Vigil held for Mohammed Wutwut at Star International Academy
July 14th, 20170 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On July 10, a vigil was held at Star International Academy's football field to honor Mohammed Wutwut. Wutwut, 15, drowned on July 8 in Cass Lake, according to authorities. The vigil was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., but attendees came early to console one another. Family, friends, and community members gathered in...
Dearborn Police provides updates on major crimes and reckless driving
July 14th, 20170 DEARBORN — According to Police Chief Ron Haddad, Dearborn's crime rate saw an 11.20 percent reduction from 3,246 in 2016 to 2,881 so far this year, with some "alarming trends", like a 26 percent increase in drug offense arrests. The reckless driving rate also sees little improvement. At a July 10 press conference, held at the...
Fayrouz Saad announces run for Congress, plans to challenge Dave Trott
July 14th, 20172 NORTHVILLE— Born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, Northville resident Fayrouz Saad is the product of hard working parents who immigrated from Lebanon more than 40 years ago. "It really starts with my parents," Saad said. "Moving to Michigan for the American Dream. They started a small business in Detroit's Eastern Market. A very...
Muslim majority Hamtramck City Council appoints Christian woman as city manager
July 14th, 20176 HAMTRAMCK — In 2015, Hamtramck became the first city in the United States to elect a Muslim majority to its city council. While many right wing pundits charged that the council would enact Sharia (Islamic law) at its first opportunity, the contrary occurred. When Acting City Manager Katrina Powell's two and a half year contract...
Governor Snyder signs laws banning female genital mutilation
July 13th, 20170 LANSING- On Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder signed legislation making genital mutilation of girls a state felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, both for doctors who perform the procedure and parents who transport a child to undergo the surgery. Genital mutilation of girls, typically involving removal of all or part of the...
Kid Rock hints online he will run for U.S. Senate
July 13th, 20170 DETROIT- Recording star Kid Rock, an outspoken supporter of Republican President Donald Trump, hinted in website and social media messages on Wednesday that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate in 2018, promising a "major announcement" to come soon. The 46-year-old Michigan native drew attention on Twitter and his Facebook page to a...
Official in northern Michigan shares Facebook posts that call to kill all Muslims
July 13th, 20170 KALKASKA, Mich. — A village president of Kalkaska, about 230 miles northwest of Detroit, shared Facebook posts that condemned Islam and called for the murder of “every last Muslim." He declined to apologize. The Record-Eagle of Traverse City reported that president Jeff Sieting said on Monday that he’s not obligated to apologize...
U.S. judge halts deportation of Iraqi immigrants
July 11th, 20170 DETROIT- On Tuesday, a U.S. judge ruled that the government cannot immediately deport nearly 200 Iraqi immigrants arrested last month who argued they would face persecution if they were removed from the country. U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith in Michigan said he had the authority to order the government to keep the Iraqis in the...
Flint Islamic center raises $10,000 for Lt. Jeff Neville
July 9th, 20170 FLINT- The Flint Islamic Center raised $10,000 for Lt. Jeff Neville, the victim of the Bishop International Airport stabbing, as he continues to recover from his injury. The Flint Muslim community launched the fundraising campaign right after the attack. Amor Ftouhi, 49, of Montreal, was charged with stabbing officer Neville at...
Dearborn teenager drowned in Cass Lake
July 9th, 20170 WATERFORD, Mich. - Rescuers are searching for Mohammed Wutwut (15), a Dearborn teenage boy who went missing in Cass Lake on July 8. Witnesses say the 15 year-old from Dearborn was swimming in a shallow part of the lake this afternoon. He went underwater and never resurfaced. Dive teams from the Oakland County Sheriff's Department...Dearborn teenager drowned in Cass Lake, recovery efforts continue
July 9th, 20170 WATERFORD, Mich. - Rescuers are searching for Mohammed Wutwut (15), a Dearborn teenage boy who went missing in Cass Lake on July 8. Witnesses say the 15 year-old from Dearborn was swimming in a shallow part of the lake this afternoon. He went underwater and never resurfaced. Dive teams from the Oakland County Sheriff's Department...
Nawal Hamadeh: Education is my passion
July 7th, 20170 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Few know the barrier-breaking story of Nawal Hamadeh, president and CEO of Hamadeh Educational Services, despite her accomplishments. In 1998, Hamadeh did what few women had up to that time. She opened two charter schools, Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights and Universal Academy in Detroit. In doing...
Local food blogger Zee Shami opens culinary studio in Dearborn Heights
July 7th, 20170 By Stephen Martin DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On July 5, local food blogger Zee Shami held the grand opening of her new culinary studio, ZeeTheCook. The studio offers cooking classes, etiquette coaching, unique culinary workshops and birthday parties, as well as fall, spring and summer camps for children. It also offers adults a variety...
LaunchGood Crowdfunding changes the Arab American and global Muslim narrative
July 7th, 20170 By Afaf Humayun DETROIT — Since 2013, the Detroit-based company LaunchGood has been providing the international Muslim community with a unique way to reclaim its narrative through charitable online giving. "There is so much misinformation about Muslims and Arabs out there that it's a way for us to take things into our own hands,"...
Local Yemenis feel marginalized as Lebanese brethren gain momentum
July 7th, 20171 DEARBORN — The daughter of Yemeni immigrants who'd fled war and poverty a couple decades ago and found home in Metro Detroit grew up feeling like she always had to prove herself more than others. Hanan Yahya, a 23-year-old recent college graduate and current administrator at a Dearborn-based education organization, said as long as......
International students: A $32.8 billion industry
June 30th, 20170 By Stephen Martin DEARBORN — The ever-changing global perception of the United States is having an impact on the education industry. CNN, The Hechinger Report and Inside Higher Ed have respectively reported in recent years on a decline in H1B work visas, a decline in international student applications and increased competition...
Crestwood High School students offered $13.6 million in scholarships
June 30th, 20170 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — In mid June, Crestwood High School sent 312 graduates on a life-altering path that will ultimately result in an even more prosperous new chapter as 178 of them have been offered a combined $13.6 million in scholarships and awards. All the graduates applied to college. Principal John Tafelski expressed his......
Dearborn-based nonprofit unveils photo series on Michigan Muslims
June 30th, 20170 By Afaf Humayun HAMTRAMCK — During the month of June, the Dearborn-based Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) held four open viewings and one panel discussion at community space Bank Suey in Hamtramck regarding its portrait series of Michigan Muslims. The portraits are a component of ISPU's research titled...
A day with Dearborn Rep. Abdullah Hammoud: A young Arab American strives for a more welcoming Michigan
June 30th, 20170 LANSING — On election night last November, Dearbornites celebrated a triumph. Abdullah Hammoud, 27, became the first Arab Muslim male to represent the city in the state legislature. He told The AANews he felt relieved to win the race, but knew that struggle still lay ahead because "Trump might win Michigan." Donald Trump not only...
Dearborn School Board bids former Trustee Mariam Bazzi farewell
June 30th, 20170 DEARBORN — The Dearborn School Board held a farewell ceremony in honor of former President Mariam Bazzi, June 26, before the newest trustee, Celia Nasser, was sworn in. Bazzi served as the president of the Dearborn Board of Education and chair of Henry Ford College's Board of Trustees until her May 22 resignation after Gov. Snyder...
Trustee Hussein Berry sues district over colleague’s appointment
June 30th, 20170 DEARBORN — A member of the Dearborn Board of Education is suing the board and its president over the appointment of the newest trustee. Trustee Hussein Berry announced the lawsuit during the June 26 board meeting after the new trustee, Celia Nasser, was sworn in by 19th District Court Chief Judge Sam Salamey. The lawsuit comes on......
Bald man steals several boxes of Rogaine from Dearborn pharmacy
June 29th, 20170 DEARBORN ― A bald man stole seven boxes of Rogaine from a pharmacy on Warren Avenue near Wyoming Avenue in Dearborn on June 22, according to a Dearborn Police press release. Employees told officers that the suspect, a 30-40-year-old Black man, entered the store, placed seven boxes of the items in a shopping bag, and left in...
Dearborn Fire Department awarded $773K grant
June 28th, 20170 DEARBORN – On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D- Dearborn) announced that the Dearborn Fire Department will be awarded a $773,637 vehicle acquisition grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. “It is critical that local firefighters and first responders have the......
Michigan Supreme Court examining hookah tobacco mixing case
June 28th, 20170 DETROIT— Michigan’s Supreme Court is examining the case of Samer Shami, a Detroit area man who blends his own tobacco for hookahs. Investigators accused Shami of producing his own tobacco without a license. A Wayne County judge expelled the charge, claiming that mixing tobacco does not equate with manufacturing it. However,...
State sues Flint over failing to approve long-term water deal
June 28th, 20170 FLINT- Michigan sued the city of Flint on Wednesday in federal court over its failure to approve a long-term drinking water source for residents. Flint switched its water supply in 2014, sparking a crisis that was linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease and at least 12 deaths, as well as exposure of residents to dangerously......
