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...
Protest at Debbie Stabenow’s office calls for ceasefire in Gaza
November 17th, 20230 DETROIT – Detroit chapters of the Palestinian Youth Movement and Jewish Voice for Peace came together on Thursday, Nov. 9 for Shut it Down for Palestine, a global call to action. The local event drew more than 100 people to protest outside of Senator Debbie Stabenow’s office at 719 Griswold St. in Detroit, in an effort to get...
Chancellor Grasso: “Make America great again” is an invitation to the past, we’re making “America great” period!
November 16th, 20230 On February 15, 2018, the University of Michigan-Dearborn announced the appointment of Domenico Grasso as a new chancellor after a meeting of the Board of Regents. Since the fall of that year, the sixth chancellor has been a very dynamic leader, making significant contributions to higher education, environmental research, diversity and...
Thrive by any Means Necessary hosting second annual Friendsgiving
November 16th, 20230 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A local nonprofit is working to bring the community together during a time of need for its second annual Friendsgiving event. Thrive by any Means Necessary (TMN) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2022 by community activists with the goal of striving to eliminate barriers for those in need while establishing a...
Turkish Airlines broadens U.S. presence with launch of 13th U.S. gateway in Detroit
November 10th, 20230 On the heels of Turkish Airlines’ 90th anniversary, the leading global airline continues to expand its U.S. network with the opening of its 13th U.S. gateway in Detroit. Beginning November 15, Turkish Airlines will introduce flights from Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), connecting travelers in the Midwest region to Türkiye’s...
Voters in Westland, Inkster, Melvindale and Warren elect new mayors; Livonia mayor wins reelection
November 10th, 20230 In Westland, State Rep. Kevin Coleman, (D-Westland), a former City Councilman, won the mayoral race with 59 percent of the vote over interim Mayor Michael Londeau. "I believe Westland needs a mayor who knows government and how to deliver results for all of us that live here," Coleman told the Free Press earlier this year. "My experience...
Hamtramck City Council remains all-Muslim, voters reject Proposals 1, 2 and 3
November 10th, 20230 The Hamtramck City Council will remain the only all-Muslim council in the U.S. after a community arts worker, Lynn Blasey, came in fourth place in a six-person race for three Council seats. Mayor Pro Tem Mohammed Hassan, one of three incumbent City Councilmen running for reelection, was the top vote-getter among the candidates, according...
Local Muslims and Arabs pledge to drive Biden out of office in 2024
November 10th, 20230 DETROIT – Local Muslim leaders and Palestinian Christians gathered in downtown Detroit on Thursday afternoon, vowing to drive President Biden out of office for failing to support a ceasefire in Gaza that could save thousands of lives. About 30 people, many holding signs that read “Abandon Biden”, stood outside the federal......
Alarayshi family back home after being stuck in war-torn Gaza
November 10th, 20230 DEARBORN — Zakaria and Laila Alarayshi, the couple from Livonia who were stuck in war-torn Gaza for a month, have made it back home. They shared their experience of being in Gaza as the conflict ensued. The couple spoke at a press conference at the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) offices in Dearborn on Wednesday, where...
Walmart pledges $1 million aid for Israeli victims
November 10th, 20230 NEW YORK – Walmart Foundation, the philanthropy arm of the U.S. retailer, has pledged $1 million to an Israeli disaster relief and emergency medical service organization. Walmart's donation, reported by the Jerusalem Post on Friday, joins a list of similar funding efforts by big U.S. corporations to provide relief for Israelis injured......
Dearborn Heights voters pick Baydoun, Malinowski-Maxwell and Saab for City Council, approve Westwood Schools bond proposal
November 10th, 20230 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – In the race for the three open City Council seats, City Councilman Mo Baydoun was the top vote-getter among the six candidates, garnering 4,085 votes or 30.2 percent, followed by former City Council Chair Denise Malinowski-Maxwell, who got 3,659 votes or 27 percent. Hassan Saab, who got 1,742 votes or 12.9 percent,...
Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund application period to end December 8
November 9th, 20230 LANSING – The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has announced that it will soon have enough applications through the federally funded Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF) program to reserve all funds available. The MIHAF online portal will stop accepting new applications as of Friday, December 8 at midnight....
Attorney Ben Crump to represent Hanan Shahin, mother of 6-year-old Palestinian who was fatally stabbed
November 3rd, 20230 WASHINGTON D.C. — Ben Crump, civil rights and personal injury attorney, is set to represent Hanan Shahin, mother of Wadea Al-Fayoume, the 6-year-old Palestinian boy fatally stabbed 26 times by his 71-year old landlord, Joseph M. Czuba, in Plainfield Township, Illinois, near Chicago. The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)...
Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray charged two days after being reinstated
November 2nd, 20230 DEARBORN — Just two days after being reinstated, Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray was charged with two counts of operating while intoxicated. One count is related to his blood alcohol content and one to observations made by police at the time of his arrest on Aug. 29 when he was pulled over in Dearborn Heights after allegedly going......
New poll finds Arab American support for Biden plummeting
October 31st, 20230 By Peter Schurmann Support for President Biden among Arab Americans has plummeted in the wake of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a new survey released by the non-partisan Arab American Institute. The survey of 500 Arab Americans found a 42 percent decrease in those who say they approve of the president’s...
Gov. Whitmer appoints Arab American Lawrence Elassal to Third Circuit Court in Wayne County
October 28th, 20230 LANSING — On Thursday, October 26, Governor Whitmer announced the appointments of Lawrence Elassal to the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County, Matthew Wiese to the 25th Circuit Court in Marquette County and Monique Sharpe to the 36th District Court in Detroit. “Today, I am honored to appoint three qualified legal professionals......
Dearborn Heights to host November 11 expungement fair
October 27th, 20231 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Individuals who wish to have their records cleared of certain past legal offenses can meet with attorneys for guidance at the November 11 city of Dearborn Heights Expungement Fair. The free event is offered in cooperation with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. It will be held at the Richard A. Young...
Crestwood High School and city officials respond to media miss representation of student-led peaceful walkout
October 27th, 20231 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Crestwood School District officials and city officials are responding after national media outlets misrepresented a peaceful, student-led walkout as being “pro-terrorist.” On Friday, October 20 at 9:55 a.m., a group of Crestwood High School students organized a peaceful walkout that was intended to show......
