Political, community and religious leaders unite against hate in Dearborn
September 1st, 20190 DEARBORN – U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), Andy Levin (D-Warren) and Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud joined members of community and non-profit associations to unite against hateful rhetoric on Thursday. The rally was hosted by Take On Hate, a non-profit organization, and was organized and...
Metropark investigation concludes police officer’s comment to Arab American man ‘not racist,’ but ‘unnecessary’
August 31st, 20190 BROWNSTOWN, MI — A police officer has been found in violation of department policies for not being “courteous” or “exemplary” following a verbal argument with an Arab American man at Lake Erie Metropolitan Park in Brownstown Township on Sunday, June 30. The Lake Erie Metropark officer was accused of making a discriminatory...
Gas station owners agree to cultural sensitivity training after shooting incidents
August 31st, 20190 DETROIT — A group of Detroit activists recently shut down a gas station where a bystander was shot by a clerk, forcing its owners to undergo cultural sensitivity training and make other improvements, the Detroit Free Press writes. The Shell gas station on West Warren near the Southfield Freeway was closed last month for five days of...
Michigan Culture and Diversity Festival disputes Dearborn Heights Police fine
August 31st, 20191 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — HYPE Athletic Center's Michigan Culture and Diversity Festival that took place from Aug. 22 to Aug. 25 was ticketed by the city police for being too loud, despite having a valid permit and complying with the noise ordinance, according to festival coordinator Ali Sayed. The festival featured more than 16 countries...
Owner of Detroit Tigers farm team in Connecticut chairs Islamophobic organization
August 31st, 20192 NORWICH, CT – The Council on American Islamic Relations in Connecticut (CAIR-CT) was recently informed that the owner of the Connecticut Tigers in Norwich, Miles Prentice, is the chairman of the rightwing organization Center for Security Policy (CSP). The CSP is designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center is an anti-Muslim hate...
Iraqi immigrant brings innovative mobile barber business to Metro Detroit
August 31st, 20190 Dearborn – Iraqi immigrant and businessman Jasim Sakban Alezerej can be seen driving his innovative new business on four wheels around Dearborn and parts of greater Metro Detroit. Named Ethereal Mobile, the barber shop is housed within a Mercedes Sprinter van. Alezerej, who also goes by the handle Jayy Cutz, came up with the...
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...
New study finds Michigan’s suicide rate has increased nearly 50 percent since 1999
August 28th, 20190 LANSING — The suicide rate in Michigan has risen dramatically since 1999, climbing by nearly 50 percent, according to a newly released study from SeniorLiving.org. The study found that Michigan's rate has increased by 48.5 percent, marking the 21st largest increase of any state during the time period. Overall, Michigan's suicide...
Music Under the Stars continues with free concerts in Dearborn
August 26th, 20190 DEARBORN - “Music Under the Stars”, the Dearborn Recreation & Parks Department’s free concert series, continues with Fifty Amp Fuse performing Thursday, August 22, and the Dearborn Big Band on Thursday, September 12. Both concerts will be at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course and start at 7:30 p.m. Patrons are encouraged to...
Maintenance week: Services limited at Ford Community & Performing Arts Center
August 26th, 20190 DEARBORN – The Ford Community and Performing Arts Center will be undergoing maintenance and most portions of the building will be closed from August 26 to September 2. The closed portions include the gymnasiums, pools, fitness area, the Michael A. Guido Theater Box Office and the Senior Services Office. During these days, the...
Dearborn City Council will not renew jail contract to hold detainees for ICE
August 26th, 20190 DEARBORN - On Tuesday, August 20, Dearborn City Council voted not to renew its prisoner housing contract with Calhoun County after a decade-long arrangement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold detainees. This agreement was caused from controversy over detentions of undocumented immigrants by ICE. The contract...
State Rep. Hammoud, local leaders announce package of bills to hold corporations accountable and stop environmental pollution
August 26th, 20190 DEARBORN — A group of local Democratic leaders representing the communities of Dearborn, Detroit and other nearby cities gathered for a press conference outside of Salina School on Wednesday, in the shadow of steel plants that have been making life miserable for countless residents. Led by State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn),...
Town hall meeting in Dearborn Heights brings communities together to discuss drug abuse
August 26th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Collaboration and discussion on drug abuse was the message Tuesday at a town hall in the Islamic House of Wisdom. Detroit City Councilman Roy McCalister Jr. and the Mental Health Task Force held a public meeting where community members and professionals expressed ideas of raising awareness on drug abuse and...
Dearborn cancels prisoner housing contract with ICE after two protests
August 25th, 20190 DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council announced that it will not be renewing its decade-long prisoner housing contract with Calhoun County, following two protests in the city this week against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detentions. “We will not be renewing at this point in time and don't anticipate working with......
Arab American community on high alert after overdose reports
August 24th, 20190 DEARBORN – Recent unofficial reports of drug overdoses among Arab Americans in Dearborn have raised concerns over the prevalence of substance abuse and addiction. Opioid addiction has been recognized as a public health crisis in Michigan and the Arab American community has been directly affected for some time. According to...
Police increase traffic enforcement as school year begins
August 24th, 20190 DEARBORN – With the new school year beginning on Monday, August 26, Mayor Jack O’Reilly, Jr. has directed the Dearborn Police Department to increase traffic enforcement. The strict traffic enforcement will serve to protect students from speeders, stop-sign runners and inattentive drivers. Officers will focus on streets used......
Harassed at border crossings and airports? You should know your rights!
August 23rd, 20191 "Land of the free and home of the brave" — This sentence would have a stronger ring to it when people learn about their rights as Americans, regardless of their race. People in the Arab American community — like many other minority groups — have been dealing their version of discrimination based on race. With a series of...Claims in weight loss ads might be false
By Rosario Méndez Some ads for weight loss products promise miracles. They might say that the product works for everyone or will let you lose weight permanently. Those claims are lies. Dishonest advertisers will tell you anything to get you to buy their product. They might have images of “doctors” in their ads and even...
Girl, 9, dies after being mauled by dogs in Detroit; community mobilizes to lend support
August 21st, 20190 DETROIT – Emma Hernandez, a 9-year-old girl, was attacked and killed by three dogs in an alley on Detroit's west side while on her bike on Monday. The neighborhood is south of West Warren and east of Lonyo. According to the Detroit News, neighbors came out to help after they heard the girl screaming. They hurled bricks at the...
Tlaib and Omar hold press conference about Netanyahu’s travel ban
August 19th, 20190 Minnesota – U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) held a press conference today at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in St Paul to discuss recent travel restrictions placed on them by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Omar made opening comments in which she clarified that, contrary to information by recent......
Census 2020 will impact our communities and futures
August 17th, 20190 The 2020 Census will officially take place on April 1, 2020. That may seem a ways off, but the stakes of the census are high. We cannot afford a moment of complacency. People of color, along with other groups including seniors, students, and rural residents, have been under counted by previous censuses. This not only affects...
2020 presidential candidate Cory Booker says he went to Senate to defend Israel
August 17th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to a recent question inquiring whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racist, New Jersey Senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker said he entered the Senate to stand up for the state of Israel. Booker was asked about Netanyahu at the Iowa State Fair on August 10 by Jewish......
Arabic for America: Conveying a critical language through leadership and mentorship
August 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — Extending the emphasis on critical languages and global empowerment, teachers from across the state of Michigan gathered to expand on their techniques and to increase the effective resources of conveying Arabic as a critical language. STARTALK, a federal grant program funded by the National Security Agency and...
Tlaib, Levin and Dingell urge Dearborn police to stop cooperating with ICE detainment of immigrants
August 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — More than 150 demonstrators gathered outside the Dearborn Police station on Michigan Avenue on Tuesday, demanding an end to the department's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detaining area residents. Among those leading the protests were U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Andy Levin......
