East Dearborn welcomes Mosque of the Prophet as community need grows
April 4th, 20260 The story behind the construction of Mosque of the Prophet, affiliated with the Islamic Institute of Knowledge, is not merely another success story about building a beautiful and distinctive architectural landmark in Dearborn. Rather, it reflects a layered experience that mirrors how institutions are formed in the diaspora — how a...
Rising fuel and fertilizer costs hit Michigan as Strait of Hormuz crisis disrupts global shipping
April 4th, 20260 DETROIT — One month after maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was restricted due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the ripple effects of the global shipping crisis continue to weigh heavily on Americans’ daily lives — including residents of Michigan, who are facing sharp increases in fuel prices and soaring fertilizer...
ACRL condemns misleading and dangerous framing by the Detroit News, community voices won’t be silenced
April 4th, 20260 The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) strongly condemned the recent article published by the Detroit News and authored by George Hunter, which irresponsibly conflates constitutionally protected speech with criminal conduct and perpetuates harmful, stigmatizing narratives about the Arab and Muslim community in Metro Detroit. This...
AHRC calls for responsible journalism: Let us avoid painting with a broad brush
April 4th, 20260 The American Human Rights Council (AHRC‑USA) expresses deep concern regarding the intent and the possible negative backlash of the recent Detroit News article written by George Hunter and published on March 25, 2026, titled “Temple Israel fuels debate about Hezbollah threat in Detroit area.” The article’s framing, purpose and...
Lawsuit targets Henry Ford College Board over alleged secret deliberations in presidential search
March 27th, 20260 A newly filed lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court alleges that the Henry Ford College Board of Trustees violated Michigan’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) during its ongoing search for a new college president. The complaint, filed Thursday by political activist and Highland Park resident Robert Davis, centers on the Board’s use of a...
Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen challenges U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib in Michigan’s 12th District primary
March 27th, 20260 INKSTER — earlier this month Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen joined a growing list of Democratic candidates seeking to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. Unlike the previous election cycle in 2024, Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, will be required this year to compete in the...
Accusations of incitement: The Detroit News targets the Arab American community
March 27th, 20260 On Thursday, the Detroit News published a report that can, without exaggeration, be described as a blatant example of inciting journalism that abandons even the most basic professional standards and ethics. Media incitement and manufactured fear The article’s author, George Hunter, constructed a narrative rooted in collective...
Plymouth-Canton Schools settle lawsuit over student’s Gaza protest during Pledge of Allegiance
March 27th, 20261 Plymouth-Canton Community Schools has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit alleging a middle school student’s First Amendment rights were violated when she was reprimanded for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in protest of the war in Gaza. The agreement, announced Thursday by the ACLU of Michigan and the Arab American...
Gonko’s exit leaves four candidates in Henry Ford College’s presidential search
March 20th, 20260 DEARBORN — The list of finalists for the presidency of Henry Ford College in Dearborn has narrowed to four candidates following the withdrawal of Interim President Dr. Lori Gonko, who was selected on Wednesday to lead Macomb Community College, effective in June. With Gonko’s departure, the final slate now includes Wayne County...
Firing of Hamtramck’s clerk raises troubling question: Did the city follow the law?
March 20th, 20260 When Hamtramck officials announced they were searching for a new city clerk after firing Rana Faraj, the explanation offered to the public seemed straightforward. City officials suggested the termination stemmed from the controversy surrounding the 2025 election and a series of alleged workplace issues. But a closer look at the timeline...
Dearborn to host major community fundraiser for displaced families in Lebanon
March 20th, 20260 DEARBORN — Under the patronage of the Lebanese consul general of Lebanon in Detroit, Ibrahim Khalil Charara, and with the participation of a broad coalition of local organizations, the Bint Jebail Cultural Center will host a major solidarity and fundraising event for Lebanon on Sunday, March 22. The event will take place at the...
Metro Detroit Lebanese American community rallies to aid the displaced and war refugees in Lebanon amid Israeli assault
March 13th, 20260 As Israel’s continuing assault on Lebanon drives wave after wave of displacement, Lebanese American organizations in Metro Detroit have stepped up relief efforts to support families uprooted by the violence. While the resistance continues confronting Israeli forces on the ground and striking inside Israel with rockets and drones, the...
CAIR report records unprecedented surge in Islamophobia in the United States in 2025
March 13th, 20260 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Under the title “The Right to be Different”, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released its 2026 annual civil rights report on Tuesday, documenting what it described as an unprecedented rise in Islamophobia in the United States, fueled in part by the strict immigration and protest policies adopted...
Hamtramck begins search for new city clerk after firing Rana Faraj amid election controversy
March 13th, 20260 The city of Hamtramck has begun the process of searching for a new city clerk after firing former clerk Rana Faraj for what officials described as a “failure to maintain professionalism, integrity and neutrality” in her role overseeing the city’s election process. The decision came after investigators discovered a boxing bag...
Synagogue attack in West Bloomfield draws strong condemnation from Arab American leaders
March 13th, 20260 WEST BLOOMFIELD – Arab American leaders and community organizations across Metro Detroit swiftly condemned an attack targeting a Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield that ended with the death of the suspected attacker, a Dearborn Heights resident of Lebanese descent. The incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday at Temple Israel,......
BintJbeil.org iftar draws hundreds in Dearborn in support of Lebanon amid Israeli attacks
March 6th, 20260 DEARBORN – Amid worsening humanitarian conditions caused by intensified Israeli airstrikes across several regions of Lebanon, BintJbeil.org hosted a Ramadan iftar at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn on Wednesday under the theme “From Dearborn to Lebanon: One Heart in the Face of Pain.” The event featured...
Metro Detroit’s Arab and Muslim leaders condemn U.S.–Israeli unjustifiable attack on Iran, warn of wider regional war
March 6th, 20260 The U.S.–Israeli military assault on Iran and its dangerous repercussions across the Middle East sparked a wave of condemnation among Arab and Muslim Americans across the Detroit area. Local leaders called for an immediate halt to the wide-scale military operations to prevent the region from sliding into a broader war that could......
Dearborn School Board retroactively corrects search violations, approves five HFC presidential finalists
March 6th, 20260 Following a report published by The Arab American News in its previous issue detailing administrative violations in the search process for a new president of Henry Ford College, the Dearborn Board of Education sought during a special meeting held Monday to correct some procedural irregularities and address three violations of the...
Civil rights lawyer Amir Makled runs for University of Michigan Board of Regents on affordability, access and free speech
March 6th, 20260 Local attorney Amir Makled hopes to make history as the first Arab and Muslim American to serve on the University of Michigan Board of Regents, saying his decision to run is driven not by personal ambition but by his belief in the importance of equal representation within public institutions. The Lebanese American lawyer is seeking the...
Hamtramck Councilman Muhtasin Sadman pleads guilty to reduced charge in election fraud case
March 6th, 20260 Hamtramck City Council member Muhtasin Sadman has resolved a criminal case tied to allegations of election fraud in the 2023 Hamtramck municipal elections, after pleading guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Sadman entered the plea before Hamtramck District Court late last month, admitting...Suspicious backroom maneuvering and administrative violations threaten to delay Henry Ford College’s presidential search
February 27th, 20261 As the Dearborn Board of Education prepares to ratify the final list of candidates for the presidency of Henry Ford College at a special meeting scheduled for Monday, March 2, the selection process for the new president of the Dearborn-based community college faces the possibility of collapse and a complete restart. An alleged breach of......
Prominent attorney Shereef Akeel seeks seat on Wayne State University Board of Governors
February 27th, 20260 Arab American attorney Shereef Akeel does not hide his enthusiasm for adding a new chapter to his distinguished career defending civil rights, the law and the Constitution — this time by running for a seat on the Board of Governors at Wayne State University in Detroit. Akeel is competing for the Democratic Party nomination at its...
Richard A. Bierschbach named 14th president of Wayne State University
February 27th, 20260 DETROIT – The Wayne State University Board of Governors has unanimously elected Richard A. Bierschbach, J.D., as the university’s 14th president, effective immediately. Bierschbach has led the university on an interim basis since September 17. Prior to that appointment, he served for more than eight years as dean of Wayne State......
Benson, James and Duggan locked in tight 2026 Michigan gubernatorial race
February 27th, 20260 DETROIT — Despite varying results, multiple polls suggest that Michigan’s gubernatorial race is shaping up to be an exceptionally close contest between three leading figures: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (Democrat), U.S. Rep. John James (Republican) and independent candidate Mike Duggan. Although the Democratic and Republican...
Macomb County woman faces felony sextortion charges in Oakland County case
February 27th, 20260 ROYAL OAK — A 26-year-old Arab American woman from Macomb County is facing felony charges related to an alleged online sextortion scheme in which she is accused of luring men through adult websites and later threatening and extorting them for thousands of dollars. According to local authorities, Marina Elissa Bazzi was arrested at......
