Pressure on Arab American women to get married young can be frustrating
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN — Discussing the pressure that many Arab American women experience to get married by a young age, Angela, a 22-year-old student at the University of Michigan - Dearborn who didn’t want to be identified, said, “There shouldn’t be an age limit. It shouldn’t be like once you are 25 that is it, you are too old, and you...
Arab parents often hesitant in acknowledging children with autism
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN — One in 88 children have Autism Spectrum Disorder, making it one of the most common disabilities amongst children in the U.S. At Dearborn Public Schools, however, just 91 children have been diagnosed with autism, a low figure for a district with over 18,000 students. According to some local Arab American parents with...
State Rep. Rashida Tlaib blames opponent for scrutiny over Dearborn property tax issue
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN — State Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), who is running for the Michigan Senate, has come under media scrutiny after the discovery that she wrongly received a tax break on a house she owns in Dearborn.Tlaib and her husband improperly claimed a homestead tax exemption on a rental property in Dearborn while residing in Detroit. A...
Arab American girl demands ban for man who racially insulted her at Dearborn library
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN — A young Arab American woman and her family are demanding that Dearborn's Henry Ford Centennial Library temporarily ban a middle-aged man who directed racial insults toward the girl at the library last month. Alia Sareini, 17, said an older white man told her, "Your heritage is all about terrorism" while she was heading...
Henry Ford Hospital of West Bloomfield donates $11,000 to Detroit based HUDA Clinic
February 21st, 20140 Local residents at HUDA Clinic listen to a representative discuss the Clinic’s many services. DETROIT — Henry Ford Hospital of West Bloomfield showed its support recently to a Detroit clinic that provides free medical care to the needy. Representatives of the hospital presented a check for $11,000 to...Israel and Saudi Arabia’s priorities in Syria
Current developments both inside and outside of Syria have shown that the primary sponsors of the extremist-dominated insurgency – namely, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel and Turkey – aren’t quite ready to throw in the towel.One may be forgiven for thinking the Obama administration...
Dearborn residents can order trees through city program
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN – Dearborn residents can now order affordable trees to be planted on the easement in front of their homes. The city encourages the planting of trees as a way to keep neighborhoods attractive, reduce energy consumption and support a healthier environment. The annual spring tree-planting program is open to Dearborn...
Attorney Ali Hammoud named co-chair of BRIDGES
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN — On Wednesday, Feb. 12 Attorney and Arab American Political Action Committee Vice President Ali Hammoud was named co-chair of Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity (BRIDGES). Dr. Yahya Basha of BASHA Diagnostics was named co-chair-elect of the group. On the day of the announcement, 13 steering...18-year-old high school senior in need of kidney donor
DEARBORN — Zeinab Atwi, 18, is in need of a kidney donor. The Dearborn resident and Edsel Ford High School senior has been on dialysis for 10 years. Atwi has type B blood. A suitable donor may have type B or O blood. If you are interested in becoming a donor, or to reach out to the family, call Saeed Atwi at 313.209.2688. ...
Death of Dearborn man ruled a suicide by police and Wayne County Medical Examiner
February 21st, 20140 DEARBORN — Dearborn Police and the Wayne County Medical Examiner have ruled that the recent death of Shady Bazzi was a suicide. Family members of Bazzi, who was found dead at his home here Feb. 7 of a gunshot wound to the right temple of his head, are refuting the findings, and say he accidentally shot himself. Before the...Law corner: A government office’s decision is not the final word on your rights
Anyone who has run into a difficult government employee understands how frustrating it can be trying to accomplish seemingly simple tasks. For example, it should be no problem to walk into a city’s building department and obtain a permit to erect a fence around your property if you live in a city that generally allows fences....MDOT announces plans to repair about 1,300 lights by end of summer
SOUTHFIELD — An investigation by WXYZ-TV into broken highway lights in southeastern Michigan has prompted the Michigan Department of Transportation to announce a sweeping effort to repair approximately 1,300 lights by the end of the summer."We're going to spend four million dollars to address this problem in the next 6 months,” MDOT...AIPAC’s lost invincibility
The defeat of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s ill-advised push for new sanctions on Iran in the midst of successful negotiations is nothing short of historic. The powerful and hawkish pro-Israeli lobby’s defeats are rare and seldom public. But in the last year, it has suffered three major public setbacks, of which the...
Will Tunisia be a model for political reform in the Arab world?
February 14th, 20140 The sociopolitical context for political reform in the Arab world is immensely challenging. As a result, few Arab countries have an easy way to democracy. But miraculously, Tunisia has already shown the start of a genuine Arab awakening.This homogeneous North African Arab country was the first to mobilize public dissent peacefully, to...
Dating: Does it break the rules?
February 14th, 20142 DEARBORN — Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love and display affection. However, the way individuals and communities perceive and pursue romance differs among cultures and religions, and the Arab American community is no exception. Arab Americans’ views on dating are somewhat different from those of the American......
Local designer’s online boutique on the path to success
DEARBORN — An online fashion boutique for women who wear the Islamic headscarf that was established by a local Arab American designer has gained thousand of followers. The website was launched in November, but it has already turned into a recognizable brand, according to its founder Malak Ouza.HijabLouvre.com offers dozens of items,...
Super Bowl coach honored at city council meeting, first garage ordinance reading approved
February 14th, 20140 DEARBORN — This week's city council meeting started out on a positive note as the city honored former Seattle Seahawks assistant coach and Dearborn native Robert Saleh for his recent Super Bowl victory. However, the atmosphere at City Hall took a bizarre turn after a local Arab American confronted the council on what he said were......
Metro Detroit’s Iraqi Christians observe three-day Ba’utha fasting celebration
February 14th, 20140 Metro Detroit is home to the largest concentration of Chaldean Americans in the entire country with more than 120,000 residing in the region. DETROIT — This week, southeast Michigan’s large Iraqi Christian community observed Ba’utha, a three-day fasting celebration centered on the repentance of sins. Ba’utha started...IHW celebrates Iran’s Islamic Revolution anniversary
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW) hosted a discussion for the 35th anniversary of the victory of Islamic Revolution in Iran last Saturday, February 8.A known public speaker, Imam Mohammad Asi from Washington D.C., and Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, the founding imam of IHW, were the main speakers at the gathering.Imam...
HYPE Athletics hosts National Signing Day event
February 14th, 20140 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — HYPE Athletics hosted a National Signing Day event on Wednesday, February 5, where 22 local high school students affiliated with the recreation center signed their letters of intent to play college football.The high school football players were soon-to-be graduates from schools all over the Detroit metro area,...Law corner: The Importance of Due Diligence
As they say in carpentry, “measure twice, cut once.” In simple terms, it means that it is a good idea to do some investigation before undertaking an important task. Yet, it is a constant source of amazement for me just how many people are willing to take tremendous financial risks with only hope on their side.I often meet......
35-year-old Dearborn resident dead after accidentally shooting himself
February 14th, 20140 DEARBORN — Shady Bazzi, 35, died Friday, Feb. 7 after accidently shooting himself with a gun at his home on the city’s east side late afternoon. A source says the gunshot wound was in the head. Bazzi is survived by his father, Raouf Bazzi, mother Marianna and sister Sandy. Bazzi.A friend of the family says Bazzi was...Dearborn welcomes new residents in Habitat for Humanity homes
Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. (second from the right) was part of the dedication ceremony of two Habitat for Humanity homes on Feb. 6. New homeowners (from left) Ahmed Al-Karki and Rusul Al-Janabi and their daughter, Lamar Al-Karki, listened as Vincent Tilford, executive director of Habitat for Humanity-Detroit, welcomed them. ......
College student in urgent need of kidney donor
DEARBORN — Mohammed Haidar, a 22-year-old student at Henry Ford Community College, is in serious need of a kidney donor. The donor must have type A or O blood. Haider lives in Dearborn Heights, and has been on dialysis since he was 15. Haidar.He has Alport Syndrome, an inherited disorder that damages tiny blood vessels in the...New program expands study of Islam in America’s heartland
ANN ARBOR — Islam’s complexity makes it nearly impossible for one university to offer enough courses to cover it all. To fill in the gaps, the University of Michigan is joining other Big Ten schools and the University of Chicago in establishing a distance-learning program that allows students to take courses about Islam not......