No sign of new cabinet as Lebanese leaders meet, bank curbs continue
November 8th, 20190 BEIRUT — Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met President Michel Aoun on Thursday without announcing progress towards forming a new government, and banking sources said most financial transfers out of the country remained blocked. Already facing the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, Lebanon has been...
Haley Stevens should focus on serving her constituents in Michigan, not Israel
November 8th, 20191 This week, four members of the United States House of Representatives sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General expressing their "concern about the continuing, serious violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and the resulting threat our ally Israel faces on its northern border." Resolution 1701 led to...
Dearborn protesters rally for change in Lebanon and in support of the uprising
November 2nd, 20190 DEARBORN — Protests in support of the uprising in Lebanon continued this past weekend in Dearborn, with nearly 500 people showing up to rally for reforms and the resignation of government officials in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library and Dearborn Police on Sunday, October 27. The protest followed a pair of similar events...
Calls for new and efficient government in Lebanon after Hariri’s resignation, as crisis deepens
October 29th, 20190 BEIRUT — Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon’s prime minister on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against the ruling elite and plunging the country deeper into turmoil. His resignation points to rising political tensions that may complicate the formation of a...
Protesters locally, nationally rally in solidarity with Lebanese seeking reform, ousting of corrupt government
October 27th, 20190 DEARBORN/ANN ARBOR —Protesters from Michigan to California and everywhere in between have rallied in support of demonstrators in Lebanon this past week, sending the message that large-scale change is needed now, and long overdue. On Wednesday at the University of Michigan, a crowd of nearly 200 people chanted, “The people want the...
Nasrallah warns Israel: “Your border, your forces and your settlements” at risk if strikes continue
September 8th, 20190 BEIRUT — The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon said on Monday that a flare-up at the border with Israel was over, but also warned that a “new phase” has begun in which his group no longer has red lines. In a televised speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the new focus would be on targeting Israeli drones that enter his...
Hezbollah says it will hit back at Israel as Lebanese army fires at Israeli drones
August 31st, 20190 BEIRUT — Hezbollah said it would respond with a “surprise” strike against Israel after drones crashed in Lebanon at the weekend, but it also said a new full-out war between the longtime adversaries remains unlikely. Adding to the growing tension between Israel and Iran-backed groups in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, the Lebanese army...
Departing Lebanese counsel general plants cedar trees in Dearborn and Birmingham as gift of resilience, friendship
August 31st, 20190 DEARBORN — In the spirit of giving, appreciation and the rooted historic Lebanese presence in the United States of America, Suzan Mouzi-Yassine, the Michigan-based Lebanese counsel general in the Midwest, decided to end her diplomatic service to the Lebanese Americans in Michigan by planting a cedar tree in Birmingham, where she...
Coral Beach Resort responds to local family’s grievances: Hijabs are welcomed at our hotel
August 30th, 20190 BEIRUT — After The Arab American News published an article about "Islamophobia in the motherland", Coral Beach Hotel & Resort Marketing Manager Rana Younes reached out to us for a follow up apology and clarification. The article focused on Marwan Faraj, a Dearborn man who visited Lebanon this summer with his family. He said...
Lebanese defiant after drone strikes
August 26th, 20190 BEIRUT - Lebanese farmers and residents of Beirut suburbs hit by drones at the weekend vowed on Monday to stand their ground in the event of any Israeli attack, amid heightened tensions between the Hezbollah group and Israel. Two drones crashed on Sunday in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are dominated by the the Shia, prompting...
Islamophobia in the motherland: Local family speaks out about experiencing discrimination while visiting Lebanon
August 17th, 20191 DEARBORN — While Muslims are demanding respect and fighting for their rights in the West, especially in the United States, Arab American Muslim families who visit their countries of origin feel discriminated against even in the midst of other Muslims. Marwan Faraj, a Dearborn man who was visiting Lebanon this summer, like most of...
Saudi Arabia blocks Palestinians fleeing Syria’s war from Hajj
August 10th, 20190 BEIRUT - On top of being refugees who have been displaced twice, Palestinian refugees who previously resided in Syria and fled the war to Lebanon have been rejected entry visas to visit Mecca for the holy pilgrimage. Tens of Palestinian refugees with "stateless" passports from Syria have been denied the chance to perform Hajj by Saudi...
Netanyahu and Nasrallah exchange threats amid rising tensions in the region
July 22nd, 20190 BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke during the annual commemoration of the 2006 victory of Lebanon's second war with Israel, addressing his support for Iran and saying he sees it as a partner that not only threatens Israel, but also views itself as a proud part of an “axis of resistance” against the U.S. and its...
Iran: From strategic patience to mutual action
July 20th, 20190 TEHRAN - After a pressure campaign from the U.S. and its allies on the Iranian economy, followed by a few threat exchanges, Iran has seized an oil tanker it claimed was carrying 1 million liters of "smuggled fuel," state news agency Press TV said on Thursday. The IRGC said it had initially responded to distress calls from a ship on...
Hezbollah leader says U.S. seeking to talk
July 13th, 20190 BEIRUT - The leader of Hezbollah said on Friday that Washington was seeking to open channels of communication despite ramping up sanctions against the Iran-backed movement’s officials. “Trump’s administration is seeking to open channels of communication to Hezbollah in Lebanon through mediators. ... These are the American......
Jared Kushner’s ‘deal of the century’ fails in Bahrain
July 3rd, 20190 MANAMA - The so called "deal of the century" proposed by President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, which sought to deal with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, was met with minimal interest from the attending crowd. With the Palestinians absent from the conference table, in addition to the refusal of many Arab...
Lebanon opposes U.S. plan for Mideast, not attending Bahrain conference
June 30th, 20190 BEIRUT — The Lebanese government and parliament both oppose a U.S. plan for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported. The first phase of President Trump’s plan to revive the peace process is being discussed at an economic workshop in Bahrain and......
Lebanese consul general explains mission’s services to the community
June 22nd, 20190 SOUTHFIELD – The Lebanese Consulate in Detroit is an active and contributing member in the community, with Suzan Mouzi-Yassine as its consul general and the head of the mission. In an interview with The Arab American News, Mouzi-Yassine explained the various services the Consulate offers to the large Lebanese American community in...
Militant kills two police, two soldiers in Lebanon’s Tripoli
June 4th, 20190 BEIRUT - A militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said. Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan described it as a “lone wolf attack”, though authorities canceled Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the coastal...
Lebanon mourns former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir
May 17th, 20190 BEIRUT — Political leaders and thousands of Lebanese gathered on Thursday for the funeral of the former Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir. Ten black-clad priests with purple scarves bore his wooden coffin, marked with a cross, out of a chapel and along a purple carpet through crowds of mourners as incense wafted...
Local self-proclaimed cleric Mohammad Hajj Hassan embroiled in scandal, condemned by High Islamic Council
May 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN — The Dearborn-based Shia cleric Mohammad Hajj Hassan, who is the so called leader of the Free Shia Movement, has been the center of controversy following the release of pictures on social media that show him naked and allegedly indulging in adulterous sexual activity. The pictures were circulated widely over Facebook,......
Dr. Mohamad Hakim of Beaumont Dearborn dies at 59, shocks community
May 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN - One of Dearborn's beloved surgeons, Dr. Mohamad Hakim, M.D., P.C., passed away on April 24 following a massive heart attack. Hakim, 59, was a physician/surgeon who was recently elected as the chief of staff at Beaumont Hospital of Dearborn. Hakim practiced medicine for 27 years after graduating from Wayne State...
From Peddling to Prophecy: Arab American journalism history told in a photo exhibition
April 26th, 20190 DETROIT – On Friday, April 12, the Lebanese Consulate in Detroit hosted an exhibition featuring journalists' works entitled "From Peddling to Prophecy.” It was organized by U.N. journalist Samar Nader in collaboration with the two universities in Lebanon — The Holy Spirit and the Lady of Luiza. The exhibition was held at the......
State Dept. warns Americans of kidnapping risk: Lebanon among other Arab states on the list
April 11th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC - Due to the increased risk of American citizen abductions, the U.S. State Department has updated its travel advisories for 35 countries, with a new indicator to highlight the risk of kidnapping and hostage taking. Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Libya are the Arab states on the list. The...
Lebanese illustrator challenges views of Arab women through art
March 9th, 20190 BEIRUT — Lebanese artist Christina Atik has produced a series of digital pictures to illustrate sentences commonly used in Arab countries to criticize women with the aim of empowering Arab women. The project tackles issues of female freedom, beauty and sexuality in societies traditionally dominated by men. Atik, 27, said she......
