Local educators approach Trump’s presidency with sensitivity
November 24th, 20160 DEARBORN — Donald Trump's election to the presidency has led to dozens of reported conflicts among students at public schools across the nation. Some notable ones include a fifth grader bringing an air pistol on a school bus in Minnesota and threatening a third grade Muslim student. Several reports surfaced in numerous states of...
State Senator Knezek: Remain ‘vigilant’ during Trump administration
November 24th, 20160 DEARBORN — As Arab Americans and other ethnic minorities keep a concerned eye on President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks, Republican legislators are urging the public to stay calm and take comfort in the county's system of protective civil rights laws. Not everyone is buying that, including State Senator David Knezek...
Local school teaches Students the art of journalism
November 24th, 20160 Teacher April Kincaid helps a student with classwork - Photos by Marissa CampbellDEARBORN — Young minds are encouraged to grow, develop and create in the young journalists program taught to eighth graders at Unis Middle School – the only program of its kind in the Dearborn School District. April Kincaid, who teaches the...
Refugee and immigrant students’ first Thanksgiving experience
November 24th, 20160 McCollough-Unis school teachers and students celebrating Thanksgiving. DEARBORN — When three refugee students were asked last Friday what they learned about the history of Thanksgiving, the best friends brawled and talked over each other— all trying to answer. They eventually agreed to let Sleiman Alaeddin, a...
Iraqi American woman teaches fellow hijabis self-defense
November 24th, 20160 Zaineb Abdulla - Photo by Brittany Palm CHICAGO — Following Donald Trump's election, hate crimes rocketed and Muslim women wearing the hijab felt it essential to learn self-defense or at least carry shielding products like pepper spray. Zaineb "Zee" Abdulla, a Chicago native, said she looked up a self-defense move...
Lebanese Americans celebrate homeland’s independence and dual identities
November 23rd, 20160 DEARBORN — "We are all for the homeland, for the glory of the flag," trumpeted local Lebanese Americans – lest the diaspora remains divided. In homage to the old country, hundreds, including recent immigrants and multiple generations of Americans, gathered with local officials, dignitaries and others to celebrate the 73rd...
Victims seek payment as “Dr. Death” declares innocence
November 23rd, 20160 DETROIT - Victims of “Dr. Death” had until this week to submit receipts for unnecessary chemotherapy, medical bills for liver damage and funeral expenses for their loved ones.517 former patients and their families had filed claims against Farid Fata, the Detroit-area cancer doctor convicted of raking in over $17 million by...
U-M student government rejects resolution to divest from Israel
November 18th, 20160 ANN ARBOR — After passionate discussions on Tuesday, Nov. 15, the University of Michigan's Central Student Government voted down a resolution to urge the university to divest from several companies that do business in Israel. The resolution, brought to the assembly by the group Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), called...
Major retail stores to open early on Thanksgiving for Black Friday
November 18th, 20160 Thanksgiving is all about reuniting with family, friends and being grateful. But if you're one of those who'd like to indulge in the tradition of shopping after your meal — you're in for a treat. Several major retail stores and a few malls in Metro Detroit will open early for a few hours during Thanksgiving evening, before Friday...
Arab superstitions are hard to undo
November 18th, 20160 DEARBORN — Living in a city with a high percentage of Arab Americans can play a role in how prevalent superstitions are. According to the young, they're quite prevalent. If at tata's (grandma's) house, grandchildren playing together are destined to run into some here and there. "'You can't step over your little brother lying on...
FBI reports hate crimes increase by 6.8 percent in 2015
November 18th, 20160 WASHINGTON — An FBI report released on Sunday, Nov. 13, revealed that in 2015, hate crimes increased 6.8 percent from the previous year. Crimes against Muslims saw the highest jump, a 67 percent increase from 2014, totaling 257 incidents compared with 154 in 2014. The number of hate crimes against Muslims in 2015 was the second...
State Rep. elect Sylvia Santana looks to strengthen a diverse district
November 18th, 20160 Sylvia SantanaDETROIT — Sylvia Santana was elected to succeed her husband, Harvey Santana, in the Michigan House of Representatives for the oddly shaped District 9. That district covers a portion of east Dearborn and a bulk of Detroit, including the Warrendale area. Santana said she's gotten to know many of her...
Local Arabs and Jews join forces against bigotry
November 18th, 20160 MJF member Tamim Shaker with Jordan Weiss, co-chair of AJC's ACCESS-Detroit.DETROIT — Talk of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict often conjures unfavorable perceptions within many Arab and Jewish households – populations with a considerable presence in Metro Detroit. However, with large populations of both Arab Americans and Jews in...
Activists embrace grassroots resistance of violence in Palestine
November 18th, 20160 DEARBORN — It was heart-wrenching for Iyad Burnat, an activist from Palestine, to see his son unable to join his friends in playing soccer because of a protest they had chosen to lead. Recounting the moment his child was shot by Israeli soldiers during a non-violent resistance demonstration in the West Bank farming village of...
Grosse Pointe students and parents support principal’s comments regarding unity
November 18th, 20160 GROSSE POINTE — After Grosse Pointe South High School Principal Moussa Hamka, a Muslim, came under attack from a few parents following his message to students encouraging respect and unity after the presidential election, more than 100 parents and students showed their support at a school board meeting on Monday, Nov. 14. According......
Dearborn Federation of Teachers donate books to DPS students
November 18th, 20160 DEARBORN — For its fourth year of classroom book donations, the Dearborn Federation of Teachers donated a free book to every student in a classroom at Miller Elementary, Bryant Middle and Edsel Ford High School. This contribution is part of its ongoing effort to hand out "a free book for every student in Dearborn." Students stopped...
Republicans urge minorities to give Trump a chance, despite intolerant advisors
November 18th, 20160 DETROIT — President elect Donald Trump's offensive campaign rhetoric seems to be finding a very prominent and visible place on his cabinet. In the days since the jaw dropping election, Trump has appointed several right wing, anti-Islamic White-nationalists to his advisory team–paving a path for what can perhaps be a gloomy four......
Post Trump’s election: A spike in racism and hate crimes
November 18th, 20160 DEARBORN — A string of racist episodes and hate crimes broke out across America right after Donald Trump's presidential election on Nov. 8, causing minority groups to assemble in an effort to shield each other. To many citizens, the president-elect's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again", took the country back to its years of...
Newlyweds forced to purchase their stolen jewelry back from pawn shop
November 18th, 20160 Surveillance footage of the couple who used Zainab's credit card at a Walmart in Roseville.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Rachid and his newlywed wife Zainab were devastated after their home was burglarized in August and the culprits made off with jewelry— including a wedding ring— electronics and credit cards. But that distress turned into...
Sheikh who publicly supports Trump is a fraud
November 17th, 20160 DEARBORN — On Wednesday, the Supreme Islamic Shi'a Council of Beirut issued a press release declaring that the alleged Lebanese Sheikh Mohammad Haj Hassan, who is known for supporting Donald Trump, is not an Islamic scholar. The release stated that Haj Hassan, "has nothing to do with clergy, whatsoever", but is rather a distrustful...
Arab American Detroit police officer dies
November 17th, 20160 DEARBORN — Hadi Mahmoud, 30, a Dearborn resident and police officer with the Detroit Police Department, passed away Monday, Nov. 7. Federal investigations and an autopsy are being conducted to determine the cause of death, according to Eddie Jawad, Mahmoud's uncle. Mahmoud was stressed the past two or three months and something had......
Monroe teacher suspended following offensive assignment about ‘Miss Iraq Pageant’
November 15th, 20161 DETROIT (CBS Detroit) – A teacher in the Monroe County School district has been placed on administrative leave while school officials investigate a controversial assignment. A Facebook post shows that the high school teacher assigned students homework involving a Top 10 list allegedly by David Letterman. The “Top Ten...
Man threatens to set Muslim woman on fire, forces her to remove Hijab
November 13th, 20160 ANN ARBOR, Mich. - A woman was forced to remove her hijab after a man threatened to set her on fire with a lighter near the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor police said the incident happened in the 600 block of East William near S. State Street between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. Friday. Police said the man approached the......
Troy jogger attacks Iraqi neighbor, exposes himself
November 12th, 20160 TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) - A man in Troy was arrested after he allegedly yelled ethnic slurs at a woman and then exposed himself while out for a jog, according to police. The 64-year-old reportedly got irritated with the woman as she drove her vehicle behind him. Police said the jogger began to yell obscenities and ethnic slurs...
Junior High students formed physical wall to block minority students
November 11th, 20160 DeWitt – Students at DeWitt Junior High School in Michigan allegedly formed a physical wall to block minority students from going to class on Wednesday morning. According to DeWitt Public Schools Superintendent John Deiter, the first racial incident began early in the morning, before most of the kids had even started showing......
