Campain roundup: Candidates seek endorsements, present ideas
Democratic candidate for Michigan Governor Andy Dillon on Thursday gained the first major labor endorsement in the wide-open race, getting the nod from the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council. Michigan House Speaker and Democratic candidate for governor Andy Dillon Dillon officially threw his hat into the field of...O’Reilly honored by Bint Jebail Cultural Center
At left: Founder of the Bint Jebail Cultural Center Mohammed Turfe, R, presents Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly with a plaque during an event honoring O'Reilly on Thursday, a day after the mayor gave his annual state of the city address. O'Reilly spoke Wednesday about the city's painful efforts to make deep cuts in response to economic...
Local boxer Mihtar prepares for fight at major Detroit event
March 13th, 20100 DEARBORN — Every sports fan knows that Detroit has always been a good fight town. But truth be told, it's been a while since a top-of-the-line boxing card has found its way to the Motor City. Arab American boxer Brian "The Lion" Mihtar is scheduled to fight on the undercard of a major boxing event at the Joe Louis Arena on...
Samhan leads team to NCAA Tournament
March 13th, 20100 After finishing the regular season one game behind college basketball power Gonzaga for the West Coast conference title, the St. Mary's College Gaels managed to defeat the Bulldogs in the league's championship game to punch their ticket to the "Big Dance," also known as the extremely popular NCAA Basketball Tournament. Arab...Flexible Afghanistan war objectives
Washington and its willing mouthpieces in the media have for years been trying to sell us the preposterous war in Afghanistan. While they attempt to convince us that the war is predicated on a faultless military logic and moral wisdom, it remains in fact a tragic adventure with no decipherable objectives, and involving several countries,...Palestine Film Fest to open March 10
ANN ARBOR — The Ann Arbor Palestine Film Festival is set to open on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. featuring "Pomegranates and Myrrh," with director Najwa Najjar on hand at the Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty St. "Pomegranates and Myrrh" was an official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won Audience Award for...New president for ADC national
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's national office this week announced that Sara Najjar-Wilson took over as the group's president on Monday, replacing former Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar. New ADC President Sara Najjar-Wilson Najjar-Wilson had been serving as ADC's executive director since November. "Working for...Take advantage of Passport Day
U.S. State Department officials representing the Detroit Passport Agency met with Arab American leaders on Wednesday to discuss opportunities and issues of concern to immigrant communities. The officials encouraged summer travelers to take advantage of upcoming Passport Day on March 27, in which the Detroit office, 211 West Fort...ACC partners with Detroit Public Library in educational program for welfare recipients
DETROIT — The American Arab and Chaldean Council's (ACC) JET (Jobs, Education and Training) Program will partner with the Detroit Public Library (main branch) in a math and literacy tutorial project on Tuesday, March 9. The collaboration is aimed at improving basic literacy and math skills for welfare recipients who have scored low...University network for Lebanese students takes off
With several American universities boasting large Lebanese American populations in recent years, the need for an organization to connect them quickly became apparent. Lebanese Collegiate Network spokesman Rami Haddad, right, with acting Consul General of Lebanon in Detroit Bashir Tawk and other Lebanese professionals and...Papaya expands with additional location
DEARBORN — Since 2002, Khalil Saad and his uncle Faried Saad have owned Papaya Fruit Market in Detroit, a place so popular that the partners once purchased an adjacent housing lot just so they could add more parking space. Papaya Fruit & Grocery Market has locations in Detroit (left) and now in Dearborn (above); The new...
Small business owners struggle to benefit from U.S. stimulus
March 2nd, 20100 After the U.S. government's $787 billion economic stimulus package passed a year ago, Nasr Moussa hoped to expand his meat market in the heart of the long Warren Avenue row of Middle Eastern-themed, Arab-owned businesses straddling the Detroit-Dearborn border. Amana Meat Market, on Warren Avenue in the heart of east Dearborn’s...A Mossad hit backfires on Netanyahu… again
That same old feeling for Benjamin Netanyahu must be excruciating. And it is probably cold comfort for the Israeli prime minister that his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, is likely to suffer along with him. Pictures of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a former Hamas commander, are seen in front of al-Wasim mosque at al-Yarmouk camp,...
Locals to participate in Iraqi election
February 27th, 20100 Iraqi Americans will have the oppurtunity to vote locally in Iraqi parliamentary elections beginning March 5. The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission has been preparing polling stations throughout the world to allow expatriates to vote. In Iraq, elections are to be held March 7. Iraqis living outside the country can...Christmas day crotch bomber tied to FBI, Israel
The Christmas Day "terrorist" is the latest in a series of staged incidents meant to make the "Clash of Civilizations" appear plausible and "the war on terrorism" rational. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab The storyline does not hold together. Not even a little bit. As usual, the source of this media-fueled fear campaign......
Unfulfilled promises: Guantanamo and torture
Last April we polled across the Arab World asking what Arabs thought was the most positive early action President Obama had taken to improve U.S.-Arab relations. High up on the list (barely topped by the decision to leave Iraq) was the president's pledge to close Guantanamo and ban torture. That this issue would out-poll Obama's early...Dollars for death, pennies for life
When the U.S. military began a major offensive in southern Afghanistan over the weekend, the killing of children and other civilians was predictable. Lofty rhetoric aside, such deaths come with the territory of war and occupation. Haitians line up during food distribution at the Cite Soleil neighborhood in Port-au-Prince......
Director of Oscar-nominated movie visits UM-Dearborn
Most movie directors are perfectionists by nature, so it's no surprise that Robert Kenner had a few regrets about scenes that didn't make it into his critically-acclaimed documentary "Food, Inc." UM-Dearborn Provost Catherine A. Davy, L, helped bring Robert Kenner, the director of the critically acclaimed movie Food, Inc., to...UM-D Student government approves divestment resolution
The University of Michigan—Dearborn's student government body passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for investigation into ethical implications of University investments in companies that do business in Israel. Yusif Barakat, who was displaced from his Palestinian home as a child after Israel was established in the 1940s,...Dingell to seek re-election
DEARBORN — U.S. Rep. John Dingell announced this week that he will seek re-election. U.S. Rep. John Dingell poses with Arab American leaders in 2009. "Congressman Dingell cited Michigan's economic woes and the need to fight to protect the interests of working families as the key factors in his decision," his campaign...Darany to run for state representative
DEARBORN — City Councilman George Darany announced this week he will run for state representative. Dearborn City Councilman George Darany He will try to replace Rep. Gino Polidori, D-Dearborn, who will have exhausted term limits and will not be on the ballot. Polidori currently represents the 15th District, which includes all......
Judge Hultgren to seek fourth term
DEARBORN — Judge William Hultgren last week announced he will run for a fourth term in 19th District Court. Dearborn Judge William Hultgren Hultgren served as Dearborn city attorney for 17 years before being elected to his first six-year term as judge in 1992. He ran unopposed in 1998 and 2004. Hultgren's campaign said that...Stand up and be counted
With more than $400 billion in federal grants at stake, the importance of local residents filling out the upcoming 2010 census forms is as clear as day. And with just ten questions to fill out on the census forms, which will be sent out on March 15 and take only about ten minutes to complete, standing up and being counted in 2010......
Al Sultan serves mouth-watering dishes
GARDEN CITY – While the restaurant business has changed dramatically in recent years, the success of Al Sultan Restaurant in Garden City since its opening in 1997 is proof that things like attentive customer service, quality food and good value never go out of style. The restaurant, which rests on the first block of Garden City...
Film producers seeking Arab American actors for ‘Detroit Unleaded’
February 21st, 20100 A film production company is seeking Arab American actors for the upcoming full-length film "Detroit Unleaded." Local filmmaker Rola Nashef premiered the original short-film version of Detroit Unleaded in 2007. The film garnered international attention and was screened at 23 festivals, winning three awards for "Best Short Film"......
