What is Ramadan?
In Islam, Ramadan is a holy month, during which fasting, Quran recital, self-restraint and prayer is observed. Fasting is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat, or drink from sunrise to sunset. Charity, good will, and personal reflection is also practiced....Teen web designer optimistic about expanding business
DEARBORN — At first glance, Mike Berro appears to be your average teenager, who possesses an overt fascination of all things technological. However, at 17 years of age, he has already managed to establish his own successful business. The Dearborn resident is both a web designer and developer, who looks forward to expanding...Floods cause backup, damage in Dearborn-Dearborn Heights
DEARBORN — Last Monday evening, over 2.5 feet of rain drenched main roads and neighborhood roads in the Dearborn-Dearborn Heights area, causing flooding in dozens of homes, according to Dearborn's Department of Public Information. Southfield Freeway service drive near Routanda, where traffic was directed after the freeway was blocked...Michigan college students return from Egypt safely
DETROIT — Students from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, who were studying Arabic in Egypt, returned home safely this week.The students cut their trip short, as a result of the turmoil currently plaguing Egypt.Last week, former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power, after only serving a year of the term for...
Egyptians gather in Dearborn, denounce Morsi’s ouster
July 12th, 20130 DEARBORN — About 350 people gathered in front of Dearborn City Hall on Saturday, July 6, to denounce the Egyptian military "coup" against President Mohamed Morsi and demand reinstating him.The Egyptian military, headed by Commander Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi, ousted President Morsi on July 3, following mass protests that began on June 30,...Millage proposal detrimental to future of Dearborn Heights libraries
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights' two libraries could possibly face closure in the near future, if the city council and residents don't take action soon, according to Library Director Michael McCaffery.McCaffery discussed the financial situation of the City’s two libraries with The Arab American News, explaining that funding for...
Dearborn residents divided over proposed garage ordinance
July 12th, 20130 DEARBORN — On Monday, the Dearborn City Planning Commission hosted a meeting at city hall with the objective of moving forward on a garage ordinance that has generated wide spread attention in recent months. The controversy has triggered questions, regarding racial preference in the City's decisions to implement and enforce laws.In a...Law Corner: Sewage backup? Act quickly to protect your rights
This past week brought heavy rainfall to the metro Detroit area. The cities of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, among others, experienced more rainfall than their sewage systems were capable of handling in some areas. As a result, several Dearborn and Dearborn Heights residents experienced sewage backup onto their property....LAHC distributes food to senior citizens in need
The LAHC.DEARBORN — On Monday, July 8, the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) distributed food items to low income senior citizens. The program, known as “Feeding Our Neighbors, Supporting our Families,” serves community members that are in need of additional assistance, due to limited budgets. Over 100 bags, filled with...HFCC offers one-time tuition amnesty program
DEARBORN —Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) is offering a one-time tuition amnesty program, from July 15 to Aug. 14, to help students clear debt and return to college. This program provides students an opportunity to pay 50 percent of what is owed on their account to settle their debt with the College.“In this difficult economy,...Dearborn school encourages walking to reduce traffic
Maple Elementary School is partnering with the Dearborn Police Department to initiate a "Walking School Bus" program, in an effort to reduce traffic around the school in the mornings during drop-off times.The program encourages parent volunteers to walk groups of students to school from a designated corner, two blocks away from the...Michigan woman tries to pay hit man to kill her husband
Muskegon - A Michigan woman tried to hire a hit man to kill her husband this past April. In a video that was released on Tuesday July 6, 20-year-old Julia Charlene Merfeld, of Muskegon, tells an undercover police detective, posing as a hit man, that killing her husband would be "easier than a divorce." Merfeld.Merfeld provided the...Class action lawsuit filed against Huntington National Bank over mass bank account closures
DEARBORN — On Thursday, the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) held a press conference at its office to announce a class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Huntington National Bank, regarding the mass bank account closures which have swept through the...U.S. Senate rejects Stebanow’s bill to reverse student loan hike
SOUTHFIELD — On Monday, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow joined Michigan students from colleges and universities across Michigan at Oakland Community College in Southfield to urge Congress to pass legislation that she is sponsoring to reverse the rate hike on student loans. Stabenow talks with studentsOn July 1, student loan interest rates...Michigan Republican Party opens new southeast, mid-Michigan offices
LANSING — The Michigan Republican Party opened the doors to 10 new regional offices across the State on Monday, as part of the Party's new political strategy moving forward. Offices, spanning from southeast to mid-Michigan, are located in Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Livonia, Utica and Howell.“At the Michigan Republican Party,......
Detroit emergency manager cancels city tour for creditors
DETROIT - Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr had planned on touring 25 creditors around Detroit's most devastated neighborhoods on Wednesday, July 10, to show them the City's struggle. However, the tour was cancelled, because the creditors wanted to avoid media exposure.Orr is hoping that creditors will accept a fraction of the...Detroit city council appoints new president on heels of scandal
DETROIT — The City of Detroit announced on Tuesday that current councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins will replace Charles Pugh as city council president, after allegations surfaced against previous president Charles Pugh, claiming that he had inappropriate relations with a teen, who was a minor at the time. Pugh.Pugh hasn't made a......
Federal judges meet with religious and community leaders, encourage greater participation in jury duty
July 5th, 20130 DETROIT — Inside Chief Federal Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan Gerald Rosen’s chambers, sits a copy of the Quran, alongside the Old Jewish Testament. Both books are laid flat open to sections that discuss justice and the courts. The Quran was given to Rosen last April by Imam Mohammad Mardini of the American Muslim...
HFCC hosts delegates from Yemen universities, discuss potential student exchange program
July 5th, 20130 DEARBORN — On June 20, six delegates from universities in Yemen visited Henry Ford Community College (HFCC), under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, which was arranged by Graduate School USA.The delegates visited HFCC to learn about potential study partnerships between higher...
Emotions run high at pro-Assad rally in Dearborn
July 5th, 20130 DEARBORN — Last Sunday evening, hundreds of community members rallied at Dearborn's City Hall to call on the U.S. to cease from arming rebels in Syria, as the country's conflict continues to escalate, resulting in a death toll that the U.N. estimates could now be close to 100,000. The rally was spearheaded by the Syrian American...Local Sunnis, Shias reject sectarianism
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On June 29, the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) sponsored a forum that was organized by the Imams’ Council of the organization at the Islamic House of Wisdom. Because both Shia and Sunni communities, organizations, and service institutions share a significant set of beliefs and values, an agreement......
Community unites to honor fallen Lebanese soldiers for bravery
July 5th, 20130 DEARBORN — The fallen soldiers of the Lebanese Army Forces who lost their lives late last month in clashes with extremist Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir’s militiamen were honored by community members, during a commemoration ceremony last Sunday at Henry Ford Centennial Library. The clashes between soldiers of the Lebanese...
Youth group highlights community service at annual event
July 4th, 20130 DEARBORN — The Youth Leadership Committee (YLC), a sub-division of the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC), held their 2nd Annual "Reclaiming the Arab American Spirit" dinner at Byblos Banquet Hall last Friday and highlighted a year of community service and outreach. LAHC members pose during the annual reception.The Keynote Speaker......
New Biggby location opens in Dearborn Heights, serves Halal
July 4th, 20130 Biggby coffee located in Dearborn Heights.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A new Biggby Coffee location, which serves halal meat, opened in Dearborn Heights on Tuesday, July 2. Biggby is a Michigan-based coffee franchise with 140 branches operating across the country. The coffee company was established in East Lansing in 1995. In 2011, Biggby...
Arab American National Museum announces new director
July 4th, 20130 AkmonDEARBORN — On June 29, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) announced that Devon Akmon would take over as its new director. Akmon previously served as the deputy director of the museum and had been overseeing all daily operations, since the retirement of former director Anan Ameri in May. Akmon started working for......