Groups call for DOJ investigation of FBI raid
Several major rights advocacy organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department on Monday calling for an investigation into potential civil rights violations commiteed during the Oct. 28 FBI raid conducted in Dearborn in which a religious leader was killed. Demonstrators protest the Oct. 28 FBI killing of Imam Luqman...Wahabism is the greatest challenge of the 21st century
September 11, 2001, forced us to look into the dark and mysterious world of Islamic militants. It seems that they emerged from the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, fully grown, already angry, and holding a Kalashnikov. Recently, Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a shooting spree, which left 12 soldiers and one civilian dead and...Dinner supports upcoming Gaza Freedom March
Despite the outpouring of support for Gaza from the international community after the Israeli attacks in January, there is still an overwhelming amount of work to be done as winter approaches and conditions remain in a desperate state, activists say. But hope is finally on the horizon as the Gaza Freedom March is expected to take...Affirmative action having its day in court
DETROIT – A group of civil rights organizations asked a panel of appeals court judges this week to reverse a lower court's decision and strike down Proposal 2, the 2006 ballot initiative banning affirmative action in Michigan. The groups argued that the ban unconstitutionally discriminates against students of color by removing race...Locals celebrate Lebanon’s independence
As Lebanon forged ahead with its new unity government, celebrations of the nation's 66th Independence Day took place across metro Detroit and beyond, including on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the Westin Hotel in Southfield. A traditional dance troupe performs during a Lebanese Independence Day celebration in Southfield on Tuesday....
U.S. AG keynotes Detroit community-law enforcement banquet
November 21st, 20090 From right: Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, NAACP Detroit Executive Director Heaster Wheeler, ALPACT co-chair Nabih Ayad, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Detroit FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena, Fox 2 News Anchor Huel Perkins, ACLU Michigan Executive Director Kary Moss, and Detroit Deputy Mayor Saul Green stand for a flag...
Arab American seeks Miss USA crown after capturing Miss Michigan title
November 21st, 20090 As a relative newcomer in a field of contestants who had been intensely schooled on the intricacies of the pageant circuit from youth, it was only natural for Rima Fakih to feel a bit nervous at the Miss Michigan USA pageant in Port Huron. Fakih was crowned Miss Michigan in September and will be part of the Miss USA pagent in...Islamic House of Wisdom seeks contributions
DEARBORN HEIGHTS— Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi, religious leader of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, is appealing to the community for funds to meet an upcoming financial obligation. In a letter sent to The Arab American News, Imam Elahi announced that negotiations with the bank holding the mortgage on the building in...
School funding cuts put education at risk
November 18th, 20090 DEARBORN - Hundreds of parents, students and educators from districts throughout the state rallied in Lansing on Tuesday, demanding that legislators restore funding to school districts facing debilitating cuts following the state budget crisis. Hundreds of people gathered in Lansing on Tuesday to protest school funding...IN BRIEF: Exhibit details growth of Islam in Detroit
DEARBORN — "Building Islam in Detroit: Foundations / Forms / Futures," an academic exhibition that has toured the world, is being put on display by the Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The exhibit opened Nov. 13. "Building Islam in Detroit charts the growth of mosques and Muslim...UM silences debate about Palestine
The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has long been a haven for political movements, and many times, they've been started at least partly by non-students. But the right for non-students to speak at Michigan Student Assembly meetings has been compromised since the MSA passed a controversial resolution on Oct. 27 that will restrict...Engineers, architects hold annual banquet
The Arab American Engineers and Architects Association held its 4th annual banquet on November 6 at the Farmington Hills Manor, awarding scholarships and celebrating the year's accomplishments. Dr. Mumtaz Usmen Interim Dean of Engineering at Wayne State (r) receives an award from AAEA member Awni Qaqish. PHOTO: Nafeh...Dearborn teams flounder in playoffs
DEARBORN — What began as a promising playoff season ended in heartbreaking fashion last Friday night as both Dearborn Public Schools football teams dropped first round games, effectively ending their seasons. Fordson and Edsel Ford, both among the top point-getters in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Playoffs, were...Muslim-run health clinic gets BCBSM grant
DETROIT — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is awarding free clinics throughout the state a total of $1 million in grants that will provide health services to individuals and families without health insurance. With the Michigan unemployment rate currently at 15.3 percent more Michigan residents than ever are going without health...ACLU tells Detroit schools to stop student abuse
DETROIT — In a letter this week to Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan expressed concerns over reports of unconstitutional mass searches and the indiscriminate use of pepper spray on students by the district's police force. Robert Bobb, Detroit......
Need for U.S.-sponsored Arab-Israeli deal
Palestinians and Israelis are locked in a relationship of deep mistrust. A credible outside force must intervene to break an enduring cycle of despair. A Palestinian boy sits outside a tent near his house, which was destroyed during the three-week offensive Israel launched last December, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza...No emergency summits for Arab human development crisis
When the first Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) was published in 2002, a star glistened in a vast, gloomy sky. The fact that a UN-sponsored report, authored by independent Arab scholars, would receive so much attention in Arab media, was in itself a promising start. The fact that such terminology as human security, personal......
WSU student group to host screening of documentary on film portrayals of Arabs
Shaheen's research concluded that when Arab characters are included in Hollywood films, they play the role of villain about 97 percent of the time.The Middle Eastern Law Student Association is scheduled to host a screening of the Jack Sheehan film "Reel Bad Arabs" on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 3-5 p.m. at Wayne State University. The 2006...
Hussein Berry elected to Dearborn School Board, O’Donnell unseats Thomas
November 7th, 20090 Campaign volunteers are seen from inside a passing car outside McDonald Elementary School polling stations on Election Day. PHOTO: Nafeh AbuNab/American Elite Studios DEARBORN — Tuesday's elections will result in some moderate shakeups in city councils and school boards of several municipalities. Sekna Yehya, 39,...
Outrage erupts after killing of imam
November 7th, 20090 Groups call for independent investigation of FBI actions Several rights groups continue to speak out against the FBI's fatal shooting of the leader of a Detroit Muslim community on October 28. Omar Regan, the son of slain Detroit Muslim leader Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, embraces a family member. PHOTO: Pan-African News...IRS effort to provide bilingual tax help Nov. 7
DETROIT — The Internal Revenue Service has announced a special event called Solution Saturday. The program offers personalized tax help to over four million taxpayers in the Metro Detroit area, one of only five cities around the country sponsoring the event. Assistance in Arabic will be available or you can bring your own......
Homicides down, more cases closed under new Detroit Police Chief, internal numbers show
DETROIT — Detroit Police seem to have turned a corner in preventing and closing homicide cases, according to data released by Mayor Dave Bing and Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans at a news conference Oct. 26. In the third quarter of 2009, Detroit Police recorded 96 criminal homicides, compared to 111 in the third quarter of...
Election results bring moderate change
November 4th, 20090 Tuesday's elections will result in some moderate shakeups in upcoming city council and school board terms of several municipalities. Voter Hassane Oseili enters his ballot at McDonald Elementary School in Dearborn on Tuesday. PHOTOS: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN "We're hoing for......
Arab American could take Hamtramck mayoral race
Longtime Hamtramck resident and Yemeni American chiropractor Abdul Algazali stands poised to become the first Arab American mayor in the city's history. Mayoral candidate Dr. Abdul Algazali in his office in Hamtramck PHOTOS: Bill Meyer Algazali came in 179 votes behind incumbent Karen Majewski in the August primary, but is...Detroit mayor rounds up support for 2010 Census
Finding, let alone counting, all of Detroit's residents amid all the city's widespread clusters of vacant structures and foreclosed homes is a huge task. The Census Bureau, with its work cut out for it, is reaching out into the crevices of minority and ethnic communities all over and is looking for all the help it can get. Detroit......