BCBSM and State Farm affiliates expand consumer access
August 6th, 20150 DETROIT—This week Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) announced it will be working with local State Farm agents in a new effort to broaden consumer access to health insurance in Michigan during the upcoming open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act. Starting on Nov. 1,...
Detroit boy, 11, charged in shooting death of 3-year-old
August 6th, 20150 DETROIT - An 11-year-old Detroit boy was charged with manslaughter on Wednesday in the shooting death of a 3-year-old boy, prosecutors said.The shooting happened on Monday afternoon on the city's east side. Prosecutors said that while visiting his father's house, the 11-year-old took a handgun from a bedroom closet and threw it out of...
Killers of Basil Sulaka to serve life in prison
August 6th, 20150 Sulaka CLINTON TOWNSHIP— Three men were sentenced to life in prison Aug. 4 in the March 28, 2014 shooting death of Basil Sulaka, owner of the Moon Light Party Store on Harper Avenue near 14 Mile Road. Sulaka, 51, of Sterling Heights was shot to death at the store he operated for 18 years. In June,...
FBI denies using mass surveillance on Muslim community with spy aircraft
August 6th, 20150 The FBI office met with community leaders at The Arab American News office on Wednesday, August 6.DEARBORN – On Wednesday, the FBI met with community leaders at The Arab American News office in Dearborn to respond to concerns raised by a report that alleged an aircraft was being used to surveil the local Arab and Muslim...
FBI surveillance plane reportedly flies over Dearborn area several times
August 5th, 20150 DEARBORN - An airplane linked to an FBI surveillance program that tracks alleged terrorists, spies and criminals has flown several times over the metro Detroit area, including two flights over Dearborn last weekend. The news of the surveillance aircraft sparked concerns in the local Arab American community, home to one of the largest...
One of two Yemeni candidates successful in Hamtramck primary election bid
August 5th, 20150 Almasmari HAMTRAMCK—Only one of the two Yemeni American candidates in the Hamtramck City Council Aug. 4 primary election race is moving on to compete in the November general election. Saad Almasmari and Mohamed Alsomiri were two of nine candidates in the race. Almasmari is one of six candidates who...
Detroit FBI special agent in charge promoted
July 31st, 20150 DETROIT — Paul M. Abbate, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit Division, was promoted to assistant director in charge of FBI Washington Field Office. Abbate was handed the Detroit job in October 2013, succeeding Robert Foley, who stepped down after a year. Abbate has cultivated a close working relationship with the Arab...
Students can now take EMU classes at Henry Ford College
July 31st, 20150 DEARBORN — Eastern Michigan University is establishing a new University Center on the main campus of Henry Ford College in Dearborn. The partnership became official when Stan Jensen, Henry Ford College’s president, and Kim Schatzel, interim president, provost and executive vice president of Eastern Michigan, signed the agreement on...
Improved services attract more Arab Americans to Detroit, but challenges remain
July 31st, 20150 Khader Abu Khader with his family in their Detroit home.DETROIT — Improved city services and better quality of life in the neighborhoods are prompting Arab Americans to buy and rent homes in Detroit. These new Arab Detroiters are benefiting from and contributing to the city’s ongoing recovery. Despite the promise of Detroit's...
Police crack down on gas stations after business sells drug set-up kits
July 31st, 20150 Craig speaking to Ajami minutes before closing down his Sunoco gas station on eight mile DETROIT— Bassam Saleh's business was one of several visited by police last weekend as part of an attempt to crack down on the sale of drug paraphernalia at Detroit gas stations. Police visited Saleh's station...
Group seeks families to host exchange students from the Middle East
July 30th, 20150 D EARBORN – Youth For Understanding (YFU), a non-profit organization that assists in bringing foreign exchange students into the country, is looking for hosting families who would be able to provide a home for three students during their stay. YFU works with the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program, a scholarship program...
Israeli diplomat: majority of American Jews support Iran nuclear deal
July 30th, 20150 Alon PinkasDETROIT — According to Alon Pinkas, the former Consul General of Israel in New York, American Jews are more in favor of the Iran nuclear deal than the general American public. A telephone poll of 501 respondents conducted by the LA Jewish Journal found that 49 percent of American Jews favor the deal, while 31 percent...
‘Harley Hijabi’ stirs social media discussion
July 30th, 20151 DEARBORN — On Monday, July 27, The Arab American News published a photo on its Facebook page capturing a Muslim woman in a headscarf riding a motorcycle on Ford Road in east Dearborn. A reader who had stopped at a traffic light with the Muslim biker sent the photo to the newspaper. It was taken at an angle that did not reveal...
Land swap deal approved by Detroit City Council
July 30th, 20150 DETROIT—On Tuesday, the Detroit City Council approved a controversial deal between the city and billionaire Manual “Matty” Moroun. The land swap deal would not only provide land for Moroun to build a second span adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge, which he owns, but also $3 million that would be...
Grand Rapids man arrested for smuggling guns to Lebanon
July 30th, 20150 GRAND RAPIDS— A Grand Rapids man faces federal charges for allegedly smuggling guns from the United States to Lebanon.Gilbert Oscar Elian, a Lebanese man who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, was in federal court in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, July 28.Federal authorities allege the 54-year-old used the import/export business he owns to......
Court of Appeals to consider case of Arabs’ bank accounts’ closure
July 30th, 20153 Huntington Bank in DearbornDEARBORN — The U.S. Sixth Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to dismiss a lawsuit against Huntington Bank for allegedly discriminating against Arab Americans by closing their accounts. The lawsuit was filed in Detroit in July 2013...Community garden contributing to recovery process for adults with mental illness
DEARBORN—ACCESS Hope House members and ACCESS youth volunteers toiled in the soil this spring to plant the center’s first community garden. Hope House members, adults with a history of mental illness, worked together with the youth to dig up the ground near the front corner of the Hope House......
Muslim man accused of trying to establish campground to train terrorists
July 28th, 20150 SalhaDETROIT—Nayef Salha, a Dearborn resident was denied a permit to establish a campground in northern Michigan after neighbors accused him of trying to use it to train terrorists. Salha, a father of seven said all he wanted to do was build a secular peaceful summer youth camp in Michigan. Salha was shocked by the accusations....
Registered voters encouraged to cast ballots in Aug. 4 elections
July 28th, 20150 LANSING—All eligible voters are encouraged to cast their ballots in local elections on Tuesday, Aug. 4. According to Secretary of State Ruth Johnson 46 counties in Michigan are holding elections. “Because many of these elections are for schools, townships and cities, everyone’s vote is essential,”...
Muslim group offers condolences to families of Chattanooga victims
July 27th, 20150 DETROIT—The Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) stands with other American Muslim organizations across the country in condemning the attack and offering prayers and condolences to the families of the Chattanooga shooting victims. “Our hearts go out to the loved ones who are...
Yemeni businessman competes in Hamtramck City Council race
July 27th, 20150 AlsomiriHAMTRAMCK— Mohamed Alsomiri, a Yemeni American, is one of nine candidates competing in the race for Hamtramck City Council. He is also one of two Yemeni American candidates. The other is Saad Almasmari. The primary election will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Only six candidates will compete in......
Attorney Zeina S. Djurovski joins Gary Peter’s staff
July 23rd, 20150 DjurovskiDETROIT— Zeina S. Djurovski, an attorney at the law office of Ayad and Associates and a board member of the Arab American Civil Rights League, recently accepted a position as constituent services representative with United States Senator Gary Peters’ (D- Mich.) office. Djurovski is a graduate of...
Local experts share thoughts on Iran nuclear agreement
July 23rd, 20150 Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Local experts on the Middle East agree that the historic agreement reached between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program both prevents Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and opens doors for cooperation between the United States and......
New charter school dedicated to preserving culture of Iraq’s indigenous people
July 23rd, 20150 MADISON HEIGHTS — As Iraq’s Christian population continues to diminish, the language, culture and history of Chaldeans, Assyrians and Syriacs are also dying. “Right now, we are on the verge of extinction,” said Nathan Kalasho, a local Chaldean activist. Today, only a projected few hundred thousand Christians...
Tired of media bias, more Arab Americans are becoming journalists
July 23rd, 20150 DETROIT — More Arab Americans are pursuing journalism careers to combat stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media. As the American media turned their attention to the Arab World after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the recent turmoil in the Middle East, more Americans became increasingly interested in Arab and Muslim cultures and......
