Judge sentences Dr. Farid Fata to 45-years in prison
July 9th, 20150 Dr. Farid Fata has been described as a "cancer to the medical community and accused of "medical genocide." DETROIT—Judge Paul Borman sentenced Dr. Farid Fata to 45 years in prison on Friday after the oncologist tearfully begged for mercy. Fata showed no emotion when victim impact statements were read...
Dearborn Heights police implement new policy for Muslim women
July 8th, 20150 Kazan filed a lawsuit earlier this year after she was forced to remove her hijab during her arrest. DEARBORN HEIGHTS— The Police Department has announced that it will be implementing a new policy for women who wear a religious headscarf, following a lawsuit filed earlier this year by a resident who was arrested and forced to remove...
Restaurateurs find that fasting during Ramadan can be difficult
July 8th, 20150 Elhassan talked to WWJ's Zahra Huber TAYLOR–Fasting during Ramadan can be especially difficult for restaurateurs who prepare and serve food all day. While fasting, Mahmoud Elhassan, the co-owner of Peepo’s Subs and Shawarma, works over a hot stove for hours, making subs and other dishes. Sometimes...
Iraqi chef Samira Cholagh earns popularity on YouTube
July 8th, 20150 Cholagh DETROIT—Popular Iraqi American Chef Samira Cholagh’s YouTube videos have received about two million views. Cholagh, a native of Baghdad has her own cooking show on Almas Television called Cooking with Samira. She initially became known around metro Detroit as the former host of a...
Muslims determined to revitalize Detroit neighborhood
July 8th, 20150 DETROIT—Two nonprofits that were founded by Muslim Americans are bringing a Detroit neighborhood back to life. The nonprofits, Neighborly Needs and Indus Community Action Network are working on the Dream of Detroit Project together.The Dream of Detroit Project started on Waverly Street. To date three of five...
Dave Abdallah runs for Dearborn Heights City Council
July 6th, 20150 Abdallah.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights resident and real estate agent Wassim “Dave” Abdallah announced his candidacy for Dearborn Heights City Council this week. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Abdallah has been a Dearborn Heights resident for 15 years and has worked in the city even longer....
Arab Americans divided over gay marriage
July 3rd, 20151 DEARBORN — The Supreme Court has dubbed marriage a fundamental constitutional right that states cannot deny to gays and lesbians. Same-sex marriage has been a contentious issue on the national agenda for decades. Despite the conservative leanings of the Arab American community and the floods of anti-gay comments that followed...
Should Orville Hubbard’s statue be removed?
July 2nd, 20150 DEARBORN—As Americans debate removing the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina State House grounds, a conversation has surfaced locally over whether former racist Mayor Orville Hubbard’s statue should be taken down. Hubbard served as the Mayor of Dearborn for 36 years, from 1942 to 1978. His statue sits across the old...
Yemeni American running for Hamtramck City Council
July 2nd, 20150 HAMTRAMCK—Saad Almasmari, a 28-year-old Yemeni American, is running for a seat on the City Council. Hamtramck is home to one of the largest concentration of Yemeni Americans in metro Detroit and is also known for being one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse cities in the country. According to the 2010 Census, 41...
Proposed smoking ban at Dearborn parks stirs controversy
July 2nd, 20150 DEARBORN — An ordinance that would ban smoking at parks in Dearborn caused outrage among Arab Americans who say the proposed ban specifically targets hookah smokers.The City Council tabled the ordinance last week in order to discuss a memo that would exempt golf courses from the ban. The ordinance had passed the first reading...
Residents ignore Arizona pastor’s visit to “save” Muslims in Dearborn
July 1st, 20150 DEARBORN— Arizona Pastor Steven Anderson's visit on Friday, June 26, with members of the Faithful Word Baptist Church, fell well under the radar. The church had used social media to announced that it would be coming to Dearborn in an attempt to "save" Muslims by going door-to-door and grabbing their attention with "Free...
Muslim woman competes in Runner’s World magazine cover contest
July 1st, 20150 Rahaf Khatib.FARMINGTON— In a marathon with hundreds of runners dashing to the finish line, Rahaf Khatib is sure to stick out like a sore thumb. The 31-year-old mother of three proudly wears the hijab and participates in national marathons. She recently entered a nationwide contest to be featured on the cover of...
Arab women prepare meals for Detroit’s needy everyday this Ramadan
July 1st, 20150 DEARBORN—Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, the charitable group Project Dignity has been collecting food donations from local Arab women who are eager to help feed Detroit's needy. Nahid Ayoub, the founder of Project Dignity has been picking up the food donations and dropping them off to the homeless in front of the...
Attorney wants hospital to be accountable for doctor’s criminal behavior
July 1st, 20150 Farid, right, pictured with his wife Summer DETROIT—Brian McKeen, managing partner of McKeen & Associates and an attorney representing several of the Dr. Farid Fata’s patients issued a statement this week that said the hospital and corporate institutions that allowed the disgraced physician’s behavior to continue should be...
Lawsuit filed against Dearborn Police for forcing woman to remove hijab
July 1st, 20150 ADC-MI Director Fatina Abdrabboh holds a press conference outside the Dearborn Police station. DEARBORN - The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) filed a lawsuit in federal court this week against the city of Dearborn and its police department for forcing a Muslim woman to remove her hijab after she was......
15-percent gas hike for roads approved by State Senate
LANSING—On Tuesday a Republican led senate panel approved a $1.5 billion road funding plan that would raise the state gasoline tax. The plan would raise gas and diesel taxes by 15 percent over the next three years. Opponents of the measure say it would lead to future cuts in other areas. According to reports annually $700 million...GM to add 300 new jobs at Oakland County plant
ORION TOWNSHIP—General Motors will invest $245 million and add 300 new jobs at its Orion Assembly plant to support launching an all-new vehicle program.“Orion Assembly is a breeding ground for manufacturing innovation,” said Cathy Clegg, GM North America vice president of Manufacturing and Labor Relations. “It serves as a model......
Dearborn Board of Education president resigns after accepting new job in Ohio
June 30th, 20150 DEARBORN— Aimee Schoelles, the president of the Dearborn Board of Education resigned from her position after accepting a new job in Ohio. Her resignation is effective June 30. The Dearborn Public School District issued a statement announcing her resignation that said she made a difference in the lives of thousands of...
Summer fasting a challenge for laborers
June 29th, 20150 Physical work without food or water and can pose severe health risks. However, despite the hardships, some Muslim workers opt to endure the difficulty of fasting. To them, giving up on observing the holy month is not an option. Landscape worker Mohamad Alabadi, who is known as Abu Ali, said the difficulty of fasting while...
Ramadan in Dearborn: A community that never sleeps
June 29th, 20150 Customers eat in the early morning at Golden BakeryDEARBORN — Each year, Ramadan brings both traditional and new festivities that unites the Muslim people in communities all over the world. Ramadan has often been called “Christmas time for Muslims.” That’s very true in Dearborn, where “Christmas lights” have dominated...
Local teen publishes poetry book
June 26th, 20150 DEARBORN — Fatima Najdi, a recent graduate from WISE Academy, has published a poetry book called “Light.” Najdi, a 16-year-old Dearborn resident, currently attends the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The book is an uplifting and comforting collection of poems revering God. “My goal is not to indoctrinate the idea of God......
Meet our intern: Ahmad Alnajjar
June 26th, 20150 Alnajjar.DEARBORN – Ahmad Alnajjar, 21, a student at Kansas State University, has come to The Arab American News to work as an intern this summer.Alnajjar, born and raised in San Jose, California, is of Palestinian descent. He enrolled at Kansas State University in 2012 to major in political science. He subsequently decided to minor...
ACCESS Community Health and Research Center deputy director chosen
June 26th, 20150 DETROIT – The Greater Detroit Area Health Council (GDAHC) Board of Directors and its membership approved the nomination of an ACCESS leader to its board at its annual meeting June 12. Mona Makki, deputy director of the ACCESS Community Health and Research Center (CHRC), was appointed to the board along with four other executives......
Meet our intern: Hassan Khalifeh
June 26th, 20150 Khalifeh.DEARBORN — Hassan Khalifeh, 23, a Wayne State University student majoring in broadcast journalism, recently joined the staff of The Arab American News as an intern for the summer. Khalifeh, who grew up in both Lebanon and Michigan, now lives in Canton. In addition to his broadcast journalism major, he is minoring in business...
Dearborn student wins area wide stock trading challenge
June 26th, 20150 BLOOMFIELD HILLS — More than 500 high school students from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county high schools competed in Bloomfield Hills Financial’s Fourth Annual Stock-to-Scholarship Challenge. Students competed in the contest, which offered a total of $8,500 in scholarships. This year’s winner, Rida Khatib, a senior at......
