American Lebanese Center honors bridge-builders at first awards dinner
DEARBORN - The American Lebanese Center (ALC) honored compelling leaders for building bridges between communities for over 20 years during its first-ever awards dinner on May 30 at the Byblos Banquet Center in Dearborn.“It’s an opportunity to recognize people who have spent so much time and effort to improve the community. The...ACC awarded federal grant to assist refugees with job placement
DETROIT — The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) was recently awarded a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration to provide employment training and job placement services to Iraqi refugees and other dislocated workers residing in the Detroit metropolitan area. The program,...Arab Americans to demonstrate against fatal attack on Gaza aid flotilla
An injured pro-Palestinian activist reacts after Israeli commandos landed on a Gaza-bound ship in the Mediterranean Sea in this frame grab taken from footage released by DHA on May 31, 2010. Israeli commandos intercepted Gaza-bound aid ships on Monday and at least 10 pro-Palestinian activists on board were killed in bloodshed that...Local girl sacrifices life to save sister
DETROIT — The body of Nadaa Thabet was recovered Wednesday three quarters of a mile from where she was last seen on Belle Isle in Detroit. Thabet, 16, lost her life May 22 around 6 p.m. after her body disappeared into the Detroit river. Nadaa ThabetAccording to family members, Thabet, a Yemeni American, jumped into the river in an...
The new face of America
May 23rd, 20100 DEARBORN — Ask any of Rima Fakih's friends, co-workers, and family members about what allowed her to win Sunday's Miss USA pageant, and they will invariably all talk about her physical beauty. Rima Fakih gives a thumbs up after being crowned Miss USA during the 2010 Miss USA pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las...
Arab American crowned Miss USA!
May 17th, 20100 Miss Michigan Rima Fakih reacts after being crowned Miss USA during the 2010 Miss USA pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada May 16, 2010. REUTERS/Steve MarcusLAS VEGAS — Rima Fakih of Dearborn was crowned Miss USA Sunday. Miss Michigan Rima Fakih gives a thumbs up after being crowned Miss USA during...
Ponzi scheme strikes Arab community
May 16th, 20100 A federal racketeering lawsuit was filed on May 6 by about 100 Iraqi Americans alleging that they have been victimized in two Ponzi schemes involving millions of dollars.The plaintiffs have not identified themselves in the case and are seeking a protective order from the judge in order to keep their identities secret for fear of...Miss USA contestant has community backing in Vegas
LAS VEGAS — When the brights lights and cameras turn on for Sunday night's opening dance number at the 2010 Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas, 51 contestants from across the country will be on full display in front of millions of people on NBC at 7 p.m. Rima Fakih being crowned Miss Michigan in Port Huron in 2009.But what many TV viewers...Celebrity visits Dearborn, dines at Habib’s
DEARBORN — The movie company Mandalay Productions was in Dearborn from Monday, May 3 to Wednesday, May 5 filming scenes from the movie “Salvation Boulevard” starring former James Bond title character actor Pierce Brosnan as well as Ed Harris.Brosnan stopped at Habib's Restaurant on Michigan Avenue during a break in the filming...
Blacks, Arab Americans support each other as NAACP observes 101 years of activism
May 13th, 20100 Local Arab American activist Zohair Alawie (far left), AAPAC VP Nabih Ayad, NAACP Detroit Executive Director Heaster Wheeler, The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani, NAACP Detroit President Rev. Wendell Anthony, and ADC-MI Regional Director Imad Hamad pose at the NAACP's annual dinner at Cobo...
Groups meet to address youth violence
May 13th, 20100 DETROIT — The American Bar Association Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice held a town hall meeting at the Youthville Detroit complex on Monday, May 3 with the goal of bringing together various community and government leaders to discuss ways to curb youth violence, especially from teens. Judge Dennis Archer keynoted the...Unity or annihilation — the real choice for the Palestinians (again)
With Israel seriously considering how best to destroy Hamas (and Hizbullah and possibly Iran) and bolster the stooge leadership of Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian friends have been asking me what I think the Palestinians could and should now do to improve their prospects for obtaining an acceptable amount of justice. A Palestinian...
Iran a threat? I mean, really?
May 2nd, 20100 With all the current hype about the "threat" from Iran, it is time to review the record - and especially the significant bits and pieces that find neither ink nor air in our Israel-friendly, Fawning Corporate Media (FCM). First, on the chance you missed it, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said publicly that Iran "doesn't directly...
Arizona is messing with the Constitution
May 2nd, 20100 Last week, the elected Republican members of the State Government of Arizona declared their support for an awful, dangerous and probably unconstitutional bill signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer that would make illegal immigration a state crime and empower local and state law enforcement to ask people (read: Latinos and dark-skinned...Israel’s security lies in regional peace
Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu on March 22 defiantly declared to the world that: "there will be no freeze on construction in Jerusalem. Everyone knows it." An enduring occupation requires a high level of arrogance and a poker face in rationalization of injustice. The international community is well aware that Israel may have......
Hookah lounge owners unify, weigh options for May 1 smoking ban
About 50 hookah café, restaurant, and bar owners gathered at Greenfield Manor in Dearborn April 26 to discuss their next course of action in relation to Michigan's May 1 smoking ban, which could have a disastrous affect on their businesses. About 50 hookah business owners attended the meeting, but many of them are still...Detroit panel discussion attacks mortgage fraud crisis
With the problem of mortgage fraud exacerbating the current and ongoing housing crisis in America, the need for immediate solutions has come to the forefront both locally and nationally. On Friday, April 23 at the Theodore Levin U.S. District Federal Courthouse in Detroit, a diverse group of panelists shared their insight on mortgage......
Helping the dreams of Palestinian children
Islamic Relief USA hosted a fundraising dinner entitled "A Night for the Love of Palestine" on Friday, April 23, 2009, raising an estimated $170,000 to be used for critical supplies for families. Egyptian actress and humanitarian worker Hanan Turk served as keynote speaker for the event. Photo: Nafeh Abunab Well-known Egyptian...Census to begin door-to-door work
DETROIT - Beginning May 1, the U.S. Census Bureau will launch Non-Response Follow-Up (NRFU) operations in which census takers will go door-to-door to collect information from households that did not return their census forms by mail. Residents from the local community have been hired as census takers to complete this important...ACC chosen for summer program
LATHRUP VILLAGE - The Arab American Chaldean Council's Summer Program recently received a boost thanks to a campaign run by the Detroit Free Press. The ACC's Summer Program was selected for the Free Press' 2010 Summer Dreams Campaign, which will allow donations beginning May 9th to the ACC summer camp program to be matched...Dearborn Stars set to open new season
The Dearborn Stars soccer club held a kick-off dinner at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on Wednesday, April 28 with a new season in the Michigan Premier Soccer League's First Division set to begin on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Stars will play the Italian American Cultural Association team at San Marino field in Warren. This year,......
WSU awards diversity in journalism
April 26th, 20100 As a pioneering female reporter who happened to be the daughter of Lebanese immigrants in the white male-dominated realm of White House correspondents, Helen Thomas broke journalistic barriers and advanced diversity in the field. The Arab American News Publisher, Osama Siblani, accepts his award.Thomas became the first woman to...State Democrats endorse two at first-ever early convention
DETROIT — Michigan Democrats endorsed two top candidates on Saturday, April 17 at their first-ever endorsement convention in Detroit, backing hopefuls for secretary of state and attorney general positions. Genesee County Prosecutor David LeytonThe party is still divided over which candidate to choose for what should be a hotly......
Community remembers victims of Qana massacres
DEARBORN — The Islamic Center of America on April 18 held its 4th and 14th annual commemorations for the victims of the 1996 and 2006 massacres in Qana, Lebanon. The Bitar family at Sunday, April 18's Qana massacres commemoration holding a picture of their two siblings Hadi and Abdulmohsen Bitar who were killed while visiting their...The many faces of Arab women
DEARBORN — Henry Ford Community College's (HFCC) Arab Cultural Studies Program on April 8 hosted a conference entitled "The Many Faces of Arab Women." The conference was an opportunity to discover new possibilities for growth, dispel some old assumptions, and develop network connections for future use, such as business......