ACRL sues UM for denying 8-year Dearborn resident in-state tuition
May 9th, 20140 DEARBORN — The Arab-American Civil Rights League (ACRL) filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against the University of Michigan for requiring local students, whose parents travel frequently overseas, to pay non-resident tuition.The named plaintiff in the lawsuit is Hussein Berry, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen who was denied...
Children, city officials participate in community clean up event in the South End
May 9th, 20140 DEARBORN — On Saturday, May 3rd, hundreds of children turned out to Lapeer Park to participate in a community clean up event assisted by local parents, organizations and city officials. Organized by local parent William Ali, the event included students from Salina School, Edsel Ford, Fordson and Dearborn High who walked block to...
Local imams warn against “jihad” in Syria
May 9th, 20140 DETROIT — Amid growing security concerns about violent Western jihadists in Syria, several local imams said American Muslims should not join the war overseas. Imam Mohammad Mardini, of the American Muslim Center in Dearborn, said there are two kinds of “jihad,” which literally translates as “struggle” from Arabic. He...
Eight Arabs from Dearborn accepted to Harvard University since 2012
May 9th, 20140 DEARBORN — The number of Arab American students from Dearborn Public Schools who are getting accepted to Ivy League colleges is increasing every year. Since 2012, eight students from the district have been accepted to Harvard University, one of the most selective universities in the world with a 5.9 percent acceptance rate.Mariam...
U.S. EPA and MDEQ hold community forum to discuss supplemental environment projects, enforcement action against Severstal
May 9th, 20140 DETROIT — On Tuesday, officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) held a meeting at the Delry Community Center here to obtain input on potential supplemental environmental projects (SEP) and provide information about EPA’s and MDEQ’s current enforcement...Michigan cuts to higher education among worst in the country
LANSING — When the recession hit in 2008 and tax revenues dropped, Michigan, like most states, relied heavily on spending cuts.According to a report from the Michigan League for Public Policy, (MLPP) the state is now among just six states asking students and families to shoulder higher education costs (vs. state support) by a ratio of...The Arab American News welcomes new summer intern
DEARBORN—Aisha Mohamed, a 20-year-old University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD) student, will be interning at The Arab American News this summer. Mohamed is completing her undergraduate studies at UMD, and she will enter her senior year this fall. She is majoring in journalism and is very passionate about pursuing a career in the...
ADC Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship draws large crowd
May 2nd, 20140 ADC-MI’s new director Fatina Abdrabboh.DEARBORN — Despite the controversial sexual harassment scandal that rocked the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) last year, the group’s 15th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Dinner held Wednesday at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn was a...
Arab Americans increase their business presence in Detroit
May 2nd, 20140 Attorney Helal Farhat and a business partner purchased the Frederick K. Sterns House on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The 10,000 square foot building features medieval architecture and was initially built as a house in 1902 for Frederick K. Sterns. Three nonprofits are...
Arab Festival cancellation draws mixed reactions from past organizers
May 2nd, 20140 DEARBORN — A signature event in the city for almost two decades, last week's announcement of the cancellation of the Arab International Festival for a second consecutive year sparked a mixed community reaction. Within hours after the organizer, the American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC), confirmed the cancellation, previous...
Iraqi Americans turned away at the polls in Michigan
May 2nd, 20140 Iman Abbas (left) holds her son Ahmed Al Kanani.DEARBORN - Voter identification requirements prevented several members of metro Detroit’s Iraqi American community from voting in their homeland’s parliamentary elections this week. The Iraqi Parliamentary Elections were held on Wednesday, April 30, but thousands of Iraqis in...
Muslim imam convicted of sexually abusing his nieces in Detroit
May 2nd, 20140 Masroor. DETROIT — A Muslim imam was found guilty of 15 counts of criminal sexual conduct by a jury on Friday, May 2. Mohammad Masroor was convicted for sexually abusing his nieces as children, when they lived in Detroit from 2000 to 2003.He will be sentenced on May 21 and could face up to life in prison. A circuit...
Hamdan awaits trial after grand jury indictment for ties to Hizbullah
May 2nd, 20140 Hamdan (left) and his sister. DETROIT — Dearborn Heights resident Mohammad Hassan Hamdan pleaded not guilty on Friday, April 25 at the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan to charges of "attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization" made by the FBI and the U.S. District Attorney's...ACC encourages patient compliance with texting software for Behavioral Health Program
LATHRUP VILLAGE —The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) has been awarded a $35,000 Health Innovation Grant by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). The grant is to be used to develop a texting software program to benefit the ACC’s Behavioral Health Program (BHP), a comprehensive community-based, outpatient...
Dearborn Police: Crime down 15 percent in first quarter, up 26 percent in South End
May 2nd, 20140 DEARBORN — On Wednesday, April 30, the Dearborn Police Department held a Community Awareness Meeting at the Dearborn Public Schools Administration Building on the city's west side to inform residents of crime trends that typically arise in the spring and summer seasons.Hosted by Sergeant David Marshall and Corporal Dan Bartok, the......
Dearborn bodybuilder places first in showdown
May 2nd, 20140 Klait (left). DEARBORN — Arab American bodybuilder Ibrahim Klait has taken home first place in the 2014 NPC Simmons-Peckham Ultimate Showdown. The competition took place on April 26 at Rochester’s Adams High School. He competed against bodybuilders from 13 other Midwest states in the heavyweight division. Klait, better...
Disqualified EMU student government candidate alleges discrimination
May 2nd, 20140 Jaber.YPSILANTI — An Arab American candidate who was disqualified from the election of the student government presidency at Eastern Michigan University is accusing the Student Government Elections Commission of discrimination.Fatma Jaber ran a write-in campaign to challenge incumbent Desmond Miller. Students voted online on March......
FBI Director James Comey: Syria war and homegrown extremists a growing threat to national security
May 2nd, 20140 DETROIT — FBI Director James Comey said homegrown violent extremists and the emergence of Syria as a new ground for jihadi fighters make counterterrorism the top priority for the bureau throughout the country.Comey explained that the threat of terrorism has changed over the years and is not solely carried out by al-Qaeda against major...Democrats need ethnic voters to win in November
In this November's mid-term elections, the Democratic Party will be focused on winning back the governorships and legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Democrats lost decisively in these important states in 2010, giving Republicans the opportunity to institute far-reaching changes in programs, benefits and...
Shatila Bakery expands with second location in West Bloomfield
April 25th, 20140 WEST BLOOMFIELD — Shatila Bakery has expanded with a second location that recently opened in West Bloomfield. Riad Shatila, the founder and owner of the internationally renowned Middle Eastern sweet shop passed away last year, but his wife and daughters are expanding and improving the business. The flagship store is located in...
Arab International Festival cancelled for second year in a row
April 25th, 20140 "There will be no festival this year," Beydoun told The Arab American News. "We are still in the process of working on ideas for events that would involve the community in the future."She said those events, which are still in "the planning stage," will not be in the same format as the festival.The festival had become a target for......
Lebanese high school robots team looks to continue success in U.S. competition
April 25th, 20140 DEARBORN — A fundraiser was held at the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) on Saturday, April 19 for a Lebanese High School Robots Team that has been traveling across the globe and participating in competitions.10 students who are part of Hassan Kassir High School's "Tic Tac Toe" team in Beirut, Lebanon, are here in the U.S. to...
Community commemorates Qana massacres in Dearborn
April 25th, 20140 DEARBORN — On Sunday, April 20, about 100 members of the Arab American community commemorated the 18th anniversary of the first Qana Massacre and the 8th anniversary of the second one at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.The event, which was organized by the Congress of Arab American Organizations and Qana Al-Jalil......
High School student club to address substance abuse at banquet
April 25th, 20140 DEARBORN — ‘Discover Islam,' a student organization out of Dearborn High School, is looking to address concerning issues among youth in the community by bringing them closer to their faith. Next week, the organization, which consists of over 50 students, will be hosting an "Empowering the Youth" event at Byblos Banquet Hall,...Law corner: GM Class Action Suits Rolling Along
Throughout the country, there have been about 50 nationwide class action lawsuits filed against General Motors over the defective ignition switches it installed in over 2.6 million of its vehicles. More such lawsuits are filed every week. The pace of developments in the case has been quick.This week, GM filed a motion in the......
