‘Rejecting Islamophobia: A Community Stand Against Hate’ event to be held April 29
April 22nd, 20120 DEARBORN – In order to counter-act the “Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference” in Dearborn that many say is being used as a platform for anti-Muslim bigotry by conservative commentator Pamela Geller and others, an event titled “Rejecting Islamophobia: A Community Stand Against Hate” will be held on Sunday, April...
Tickets available now for Marcel Khalife performance on April 27
April 22nd, 20120 Marcel Khalife, the UNESCO World Artist for Peace, and a Middle Eastern music icon, will be in Detroit for a very special concert with Omaima El-Khalil and the Mayadin Music Ensemble sponsored by the Arab Student Union at Wayne State University. The event, titled "Fall of the Moon," will feature the work of the great...Dearborn woman in critical condition after hit-and-run
DEARBORN - Three Dearborn women were reportedly involved in a hit-and-run that left one of them, 23-year-old Hanan Askar, critically injured on Thursday evening. Askar was taken to Oakwood hospital where she is currently in a coma. According to family members the incident occurred on Evergreen and Garling St. It is believed the...Arab Americans discuss troubling experiences at U.S.-Canada border
Dearborn resident Wissam Charafeddine knows the names of a few Customs Border Protection (CBP) officers at the U.S. Canada border because he’s been handcuffed and detained there so much. "I know the officers and their names," he said. During one trip he even directed a new CBP officer on how to take his fingerprints properly...Community meets with U.S. Assistant Attorney General over civil rights
DEARBORN – The BRIDGES program has been a major channel of communication for the Arab American, American Muslim and Chaldean communities with government and law enforcement agencies in expressing their concerns about post-9/11 challenges, but many of them have continued to linger and have even grown in complexity in recent...One year later: Workers march for lost wages, fair work conditions
LIVONIA — More than 200 supporters marched and rallied in front of the Mastronardi Produce plant here on Sunday demanding that the company negotiate fairly with workers over unpaid wages and unsafe working conditions. Workers during the protest. PHOTO: AIRThe march took place on the one-year anniversary of a class action lawsuit...Prison issues addressed at interfaith meeting in Dearborn Heights
The interfaith meeting held at the Islamic House of Wisdom was headed by Imam Mohamed Ali Elahi.DEARBORN HEIGHTS— On Tuesday an interfaith meeting was held at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights that included Imams of both Shi’a and Sunni congregations along with representatives from churches around the southeast...Former Dearborn resident claims discrimination from prison cell
Ibrahim Swedan was probably not aware that his conviction of 25 years in prison for selling and possessing drugs was going to be the beginning of his problems. Nine years after being sentenced, Swedan has reached out to The Arab American News as well as both civil rights and religious groups by writing letters from prison that claim he...Henry Ford hospital wins national quality award
DETROIT — The city's Henry Ford Health System will receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, one of just four organizations in the country. Henry Ford Hospital and four others are operated in the system along with many others in southeast Michigan. The honor is given by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, a...ACLU Lawsuit charges illegal ICE detainment, assault of U.S. citizen
GRAND RAPIDS — The ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center filed a federal lawsuit Thursday on behalf of a U.S. citizen and his mother, a legal permanent resident, who were allegedly illegally handcuffed and assaulted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last year even though they produced...Local attorney appointed as president for Miss Lebanon Emigrants pageant
Kayrouz: “I am extremely excited to be involved with the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism and the ongoing efforts of growing the pageant.”SOUTHFIELD — Attorney Joumana Kayrouz, President and owner of the Law Offices of Joumana Kayrouz, P.L.L.C., has been appointed President of the Board of Directors for the Miss Lebanon Emigrants –...‘A Year in Tahrir:’ Arab Spring and American politics discussed at WSU
DETROIT – A full-day conference awaited local activists, students, community leaders and other attendees at this past weekend's 'A Year in Tahrir: The Future of Arab Spring and Its Implications in the United States' at Wayne State University. The monumental mass movement in the Arab World was discussed in a wide variety of conferences...
Political prodigy: Fordson grad elected UM-Ann Arbor student government VP
April 19th, 20120 ANN ARBOR – After what's being called one of the most competitive races in the school's Central Student Government's history, 19-year-old Omar Hashwi has emerged as Vice President of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. HashwiHashwi ran as an independent along with President-elect Manish Parikh, together beating out candidates...
New TV ad for Detroit 20/20 initiative set to run (with video)
April 13th, 20120 DETROIT – A landmark new project spotlighting the powerful voices and stories of Metro Detroit's many diverse cultures, Detroit 20/20, will release its new TV advertising campaign soon.The TV spot for the campaign, which will include stories presented through local ethnic publications including The Arab American News, Michigan...Dearborn officials hope train station launch brings economic growth to the city
DEARBORN —“History Meets the Future” seemed to be the theme on Tuesday at the Greenfield Village where the City of Dearborn held a kick-off event to celebrate breaking ground on an upcoming train station which is expected to be completed by the fall of 2013. Among those in attendance at the event held outside the historic......
Technology, diversity the secrets to Acute Home Health Care’s success
There are many home health care businesses in the state of Michigan, but few if any can provide what Acute Home Health Care of Troy can. Specialized bracelets for seniors containing pertinent medical info on a memory card. Started from scratch by Iraqi AmericanYasser Al-Khafaji, 30, at the ripe age of 24 in his hometown, the...
A day in Dearborn’s court
April 13th, 20120 A day in Dearborn’s court: Drugs, DUIs & disorderly conduct PHOTOS: Natasha Dado/TAAN Two writers from The Arab American News report from 19th District CourtDEARBORN — Spending a day at the 19th District Court in Dearborn was an interesting experience for two reporters from The Arab American News. The day exposed some......
California mosque opens its doors to church for Easter service
April 12th, 20120 SACRAMENTO, CA — In a gesture of interfaith goodwill, the Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims (SALAM) decided to lend a helping hand to an area congregation that had been facing an Easter holiday without a home this past Sunday.Members of the Spiritual Life Center of Sacramento have their Easter morning services for their...Dearborn Planning Commission approves Goodwill Industries special land use request in 5-4 vote
DEARBORN – After months of deliberation the Dearborn Planning Commission approved a special land use request for a Goodwill Industries store on the city’s west side. The commission reached the decision in a 5-4 vote Monday during a public forum at city hall. Initially, a decision on the vote was delayed after members of...Wayne County Executive announces another major shake-up in administration
Embattled Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano has named a new director and deputy of personnel and human resources and a director of communications. He also has named a new assistant county executive. “We are excited to have these individuals join our new team,” said Ficano. “The focus remains unchanged from what began last...
Local community ignores Terry Jones protest at Islamic Center
April 12th, 20120 DEARBORN — Terry Jones finally held his protest at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn on Saturday, April 7 much to the dismay of the community and local civil rights groups. The protest, which passed without incident, came days after back and forth arguments between the City of Dearborn and Jones’ camp who claimed his freedom......
Michigan teacher fired for Martin fundraiser
PONTIAC — Brooke Harris, a teacher at the Pontiac Academy for Excellence Middle School, was fired from the charter school late last month for helping students organize a fundraiser for the family of 17-year-old Florida fatal shooting victim Trayvon Martin, according to a release by the Southern Poverty Law Center.Harris had won...Sign on I-94 hacked with racial slur referencing Trayvon Martin
The controversial, fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer has made national headlines for weeks, and a recent unsavory incident involving Martin has also made headlines for the wrong reasons. On early Monday morning, a portable road sign on westbound I-94 near Michigan Avenue was hacked by a......
Fakih pleads no contest in drunken driving case
HIGHLAND PARK – Former Miss USA Rima Fakih reached a plea deal in her drunken driving case on Wedensday in court. Fakih, of Dearborn, pleaded no contest to a charge of impaired driving and now will be sentenced on May 9. According to local reports, probation is likely to be handed down and she will most likely be able to serve it...Farewell reception honoring Diab to be held April 26
DEARBORN – The Lebanese International Business Council will hold a Special Farewell Reception to honor Houssam Diab, the Consul General of Lebanon to Detroit who is expected to finish his term and depart the state of Michigan in May. Diab officially began in March 2011 in Detroit and is now expected to relocate to the United Arab......