Arab American National Museum expands
April 3rd, 20150 Mayor O'Reilly cutting the ribbon at the innauguration of the Annex, March 27DEARBORN — The Arab American National Museum is growing both in size and reputation. As the museum added a 4,700-square-foot performance hall dubbed "the Annex", it announced that its exhibit "Little Syria" would be displayed at Ellis Island, the...
Arab American fatally shot at his Lincoln Park pawn shop
April 1st, 20150 LINCOLN PARK—On the day before his wedding anniversary, 29-year-old Dearborn resident Mouhammed Hassan was killed during a robbery at the pawn shop he owned.Hassan was shot in the head at his Platinum Pawn Shop March 31 at around 10:30 p.m. His cell phone was taken during the robbery. Police...
U of M student government votes down divestment resolution
April 1st, 20150 Students raising their hands as a gesture for applause during the CSG meeting, March 31ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan student government voted against a resolution to set up a committee to investigate the human rights record of four companies that do business with the Israeli military, after hours of debate in which more than...
Dearborn police apprehend suspect involved in car break-in
March 30th, 20150 DEARBORN—On Friday, March 27 after 2 p.m. Dearborn Police were dispatched to a business on Telegraph because a car was broken into and a woman’s purse was stolen. A white male suspect was observed leaving the scene in a blue Chevy van. A witness followed the van and the victim contacted police...
Former head of WJR Mike Fezzey dies
March 28th, 20150 FezzeyDETROIT—Huntington Bank executive and former head of WJR radio Mike Fezzey passed away Friday night. Fezzey was 58. He was the Huntington National Bank regional president who previously served as WJR's president and general manager. Fezzey was visiting Naples, Florida for work and preparing to return to Michigan when he...
Dearborn Police arrest motorist after police chase
March 28th, 20150 DEARBORN - The tail end of a police chase on Friday, March 27 was captured on camera by local bystanders.Police chased after a motorist in east Dearborn until they were finally able to capture him on Warren, east of Greenfield Rd. The man resisted arrest and attempted to flee the scene. We are also being told he collided his...
Party store owner shot and killed in Clinton Township
March 27th, 20150 CLINTON TOWNSHIP—Emil Salem, 50, the owner of Bernie’s Party Store in Clinton Township was fatally gunned down yesterday after a suspect entered the business around 11 p.m. waving a gun. The incident was caught on video. The suspect was wearing a black hoodie, black pants and white handkerchief on his...
10th annual Arab Student Union banquet celebrates past and present
March 27th, 20150 Former and present ASU members with ADC-MI Director Fatina Abdrabboh, recipient of the "Empowering the Youth" Award.DEARBORN — The Arab Student Union (ASU) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn continues to serve as a platform for students to increase positive awareness of Arab American heritage and debunk stereotypes about the...
U of M students launch divestment campaign
March 27th, 20150 ANN ARBOR — A Palestinian solidarity group at the University of Michigan launched a campaign to divest from companies that profit from the Israeli military. Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) proposed the divestment resolution to the Central Student Government (CSG) on Tuesday, March 24. The resolution asks the...
Elementary school students raise money for Down Syndrome organization
March 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — Students at Iris Becker Elementary School recently pooled their resources to raise $900 for the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast Michigan. According to Paulette Duggins, the executive director of the DSGSM, the money will be used to send students with Down Syndrome to camp this summer. Down Syndrome is a set of physical...
ICA ranked in top 10 beautiful mosques by French magazine
March 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — The popular French news outlet Infotourisme ranked the Islamic Center of America (ICA) one of the world’s top 10 most beautiful mosques. The ICA was the only mosque in the United States to make the list. The institution was ranked number eight on the list, and is believed to be the largest mosque in North America....
Head of Detroit FBI reads to Dearborn students
March 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — Paul Abbate, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division, joined Samia Hamid Sareini, the Arab American Civil Rights League field director, on Monday, March 23, at William Ford Elementary School in Dearborn, where the two read to students as part of the National Reading month. Celebrities and public...
Second annual Autism Awareness event in Dearborn to be bluer and brighter
March 27th, 20150 DEARBORN — Blue Hands United of Dearborn is gearing up for its second annual lighting ceremony taking place at the Ford Community Arts Center on April 2. The objective of the organization, started in 2013 by local parents, is to spread autism awareness in the Arab American community and beyond. The latest studies indicate that...
Superintendent Whiston to share Dearborn experience across Michigan
March 27th, 20150 Whiston.DEARBORN — Dearborn Schools S uperintendent Brian Whiston, who has accepted the job as the next state superintendent, said he will use his experience in the district to improve schools across Michigan. As state superintendent, Whiston will have oversight on the school districts' operations and expenditure. He will also make...
Sadr Foundation celebrates 50 years at ICA
March 27th, 20150 The foundation tends to the social, economic, educational and health needs of thousands of men and women in Lebanon's underserved areas. ISF was established in 1965 by Imam Musa al-Sadr, a Lebanese religious and political leader. Sadr disappeared in Libya in 1979 and is presumed dead after several former Libyan officials claimed......
New bill would require Michigan police officers to wear body cameras
March 27th, 20150 DETROIT — A new bill introduced by State Rep. Rose Mary Robinson (D- Detroit) would require all police officers to wear body cameras. “Every law enforcement officer should wear it on duty,” Robinson told The Arab American News. “I am asking the state to mandate it.” On Monday, March 23, Robinson held a press...
Deadline to nominate your favorite Dearborn teacher April 2
March 26th, 20150 DEARBORN—The clock is ticking and time is running short to nominate your favorite Dearborn Public Schools teacher for the 2015 Alberta Muirhead Teacher of the Year Award. The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday, April 2, 2015. Entry forms can be found by visiting www.dearbornschools.org or may......
Mother who killed her children and put them in the freezer charged
DETROIT—Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy has charged Mitchelle Angela Blair, 35, of Detroit, in connection with two children discovered in a freezer in her home in the 800 block of on St. Aubin Street in Detroit. On March 24 at 10:45 a.m., Detroit Police Officers were called to Blair’s apartment because two...
Dearborn soldier on ISIS hit list
March 25th, 20150 The "Islamic State" released a list of 100 U.S. soldiers with their names and home addresses, urging its followers to attack them. The list prompted cautions for heightened security measures in the cities where the military members reside. A Dearborn soldier is on the "hit list."The Associated Press reported that the Pentagon is...Students seek donations to create two community gardens in heart of East Dearborn
DEARBORN—Fordson High School's (FHS) Political Science Club has received permission from the City of Dearborn to create two community gardens in the heart of East Dearborn. “As we are just now starting this project, we have not yet collected enough donations to begin building,” said FHS senior Sara...
Suspect caught on camera stealing waitress’ cell phone at Dearborn restaurant
March 24th, 20150 The suspect is the man in the hat to the rightDEARBORN— On Saturday, Mar. 21 at around 12:30 p.m. a male suspect was observed stealing a waitress’ cell phone from behind the cash register at a local restaurant. The suspect is described as being a heavyset, white male with light-complexion in......
Muslim family is shocked to discover cemetery buried a stranger in their purchased plot
March 20th, 20150 PLYMOUTH — Last week, while visiting a loved one’s grave at United Memorial Gardens, a local Muslim family was devastated to discover that the cemetery had buried a stranger's body in a plot purchased by the family years ago. Abdul Charara visited the grave of his wife, Mahassen Charara, on March 17, the anniversary of her death,...
Local experts weigh in on Israeli elections
March 20th, 20150 Netanyahu.DEARNORN — Benjamin Netanyahu won his fourth term as Israeli prime minister comfortably Tuesday, shocking many political and media observers who were expecting an administration shakeup. His victory follows a slew of backlash about his racist and fear-mongering rallying cry, that some critics say stole him the......
Dearborn’s alleys an eyesore for residents and business owners
March 20th, 20150 An alley in east Dearborn with visible trash and potholes.DEARBORN — While efforts have gone underway to repair roads across the city, the same cannot be said about the alleys behind businesses and alongside residential streets. Over the years, alleys in several neighborhoods have slowly deteriorated due to little to no maintenance...
Al-Ajami West embodies the transformation of West Dearborn
March 20th, 20150 DEARBORN — After years of struggles with the recession and poor planning, West Dearborn is starting to attract new businesses, but one new establishment is already a familiar name to residents. Al-Ajami West will open this weekend, bringing more than 13 years of experience in upscale Middle Eastern cuisine to the west side of......
