New “Dearborn Girl” podcast brings fresh perspective to the Arab American story
May 31st, 20190 DEARBORN — The creators of the new podcast “Dearborn Girl” held a launch party at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn recently, during which they announced the release of the show's 12 upcoming episodes. For founders Yasmeen Kadouh and Rima Fadlallah, the focus is to provide local Arab American and Muslim women with a...
The Peoples Iftar brings together different political voices, emphasizes co-governance
May 31st, 20190 Dearborn – Fifteen community organizations and restaurants came together to host The People's Iftar dinner in the Annex of the Arab American National Museum on Wednesday. Attendees included council members from various Metro Detroit cities and other elected officials, local political activists, religious leaders and former...
Local resident reflects on occupation and liberation of southern Lebanon 19 years after Israel’s withdrawal
May 31st, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Abbas Youssef remembers the mood in his southern Lebanese village the day Israel fled and relinquished control of the region after 22 years of occupation. Israel was driven out by Lebanese resistance on May 25, 2000, a day known to many in the Lebanese American community as Liberation Day. The Guardian reported...
Michigan Muslim Community Council organizes Ramadan Fight Against Hunger campaign
May 31st, 20190 DEARBORN— The Michigan Muslim Community Council launched its annual Ramadan Fight Against Hunger campaign on May 26. The organization is planning volunteer events and food drives at several locations across southeast Michigan through the end of Ramadan. Dr. Muzammil Ahmad, a Beaumont-affiliated urologist and MMCC board member, told...
Billions needed to fix roads and bridges in Wayne County
May 31st, 20190 DETROIT— Within the next 10 years, Wayne County needs to invest more than $3 billion for 90 percent of the infrastructure to be brought to better conditions. Wayne County public roads and bridges comprise the largest and oldest local public infrastructure system in the state of Michigan, impacting one of the most significant...
Gov. Whitmer signs new auto insurance law that could “significantly lower” premiums
May 27th, 20190 LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed a bill into law to reform Michigan's auto insurance system on Thursday, calling it “historic” and beneficial for the state's drivers. The bill will give Michigan drivers plenty of new options for choosing their desired coverage plans and rates, and reform a system that she said was in dire need...
Arab American donors help ChadTough Foundation raise money for pediatric brain cancer research
May 24th, 20190 ANN ARBOR —The University of Michigan's academic and athletic communities, friends, supporters and well wishers gathered at the Crisler Center this past Saturday, helping to raise more than $1.2 million to help combat the deadliest form of pediatric brain cancer, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), and for the Chad Carr Pediatric...
CAIR to reach out to Pennsylvania school district after release of racist active-shooter drill video
May 24th, 20192 PITTSBURGH – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has joined other anti-discrimination and Muslim rights organizations in condemning the Penn-Trafford School District for allowing a teacher to wear a keffiyeh while acting as a would-be shooter in an active-shooter drill. Video of the drill was produced by the school...
Nasser Beydoun named co-chair of BRIDGES
May 24th, 20190 DEARBORN — On Wednesday May 22, Nasser Beydoun, the chairman of the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) was named co-chair of BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity). Participating steering committee members supported the nomination unanimously. BRIDGES is a partnership between federal law...
Bab El Hara Ramadan festival proves to be a satisfying success
May 24th, 20190 DEARBORN – Ali Hachem, owner of Dearborn’s Cheat Treats and purveyor of guilt-free, protein-rich baked goods, is proud of the city of Dearborn and its residents for organizing around this year’s Ramadan festivities. Hachem, a self-trained baker, organized a successful Ramadan festival of his own this year, in front of his...
After a year of harassment by their neighbor, Dearborn Heights Arab family sees some justice
May 24th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – After almost a year of harassment by their next-door neighbors, Jamal and Hind Hourani and their 7-year-old son were finally offered some justice in the city’s 20th District Court this week. On Monday afternoon, Christie Ann Klein was found guilty of two separate counts of breaching of the peace at a bench...
Focus: HOPE to close its Inkster facility, affecting thousands of senior citizens
May 24th, 20190 Inkster — Focus: Hope is closing its Inkster facility. Stanley Davis, an Inkster resident and volunteer at Focus: Hope, is concerned that this will impact thousands of senior citizens in Wayne County who depend on food supplements from the facility to help them make it through the month. According to Davis, a "for sale" sign is...
Gov. Whitmer announces appointments to Commission on Middle-Eastern Affairs
May 24th, 20190 LANSING — Gov. Whitmer announced the following appointments and/or reappointments to the Commission on Middle-Eastern American Affairs: John D. Daoud of Troy is the director of human resources at the Arab American and Chaldean Council. Daoud is appointed to succeed Haifa Fakhouri, whose term expired April 19, for a term expiring...
Garden City Hospital achieves Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award
May 23rd, 20190 GARDEN CITY, MI — Garden City Hospital has received the Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award, the hospital said in a press release today. This distinction places the hospital among the top five percent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data, as evaluated by Healthgrades, which is the...
Ramadan feast held on Capitol Hill as Muslim lawmakers break fast, Trump holds separate iftar
May 22nd, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — An invitation-only iftar (traditional Ramadan dinner for breaking fast) was held on Capitol Hill Monday, where eight Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) spoke about fasting, religion and faith among other topics. “It’s about developing understanding for the kind of struggles others go......
State of Michigan expects record-breaking Memorial Day travel volume
May 21st, 20190 DEARBORN — Nearly 1.3 million Michiganders are expected to start their summers off with a Memorial Day weekend getaway, a 3.3 percent increase in travelers compared to last year and the largest number in almost 15 years, a press release from AAA said. More than 1.1 million of those traveling are expected to be driving. In a...
Dearborn community members talk about stigma and mental health awareness
May 20th, 20191 DEARBORN — On Saturday, April 27, The Arab American Health Initiative (AAHI) held a public seminar on raising awareness about mental health treatment, including therapy and medication, at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center. Attendees included community and organization members and panelists in psychiatry and other mental......
Henry Ford Centennial Library will temporarily close for major renovations
May 20th, 20190 DEARBORN – The Henry Ford Centennial Library (HFCL) will temporarily close to the public starting May 20 through the fall for a major renovation project. In order to serve residents during the closure, library hours at both the Bryant Branch Library and the Esper Branch Library will be extended beginning June 1. The extended...
FTC offers a parental advisory about dating apps
May 20th, 20190 Parents be warned: some dating apps – like FastMeet, Meet24 and Meet4U – allow adults to find and communicate with children. Concerned parents should remove these apps if they’re on children’s devices. You also can set your kids’ devices so they must get parental approval before purchasing any new apps. Here are a few more...
Dearborn and Wayne County offer free household hazardous waste disposal days
May 20th, 20190 DEARBORN - Starting on May 11, a series of free household hazardous waste collection days will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in many Wayne County locations. Multiple drop-off options are available. Wayne County collection events are offered at the following locations: May 11 at Henry Ford College, August 10 at the Westland Shopping...
Avoid crowdfunding scams
May 20th, 20190 Crowdfunding is one way to support a project you believe in and get rewards for that support. But the project you’re backing is only as good as the people behind it. Some dishonest people can take your money but produce nothing – no product, no project and no reward. Here’s how crowdfunding works: People called "creators"......
Dearborn Iftar to raise funds to help combat dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen
May 20th, 20190 DEARBORN — Byblos Banquet Hall will be the site of an iftar to help combat the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen on Thursday, May 23, with support from the Haidara Foundation for Peace and Human Development and the Pure Hands organization. “Today Yemen is facing the largest humanitarian crisis in the world,” an invitation letter...
Dearborn Police warn residents against credit/debit card skimmers
May 20th, 20190 DEARBORN —During a press conference on Thursday, May 16, Dearborn Police advised residents to give any card reader a good look before using their credit or debit card. Community members and Dearborn Police and city officials were present at the Dearborn Administrative Center for the press conference. The Dearborn Police......
Beaumont recruiting patients for National Cancer Institute targeted therapy study
May 20th, 20190 ROYAL OAK — An ongoing study at Beaumont Hospital is recruiting patients for a nationwide cancer study on targeted therapies. The research will be conducted at Beaumont hospitals in Royal Oak and Troy. The National Cancer Institute seeks to determine whether targeted therapies for people whose tumors have certain gene mutations will...
CAIR-MI sues Detroit and its fire department, alleging discrimination against Muslim EMT
May 17th, 20190 FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a Muslim emergency medical technician (EMT) against the city of Detroit and the Detroit Fire Department on Thursday for discriminatory treatment and unfair discipline. The organization......
