Civil rights group appoints longtime community advocate as executive director
DEARBORN - The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) announced this week the appointment of Rana Abbas as its new executive director. Abbas, an established community advocate and communications professional, and a resident of Northville, Michigan, is set to take the helm of the organization on November 26, 2012. The...Re-elected Obama’s pluses and minuses
Well maybe, but even peas can vary. Here are some positive differences to consider, which will be followed by some negative similarities to Romney and his conservative advisers. We will start with the bright side:– In terms of probabilities, under Obama the U.S. is less likely to find itself at war with Iran than would be the case with...
MSU Board of Trustee Brian Mosallam scores landmark win for Arab Americans
November 16th, 20120 DEARBORN — Brian Mosallam set a new precedent last week when he was elected by over 1.9 million Michigan residents on the Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees, becoming the first Arab American Muslim to win a statewide election on a Democratic slate. The position couldn't seem more fitting for Mosallam, who was previously...
Paralyzed Arab American put on ‘No Fly List’ without explanation
November 16th, 20120 DEARBORN — The law firm of Ayad and Associates has brought a federal lawsuit against the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice and the Terrorist Screening Center in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of an Arab American who’s a U.S. citizen, and being denied access to leave the country by...
Election results by the numbers: Winners and Losers
November 12th, 20120 The Arab American News (TAAN) endorsed several candidates for the Nov. 6 general election. Below are the results for the following selected races. The percentage of votes each candidate earned is listed, and the names of the winners endorsed by TAAN are highlighted in red. Winners that aren’t endorsed by TAAN are highlighted in...
Salamey’s well-executed campaign yields upset victory, a major milestone for local Arab Americans
November 12th, 20120 DEARBORN — The elections of 2012 have become a landmark for the city of Dearborn, as Sam Salamey has officially been elected as the 19th District Court Judge, beating incumbent Richard Wygonik by over 4,000 votes. The victory means that Salamey is now the first ever Arab American judge in Dearborn, where he will be serving on the bench...
Arab Americans come out to vote in droves; Breakdown of votes in key Dearborn races
November 12th, 20120 DEARBORN/DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The presence of Arab Americans at voting precincts in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights on election day was overwhelming, and spoke volumes about the power and influence of the Arab vote, particularly in local races where the fate of many candidates often rests in the hands of Arab Americans. According to...Halal food served to detainees at Calhoun County Correctional Center
Thanks in large part to the Council on American Islamic Relations-Michigan, detainees at the Calhoun County Correctional Center in Battle Creek, who face deportation, now have the option of being served halal meat. The Center is currently the largest detention facility in Michigan for people facing potential deportation.This news...
Shortage of translators, mechanical problems plague local polls
November 10th, 20120 DEARBORN — Election day in Dearborn did bring out a large number of Arab Americans to local precincts, but along with it came several issues that many voters feel need to be addressed. At the Salina Elementary School precinct in the south end...It was the demography, stupid
WASHINGTON (IPS) - Twenty years ago, Democratic pol James Carville immortalized the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” in explaining how former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton would unseat President George H. W. Bush, who was riding high off his smashing military victory in the first Gulf War.Now, 20 years later, pros in both parties...Bolder Obama on Middle East, climate in second term?
WASHINGTON - With President Barack Obama winning re-election, foreign policy analysts here are pondering whether his victory will translate into major changes from the rather cautious approach he followed overseas in his first term.For now, speculation is focused primarily on the Middle East, the region that has dominated the...
Chaldean community takes great pride in new state representative’s victory
November 9th, 20120 WEST BLOOMFIELD - New state representative for Michigan’s 39th House District, Klint Kesto, made history Tuesday when he became the first Chaldean American elected to serve on the state legislature. Kesto’s district represents all of Commerce Township, Wixom, the Western half of West Bloomfield Township and Wolverine...
Election results mostly bright for AAPAC-endorsed candidates
November 9th, 20120 DEARBORN/DEARBORN HEIGHTS —A major focus during this year’s election was the race for school board in both Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. With 12,000 Arab American students at Dearborn Public Schools out of 18,000, and more than half of the student body at the Crestwood School District being Arab American as well, AAPAC, along with...
Salamey wins 19th District Court Judge race in landslide
November 7th, 20120 DEARBORN-The General Elections in the city of Dearborn has now become a historic moment as Sam Salamey is officially named the new 19th District Court Judge, beating incumbent Richard Wygonik by over 4,000 votes. The victory means that Salamey is now the first ever Arab American judge in the city of Dearborn, a step in the right...
Gas station gives out free food to Obama supporters
November 6th, 20120 DETROIT-A gas station here on Joy Road is giving away free food to supporters of Barack Obama, and encouraging people to cast their vote for the president as they head to the polls. Ayoub’s gas station on Joy Road. The Obama banners and photos haven’t been removed since 2008, when Obama first ran for......
Dearborn police investigating Oct. 25 robbery
DEARBORN — Dearborn Police are investigating the robbery of the Chase Bank located at 7301 Wyoming on October 25, 2012 at approximately 2:29 p.m. The suspect entered the bank and passed the teller a note demanding money. He left after becoming inpatient when he did not receive the money quick enough. The suspect is...Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan encourages the men of Michigan to #SHOYOMO in Movember
Each November, the Movember Foundation encourages men across the world to pay more attention to their own health. This November, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is collaborating with the Movember Foundation to help change the face of men’s health. The Blues are encouraging the men of Michigan to get healthy by growing a mustache for......
The Arab Chamber of Commerce celebrates 20 years at annual gala
DEARBORN —The American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC) celebrated a milestone on Friday October 26th at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center, where their 20th annual "Building Economic Bridges Gala" was held. The event included over 1,000 attendees, as well as local leaders and candidates for the upcoming election who turned out to...Family of Detroit Muslim leader sue FBI for wrongful death
Muslim leader sue FBI for wrongful deathDETROIT — The family of a Detroit mosque leader has filed a lawsuit against the FBI as a result of a raid in Dearborn in 2009 that killed the man after he was gunned down.Luqman Ameen Abdullah, also known as Christopher Thomas, was shot 21 times by FBI agents during a raid at the...New report card for Dearborn elementary students
DEARBORN — After four months of meetings, reviewing report cards from nine other districts, and considerable discussion the elementary report card committee, comprised of more than 40 teachers and administrators, has developed a new elementary report card for grades kindergarten through five. The goals of the committee were to...
The Arab American Vote: What’s at stake on election day
November 5th, 20120 DEARBORN — With the general elections approaching this week, many Arab Americans still remain uncertain over which presidential candidate to support on Tuesday as both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have made minimal efforts to reach out to the community, leading many residents to question whether they should cast a vote for a president......
AAPAC gears up for historic election, encourages Arab voter turnout at grand annual banquet
November 3rd, 20120 DEARBORN-On Friday, Nov. 2, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) hosted its 15th annual banquet at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center here. Over 600 attendees turned out for the sold-out event, including local officials, activists, leaders and candidates who showed their support towards an organization that continues to...Local charity group helps increase breast cancer awareness with female football tournament
DEARBORN — Play for the Cure, a charity group that was started by Dearborn resident Shireen Hachem and her husband Bassel Hachem, helps spread awareness on the serious conditions of breast cancer by bringing together young women in the community in a unique way. The women compete in a yearly football tournament hoping to raise proceeds......
Arab man brutally beaten after car accident
DEARBORN — An Arab American man was brutally beaten around noon Thursday after getting involved in a car accident and checking to see whether others involved were fine.Three vehicles are known to have been involved. One was among several other vehicles driving West on Ford Road in a funeral procession. Initially the victim was...ACCESS health conference reveals obesity, smoking among major global problems
DEARBORN — The sixth international Conference on Health Issues in Arab countries was held at the Dearborn Inn by Access last week, where over 300 people and representatives from 17 countries were in attendance. The event not only focused on the health issues of Arabs in the Middle East, but also on health issues with Americans in......