Mayor Hammoud announces an initiative to expand rodent control operations in Dearborn
January 12th, 20240 DEARBORN – The city of Dearborn and Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud announced an initiative to control rodent population and the tracking of its extermination with the recent launch of a citywide subterranean rat prevention program, making the city the second municipality in Michigan to implement above and below-ground pest mitigation...
Mehdi Hasan leaves MSNBC after cancellation of his show
January 12th, 20240 Medhi Hasan said that he is leaving MSNBC after the network canceled his weekend show. “I’ve decided that it’s time for me to look for a new challenge,” he said at the end of his program on Sunday. The network shuffled its weekend lineup last year, dropping his weekend show while saying that he would remain as a commentator...
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Dearborn for fatal shooting of Ali Naji in Dearborn Police lobby
January 5th, 20240 DEARBORN – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Dearborn and a city of Dearborn police officer in the shooting death of a man in the police station lobby on Dec. 18, 2022. On that date, 33-year-old Ali Naji entered the Dearborn police station holding a firearm and attempted to shoot at an officer in the lobby....
Second administration official resigns in protest of Biden’s support for Israeli war on Gaza
January 5th, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, a Department of Education policy adviser appointed by the Biden administration quit to protest the administration’s continuous military support of Israel’s war on Gaza and its handling of the conflict’s repercussions at home and abroad. Tariq Habash, a Biden administration appointee who had...
Local nonprofit donates over $10,000 worth of toys to local families in need
January 5th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The local nonprofit organization Youdemonia is making a mark in Southeast Michigan with a bit of holiday cheer. The group, founded in 2020, aims to combat social disparities by creating community events and increasing opportunity awareness for youth. This past month, Youdemonia held Michigan’s first-ever...
Imam Hassan Sharif fatally shot outside his Newark, N.J. mosque, motives unknown
January 4th, 20240 NEWARK, N.J. — Members of a New Jersey mosque are devastated after their imam was shot and killed Wednesday morning. The search is on for the killer. Imam Hassan Sharif was fatally shot outside his mosque on South Orange Avenue and Camden Street in Newark at around 6:15 a.m. Officials said they do not believe it was motivated by...
ACRL calls on President Biden to rescue U.S service member’s mother trapped in Gaza
December 22nd, 20230 DEARBORN – The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) has urgently called on the Biden administration to exert an effort to save the lives of Zahra Sckak, the mother of an active U.S. military service member, and his American uncle, Farid Sukaik, both trapped in Northern Gaza. Fadi Sckak has spent the last month making phone calls...
700,000 Michigan families will receive an average of $550 in tax credits soon
December 22nd, 20230 LANSING — More than 700,000 Michigan households can expect to receive checks next year that will include an average of $550 for families. On Thursday, Governor Whitmer announced that the checks from the Working Families Tax Credit are expected to be sent to Michigan families in February. The checks are the result of a new law...
Gov. Whitmer appoints renowned dermatologist Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi to the Michigan Board of Medicine
December 22nd, 20230 LANSING – On Thursday, Governor Whitmer announced the appointment of Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi to the Michigan Board of Medicine. This comes among other appointments to several other commissions and boards, including the Crime Victim Services Commission, Human Trafficking Commission and the Michigan Board of Nursing. “Today’s...
Melvindale man pleads guilty after police recover 18 weapons, fake fed IDs from home
December 15th, 20230 MELVINDALE – On Tuesday, a Melvindale man pleaded guilty to several charges related to illegal firearm possession – after being found with 18 guns and 2 counterfeit law enforcement badges earlier this year. Saliah Algahmi, 37, has been charged with "unlawful possession of a firearm by a person who has been committed to a mental...
Arab American attorney’s job offer rescinded; “I was targeted for my background”
December 15th, 20231 An Arab American attorney is speaking out after she said she was fired the day before she was set to start a new job at the Chicago law firm Foley and Lardner. Jinan Chehade said the reason was her support of Palestinian rights. "Members of the firm who advocate for Israeli violence and who have expressed support for Israel were not...
Three Beaumont hospitals restrict pediatric visitors as viruses spread in Metro Detroit
December 15th, 20230 ROYAL OAK — Three Beaumont hospitals in Metro Detroit are restricting visitors for pediatric units as of Wednesday due to a rise in respiratory illnesses in the hospital and throughout the community, officials announced in a press release. Starting Wednesday, Dec. 13, the following Corewell Health hospitals will be restricting the...
FBI and DHS release threats of violence public service announcement
December 15th, 20230 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a public service announcement regarding potential threats across the nation from various actors during the upcoming winter season. This announcement comes following the continued violence between Israel and Hamas. The FBI warns of the...
Hamtramck to rename street “Palestine Avenue”
December 15th, 20230 Hamtramck will rename one of its streets “Palestine Avenue” in symbolic support of the people of Gaza. Hamtramck City Council members voted on the measure Tuesday night, in their final meeting of the year. “I know it's not going to change anything, but it's just showing what Hamtramck stands for and what the community here...
Dearborn receives $24.8 million in federal grants to improve traffic safety on Warren Ave
December 15th, 20230 DEARBORN – On Thursday, the city of Dearborn announced that it has received $24.8 million in federal grant awards through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All programs (SS4A) to improve traffic safety on Warren Ave. The funding will be utilized to design and implement enhanced traffic safety......
How Arab American voters’ backlash could imperil Biden’s 2024 campaign
December 8th, 20230 Arab American and Muslim American anger over President Biden's handling of the Israeli war on Gaza could be endangering his re-election in the majority of 2024 swing states. Driving the news: Michigan, Virginia, Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania all have notable pockets of these populations. There aren't reliable statistics on how...
The Arab American News’ Publisher Osama Siblani: Here is what Biden needs to do to get our vote in 2024
December 8th, 20230 By Damita Menezes, (NewsNation) Osama Siblani, the publisher of The Arab American News, expressed deep dissatisfaction with President Biden’s approach to the Israel-Palestinian conflict in an “On Balance” interview raising concerns of Biden’s reelection chances in key swing states. Biden faces multiple challenges as he......
U.S. sales of Palestinian keffiyehs soar, even as wearers targeted
December 8th, 20230 A growing number of Americans are donning the keffiyeh, the distinctive patterned scarf that's closely linked with Palestinians, to demand a ceasefire to Israel's attacks on Gaza or to signal their support for Palestinians. Sales of the scarves have jumped since the Israel war on Gaza that began in October, U.S. distributors say, even...
For years, the FBI quietly stopped tracking anti-Arab violence and hate crimes
December 8th, 20230 The families of three college students of Palestinian descent who were shot on November 25 in Vermont are calling it a crime "fueled by hate." So far, police in Burlington say they don't have information to suggest what the motive for the attack was. Still, the shooting surfaces long-standing issues in tracking possible hate crimes...
Gov. Whitmer re-appoints Portia Roberson and Zenna Elhasan to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission
December 1st, 20230 LANSING – Governor Whitmer has reappointed Portia Roberson, of Detroit, and Zenna Faraj Elhasan, of Dearborn, to serve second four-year terms on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. Both Roberson and Elhasan were originally appointed to the Commission in December of 2019, with their first terms ending this year on December 31. Their...
Prosecutor: Detroit gas station clerk’s fatal shooting of teen was in self-defense
December 1st, 20231 DETROIT – A 28-year-old gas station store clerk from Dearborn will not be charged in connection to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Yaqoub Nagi from Detroit, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. The clerk acted in "lawful self-defense" when he fatally shot Nagi at a Citgo gas station in Detroit, the Prosecutor's......
MSNBC faces mounting outrage for canceling Mehdi Hasan’s show
December 1st, 20230 On Thursday, progressive lawmakers, activists and advocacy groups voiced their outrage at MSNBC’s decision to cancel a show hosted by Medhi Hasan, claiming that the network was seeking to silence one of its most prominent Muslim on-air personalities. “It is bad optics for MSNBC to cancel @mehdirhasan’s show right at a time when he...
ACRL’s sixth annual justice ceremony honors Harvard law professor and local judge
November 25th, 20233 DETROIT – On Wednesday, November 15, the sixth Annual Justice Tribute, hosted by the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) and the Detroit Branch NAACP, honored Amir H. Ali, a distinguished civil rights attorney and president and executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center, and Third Judicial Circuit Judge Deborah H.......
Senate candidate Hill Harper rejected $20 million offer in campaign contributions to run against Rashida Tlaib instead
November 24th, 20230 Democratic U.S. senate candidate Hill Harper said he rejected a $20 million offer in campaign contributions from a Michigan businessman to pull out of the senate race and run against U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) in 2024. According to Harper, he declined the offer from the alleged donor, Linden Nelson, which would have split the...
ACLU sues DeSantis, Florida universities over ban of pro-Palestinian student groups
November 17th, 20230 On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union challenged Florida's ban on pro-Palestinian university groups, arguing in a federal lawsuit that the state is violating students' free speech as tensions roil U.S. campuses over Israel's war on Gaza. Last month, Florida’s university system, joined by Governor Ron DeSantis, ordered......
