Teen allegedly killed his mother for being ‘too American’
September 22nd, 20170 FARMINGTON HILLS — During a pre-exam conference on Friday, Sept. 15, Judge Marla Parker of the 47th District Court scheduled a preliminary hearing for Nov. 17 to determine whether Muhammad Altantawi, 16, will be tried for the death of his mother, 35-year-old Nada Huranieh. Altantawi is accused of throwing his mother out of an upper...
Dearborn Historical Museum lacks Arab American presence
September 22nd, 20170 DEARBORN — For the last few months, all eyes have been on the city's government and how it will respond to calls for proper representation of Arab Americans, who make up about half of its population. Many also have deep roots in the community. As the city's residents and officials argue over the fate of the statue of famous...
AMER: First Muslim foster care facility coming to Dearborn
September 22nd, 20170 DEARBORN — The cries of a local mother's children as they were dragged away by state officials still echo after three decades. Wrongfully accused in 1985 of murdering her 2-year-old son, Rehab Amer relives the horrors of trying to bring her other children back every day. Now, she's making sure other children's distress calls do not...
Kalkaska peace group hosts interfaith event, denounces village president’s anti-Muslim remarks
September 22nd, 20170 KALKASKA — In the wake of several anti-Muslim sentiments posted by Kalkaska Village President Jeff Sieting, a group of Kalkaska County residents have formed a nonprofit organization to promote education and understanding. Established in July, Kalkaska for Peace (KFP) came about because of the negative image the village received,...
Plymouth hosts presentation on Muslims and their contributions
September 22nd, 20170 PLYMOUTH — The city of Plymouth invited the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) to present its Muslims for American Progress (MAP) project research findings and photo series at the Plymouth Cultural Center Sept 18-20. Prior to the event, Plymouth Mayor Dan Dwyer released a statement saying the city was looking...
Ashura: A sacred time of humanity and reform
September 22nd, 20170 DEARBORN — This year, Friday, September 22, marks the beginning of Ashura, the 10-day commemoration of Imam Hussein's (the Prophet Muhammad's grandson) martyrdom and his family and follower's sacrifice— known as a historical tragedy mostly observed by Shi'a Muslims. Every year there's an increase in social, political and economic...
Burger joints are the newest Arab American trend in Dearborn
September 22nd, 20170 DEARBORN — A new burger joint trend is developing in the Dearborn area. At least eight burger joints have opened in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, with a number of them opening in the last few years. The burger joints are popular in Dearborn because they offer halal meat on the classic American dish. The burger trend in...
Hamtramck protest, vigil demands end to Yemen war
September 14th, 20170 HAMTRAMCK – A crowd of about 200 people attended a protest and vigil in front of Hamtramck’s City Hall on Saturday, September 9. The event focused on denouncing all violence in Yemen, the internal and external wars that continue to cripple the nation’s population of more than 25 million. Hamtramck is about 30 percent Yemenis...
Dearborn School Board tables redistricting options, seeks community input
September 14th, 20170 DEARBORN- No community members shared their feedback at the September 11 Dearborn Board of Education meeting regarding the trustees’ possible solutions for overpopulated high schools, including boundary line changes and class additions, as the turnout was low. Still, board members expressed the hope that after the October 9 board...
Police militarization heightens chances of misconduct and brutality
September 14th, 20170 DEARBORN— During his campaign, President Trump promised to revoke former President Obama’s executive order that demilitarized local police to remilitarize them once again— reportedly for their own and their communities’ safety. Only two weeks ago, Trump issued an executive order that rescinded Obama’s. Obama’s order had...
Hamtramck councilman under fire for blaming trash problem on immigrants
September 14th, 20172 HAMTRAMCK — A councilmember in one of the most diverse cities in the nation is facing a backlash after he blamed a trash problem on immigrant residents. "There is an issue with trash in Hamtramck," Councilman Ian Perrotta said in an interview on WWJ AM 950. "I think some of it comes from the fact that some of our immigrant...
9/11 town hall addresses Japanese internment camps and targeting of Muslims
September 14th, 20170 DEARBORN—The Arab American National Museum (AANM) hosted a town hall on September 8 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Japanese American detainment in internment camps and the 16th anniversary of the September 11 World Trade Center attacks in New York City. In 1942, President Roosevelt signed executive order 9066, which entailed...
Huffington Post partners with The Arab American News as bus tour comes to Dearborn
September 14th, 20170 DEARBORN —The Huffington Post has partnered with more than 20 cities around the U.S. for its “Listen to America” bus tour, which is a platform for Americans to share stories that are local to them and their communities. The AANews has partnered with the Huffington Post to hold a forum on October 3 at Byblos Banquet Center in...
State Reps. Introduce fireworks reform legislature
September 14th, 20170 LANSING — State Reps. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) and Brian K. Elder (D-Bay City) have introduced legislation to improve Michigan’s fireworks laws. The bills, 4924 and 425, would make an amendment to the Michigan Fireworks Safety Act established in 2011. “Throughout the summer, we received numerous constituent complaints about...
House Democrats Jobs for America Task Force names Dingell co-chair
September 14th, 20170 WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) was selected to co-lead a new task force focused on crafting legislation to help middle-class citizens. Dingell’s political career has focused on the manufacturing-based economy in Michigan and will continue those efforts on the board. “Today, every industry — from autos and......
Task force from Michigan sent to help Floridians, sent home
September 14th, 20170 HOLLY – Michigan Task Force 1 (MI-TF1)—a regional task force designed to provide support, expertise and equipment in emergency situations, has been sent home from Florida because the damage from Hurricane Irma wasn’t as bad as expected. According to reports, MI-TF1 partnered with the Michigan State Police Emergency Management...
New Michigan Media appoints social media engagement manager
September 14th, 20170 DETROIT– New Michigan Media (NMM), the collaborative network of the five largest ethnic and minority media publications in Michigan: The Arab American News, The Detroit Jewish News, The Latino Press, The Michigan Chronicle and The Michigan Korean Weekly, has appointed Keyta Roberson as the organization’s social media and community......
U.S. Appeals Court allows extra airport screening of two Arab American locals
September 14th, 20171 DETROIT — The U.S. government did not violate the Constitutional rights of two Dearborn businessmen, Nasser Beydoun and Maan Bazzi, by routinely subjecting them to extra security screening at airports, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. Beydoun and Bazzi, both U.S. citizens from Dearborn, accused the government of violating...
Dearborn-based Iraqi American family arrested while trying to deposit check
September 12th, 20172 WICHITA ― Sattar Ali, a Dearborn man who moved his family to Kansas says he regrets the decision, after he, his wife, and daughter were all in handcuffs while attempting to deposit a large check that was acquired through the sale of their home. According to the Kansas-based TV station, the Ali family recently sold their Dearborn...
U.S. Rep. Dave Trott of Birmingham is retiring from Congress
September 11th, 20170 Washington — Republican Rep. Dave Trott (R-Birmingham) said Monday he will retire from Congress at the end of his second term and return to the private sector. “Our country’s Founding Fathers envisioned a government where citizens leave private life, serve for a brief time, and then return home to their communities," Trott said...
Supreme Court justice temporarily preserves Trump refugee ban
September 11th, 20170 WASHINGTON ― Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday put a temporarily hold on limits imposed by a lower court on President Trump’s order barring most refugees from entering the United States. Kennedy acted in response to the Justice Department’s challenge to the part of a Thursday ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th......
Dearborn School Board agrees on possible solutions for overpopulated high schools
September 8th, 20170 DEARBORN — School is back in session and the Dearborn School Board of Education continues to tackle the overcrowding issue at Fordson and Dearborn High schools. In an August 29 study session, the board eliminated proposals of forming a new high school or a ninth grade academy, calling them unfeasible. It found boundary line changes...
Detroit rally shows strong support for ‘Dreamers’
September 8th, 20170 DETROIT — "I'm 16 years old and I am undocumented," said a young Detroit woman at the Defend DACA rally at Clark Park on Tuesday. Jose Franco, a founding member of One Michigan, organized the event as a response to President Trump's executive order to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA was enacted......
Community, officials celebrate Arab American successes at Judge Mariam Bazzi’s investiture
September 8th, 20170 DEARBORN — If you didn't already know what she looked like, you'd be surprised to see Mariam Bazzi greeting a line of guests at the entrance to her own investiture ceremony. Bazzi – appointed by Gov. Snyder in May as a judge in the Wayne Country Third Circuit Court – pointed attendees to the auditorium, and judges and family...
A list of employees shows hardly any Arab Americans in Dearborn’s government
September 8th, 20170 DEARBORN — There is little doubt that Arab Americans have become significantly more civically engaged in the past decade, yet Dearborn residents and businesses have not yearned any less for their issues to be better adequately reflected in city government. In this Detroit suburb – with about half its population as Arab Americans,......
