One thing Iraqis hold onto
Among things that have not changed in Iraq is one that I hope never changes. After a four-year-long absence, each of my meetings here with former friends and fresh acquaintances seems to suggest that adversity has taken its toll on everything except Iraqi hospitality and Iraqi generosity. I am awestruck to find the warmth of the Iraqi...Israeli elections reveal a shift to the right
Israelis voted with an obsession: the occupation. The results were mixed, but the overall picture is a shift to the right: use of force, not reason. Right wing parties which oppose withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem won the majority of parliamentary seats. Israel's Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu listens to...
Learn about two more Detroit mayoral candidates
February 14th, 20090 Detroit interim Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. Fresh off of his State of the City address last Tuesday, Detroit interim Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. will now turn his attention to the primary election, which takes place on February 24. Only the top two vote-getters in the election will move on to the May 5 final election for the position...
Community responds to Starbucks boycott
February 14th, 20090 DEARBORN — The debate over whether or not to boycott the Starbucks coffee company continues to be a hot topic among activists and Arab Americans in metro Detroit. A picketing of the west Dearborn Starbucks, 22155 Michigan Avenue, is expected to take place on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 4-8 p.m. Organizer Susan Hajhassan, 26, talked...
Dearborn news briefs
February 14th, 20090 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Firefighters Burn Drive is hosting a fundraiser for the care of an ailing six-year-old Dearborn girl, Meghan Salter, on Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Avenue. Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly, Jr. (right, front), City Council President Tom Tafelski...
New sushi bar in Dearborn
February 13th, 20090 DEARBORN — For years, Dearborn lacked a focused place for sushi lovers to get their fix. But now that the Kabuki sushi bar and restaurant is in town, the drive time for a taste of their favorite rolls and other sushi delicacies has been cut a significant amount. "Our owner, K.J. Lee, used to talk to people from Dearborn all the...
Fordson seniors head to college football
February 7th, 20090 DEARBORN — Wednesday was National Signing Day across the country as high school seniors signed letters-of-intent to the schools of their choice, and the Dearborn Fordson Tractors were well represented with three players receiving college scholarships. Fordson head football coach Fouad Zaban (back) watches his players (from...
Video: ADC gives scholarship awards
February 7th, 20090 DEARBORN — It was a special night at Greenfield Manor in Dearborn last Friday as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee held its 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Awards Reception. First place Martin Luther King scholarship award winner Laya Charara (center at podium) reads a portion of her prize-winning...
Obama may soon have to deal with Netanyahu
February 7th, 20090 Israel's Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu smiles during a conference in Tel Aviv Feb. 5, 2009. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party continues to lead opinion polls ahead of a Feb. 10 parliamentary election with the ruling Kadima party of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in second place. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen On Feb. 10, the...
Fordson students gather aid for Gaza
February 7th, 20090 DEARBORN — A group of high school students hope to make a difference for people in Gaza still suffering the effects of the three-week war last month, as they try to raise money and awareness locally. Fordson High School National Honor Society members Mohammad Ali Chokr (R), 17, Ali Nasrallah, 17, Hassan Hamid, 17, and an...
CAAO to file complaint against Judge Wygonik
February 7th, 20090 DEARBORN — Members of the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) on Wednesday decided in a meeting at the Lebanese American Heritage Club to file a grievance with the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission against 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik. 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik Several members pledged...
Video: Immigrants take citizenship oaths in Dearborn ceremony
February 7th, 20090 DEARBORN — About 250 Detroit-area immigrants exchanged their Green Cards for naturalization certificates on Jan. 30 after officially becoming U.S. citizens when they took their oaths at Byblos Banquet Hall in a formal ceremony. Byblos owner Youssef Bazzi offered up his hall for the fourth time in three years to federal officials...
Imams meet, plan to support Gaza
February 7th, 20090 PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN DEARBORN — Dozens of Muslim religious leaders from as far as Grand Blanc gathered at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge on Wednesday to discuss action on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in general. Osama Siblani, of the Arab American Political Action...
Dearborn neighborhood parking rules suspended
February 7th, 20090 DEARBORN – The city has suspended Public Service Days parking rules until April 6 because heavy snowfall has made it difficult for residents to find alternative places to park, officials said in a release. Parking along city streets is normally prohibited on each Dearborn neighborhood's trash pickup day between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m....
Video: Kids from different worlds come together to fight hunger
January 30th, 20090 DEARBORN — Two groups of kids from opposite ends of Metro-Detroit and very different backgrounds came together on Tuesday to learn about volunteering, teamwork and each other. Students from Holbrook Elementary in Hamtramck and Winchester Elementary in Northville have been communicating for months as pen pals, and on Tuesday they got......
Miracles needed in US, Mideast
The Gaza crisis unfolds as America starts a creative presidency in the face of overwhelming economic challenge, as Israel is about to elect fear-oriented leadership when courage is badly needed, and as Palestinians need to unite through civic empowerment, rather than fighting an asymmetrical war. Relatives of Palestinian farmer...
What happened on the way to Washington
January 30th, 20090 It seemed like a great idea. Tyrone Edwards, who heads up the Remix Project, a Toronto arts and culture organization, organized a trip to the inauguration in Washington. Young people, black and Arab, piled into three buses and off they went. Then they came to the border near Buffalo. Buses one and two got through with no difficulty,......
Israel: Boycott, divest, sanction
It's time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa. In July 2005 a huge coalition of Palestinian groups laid out plans to do just that. They called on "people of conscience all over the...
Community to mount billboards in support of Palestine
January 30th, 20090 An image to appear on billboards over Metro-Detroit highways I94 and Southfield. The Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) has received approval for two billboards supporting the Palestinian cause from CBS Outdoor, the largest out-of-home advertising company in the U.S. The billboards are expected to go up Monday, Feb....
State Senator looks to Arab Americans for early support in U.S. Rep. race
January 30th, 20090 DEARBORN — State Sen. Martha Scott, D-Detroit, was honored at an appreciation reception at the Lebanese American Heritage Club in Dearborn on Thursday by local Arab American leaders. State Senator Martha G. Scott, second from left, stands with community members at a fundraising event at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on...
Emergency fundraiser to be held for Gaza
January 30th, 20090 As world humanitarian organizations scramble to get supplies into Gaza in the aftermath of a 23-day onslaught on the territory by the Israeli army, community activists and student groups are organizing an emergency fundraiser to help the cause. Proceeds from a Feb. 6 dinner at Greenfield Manor, 4770 Greenfield Road in Dearborn,......
CAAO to revisit Wygonik controversy
January 30th, 20090 DEARBORN — Representatives of the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) are expected to meet next week to revisit the issue of alleged disparaging comments made by 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik in July. 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik The group is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m....
Hendrix among top candidates for Detroit mayorship
January 30th, 20090 While Ken Cockrel Jr. has served as the interim mayor of Detroit, Freman Hendrix is the candidate who has been closest to acquiring the position on a permanent basis. Freman Hendrix, shown here speaking at Eastern Market in Detroit, is a top candidate for mayor of Detroit. Hendrix defeated Kwame Kilpatrick, his main opponent,......
Dearborn group helps businesses
January 30th, 20090 With small businesses across Michigan struggling, the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce this week brought in public accountant Dale Bender for a presentation aimed at helping local business owners. It was titled "Mind Your Own Business." Bender, who runs his business out of Dearborn, spoke on a number of issues business owners can...
Tax season Q&A: First-time homebuyer credit
January 30th, 20090 Eric (Ahmad) Alzaroui Are you a first-time home buyer? If so, there is a new credit ($$) from the IRS. Q: What is the First-Time Homebuyer Credit and how it will impact your 2008 & 2009 Tax filing? A: If you are a first-time homebuyer, you may be able to claim a one-time tax credit of up to $7,500 ($3,750 if married......
