-Muslim discrimination high as Israel’s war on Gaza continues
April 6th, 20240 Michigan’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations saw more than a 200 percent increase in civil rights complaints reported, according to its 2023 report, “Gaza and the Rise in Bigotry against Michigan Muslims”, released on Tuesday. Nationally, CAIR received 8,061 complaints – 495 of which from Michigan – in...
$4,500 for a coffee maker? $40,000 for furniture? How Fay Beydoun is spending a $20m taxpayer grant
April 6th, 20240 A $20 million state grant given to Fay Beydoun, a Metro Detroit businesswoman in 2022 continues to raise concerns as former associates — including the chairman of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce — question the means by which the money was obtained and how it’s being spent. Fay Beydoun, who received the $20 million grant to......
Next U.S. Census will have new boxes for “Middle Eastern or North African”, but falls short of capturing diversity
March 30th, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the next U.S. Census and future federal government forms, the list of check boxes for a person's race and ethnicity is officially getting longer. The Biden administration has approved proposals for a new response option for "Middle Eastern or North African" and a "Hispanic or Latino" box that appears under a...
Palestinian American journalist files discrimination lawsuit against CBS Detroit
March 29th, 20240 Palestinian American journalist Ibrahim Samra filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against CBS News Detroit and its parent company, Paramount, after being fired on Feb. 28. The lawsuit alleges CBS fired Samra after he filed complaints about how the station treated him and went about covering Israel's war on Gaza, Samra’s lawyer......
