Tips to catch a homebuyer’s eye
The housing market's financial slip is making it hard to get homes off the selling block. To help speed up the selling process, homeowners and agents may want to consider hiring a stager. Stagers are hired to rearrange a home's contents and furniture to better catch the eyes of buyers. Realtors and sellers who have used staging...
Former wrestling coach sues Dearborn Schools, Fordson principal
July 31st, 20090 A longtime Fordson High School wrestling coach whose contract was not renewed last year filed a federal lawsuit against Dearborn Public Schools and Fordson Principal Imad Fadlallah on Monday, claiming he was terminated because of his Christian religious beliefs. The suit was filed in Detroit by a Livonia law firm and the Ann...Passion for life, not for boxing
"Hey it is you! You photographed my wedding," yelled Tarick Salmaci from inside his white Caddy, where I was meeting him at Starbucks in West Dearborn. Tarick Salmaci "Can you believe it has been twelve years since I got married?" he added as he walked toward me. He stopped and chatted with a friend passing in his car,...Netanyahu plays “Deal or No Deal” with Israeli settlements
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argues unjustifiably for the need to continue the construction of West Bank settlements to allow for "natural growth" of settler families, he reminds me of the risk-driven guest player on the popular TV show "Deal or No Deal." In this show, the...
Community stunned after freak car accident in Beirut claims local father and daughter
July 25th, 20090 The deaths of a Dearborn Heights man and his young daughter, killed in a freak car accident in Beirut on July 19, have left many stunned in the local community and abroad. Family members have memorialized them in the following essay. Mohamad A. Habhab of Dearborn Heights, beloved husband and father of three, and his three-year-old...How the Israel lobby took control of U.S. foreign policy
In the early 1960s, Senator William J. Fulbright fought to force the American Zionist Council to register as agents of a foreign government. The Council eluded registration by reorganizing as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC has since become what Fulbright most feared: a foreign agent dominating American...Local Arabs and Jews meet, address political differences
DEARBORN — A group of pro-Israeli American Jews and pro-Palestinian Arab Americans came together at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on Tuesday in a rare meeting aimed at sparking long-term dialogue acknowledging the two communities' general views on the Middle East conflict. Brenda Rosenberg, L, and Imad Hamad introduced...Pre-election forum to present Hamtramck candidates
HAMTRAMCK — A candidates' forum is be held on Thursday, July 30, 7 p.m. at the BHA Hall, 2320 Caniff Street. The forum will allow the five mayoral and 12 city council candidates to speak to citizens and answer questions. "We have to get the views of the candidates," said Michael Prentiss, organizer of the event. Each candidate...City looks at anti-profiling measure
KALAMAZOO — Public safety officials may soon implement a city-wide anti-profiling policy in an effort to increase cooperation between police and the community. The policy would ban discrimination or profiling based on appearance, ethnicity, gender, dress, origin, physical characteristics, race, religion or sexual orientation....Census takers looking for partners
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking partnerships in Arab American communities ahead of the 2010 Census. In a news release from the Census Bureau and the Arab American Institute, officials said the bureau is seeking over 100,000 partnerships with organizations, religious institutions, businesses and schools in preparation for the...A Michigan staycation awaits
Between the allure of the new "Pure Michigan" ad campaign and the importance of saving money, it seems like more and more families are opting for Michigan vacations this summer. And when it comes to vacation spots in Michigan, they don't get much more popular than Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island at the top of the Lower...Behind detainee release, a U.S.-Iraqi conflict on Iran
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The release Friday of five Iranians held by the U.S. military in Iraq for two and a half years highlights the long-simmering conflict between the U.S. and Iraqi views of Iranian policy in Iraq and of the role of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) there. Iranian officials, detained by the U.S....
Fire breaks out at Dearborn’s Golden Bakery
July 18th, 20090 Fire fighters wrap up a call at a Middle Eastern bakery in Dearborn Friday. PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN Fire fighters put out a small blaze at Dearborn's Golden Bakery, 14526 Warren Avenue, Friday afternoon. Several fire trucks responded. Police on the scene said no one was injured in the fire on the roof of the building...Twenty-five seek Dearborn City Council seats, low turnout expected
DEARBORN — On August 4, from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m., candidacies for seven City Council seats up for grabs in November will be at stake in Dearborn's primary elections. The combination of a voter turnout that is expected to be low and the importance of the City Council in making crucial decisions makes the primary a key opportunity for...Community bids farewell to first Arab American fire chief
DEARBORN— Fire Chief Nazih Hazime's leadership as a safety official and as an Arab American community figure was honored Wednesday in a farewell reception hosted by the Congress of Arab American Organizations at the Lebanese American Heritage Club. Dearborn Fire Chief Nazih Hazime, second left, receives a medal from Mayor......
FBI seeks to clarify role
DETROIT — Amid heightened tensions between the FBI and American Muslim communities nationwide, Andrew Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Detroit Division, recently sat down for an interview with Allan Lengel, editor of ticklethewire.com, a news website that covers federal law enforcement. Detroit District FBI Special...
U.S. leaders asked to address growing Islamophobia
July 10th, 20090 WASHINGTON — A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group this week cited recent anti-Muslim incidents nationwide in calling on American leaders to address what it said is a "growing level of anti-Muslim prejudice and stereotyping" in American society. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said opinion......
Radio legend Casey Kasem retires
American radio legend Casey Kasem officially signed off for the last time on July 4, 2009, exactly 39 years after the first broadcast of his wildly successful and ubiquitous "American Top 40" radio show. Casey Kasem The 77-year-old Lebanese/Palestinian star, whose real name was Kemal Amin Kasem, had hosted the spin-off...Muslims under scrutiny despite waning of ‘terror war’
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) — When the administration of President Barack Obama formally abandoned the longstanding U.S. "war on terror" — perceived by some as a codeword for "war against Islam" — there were hopes of a new relationship between the United States and the Muslim world after eight long years of political...Netanyahu, Ahmadinejad start cold war
The cold war is back. Last week, Vice President Joseph Biden announced in a television interview that Israel, as a sovereign state, was free to take military action to deal with Iran's nuclear program. But President Obama was not pleased to see his partner-in-leadership improvise foreign policy. Obama must have immediately cautioned his...Autism school gives hope
A child's cognitive or behavioral disorder can be a lot for a family to deal with, especially as the nation faces a load of health care and education policy issues in a period of transition and harsh times. Burger School for Students with Autism in Garden City Immigrant communities often face extra obstacles, with cultural......
Movie asks us to vote with our forks
July 10th, 20090 As immigrants and natives alike know, many parts of American culture are worth emulating. But one aspect that Arab Americans and others should avoid is the food industry. The widely-praised new documentary movie "Food, Inc," which can be seen at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak and others nationwide, makes that point loud and clear...Archbishop Hanna to tour U.S.
Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna, from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a well known religious figure and activist for Palestinian rights, is scheduled to visit at least seven U.S. cities beginning in July 15, according to the U.S. Palestine Conference Network. Archbishop of Sevastia Theodosios Atallah......
Group golfs for scholarships
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) presented its 7th annual golf outing and scholarship award dinner at the Shenandoah Country Club on Wednesday. ACC scholarship recepients after recieving their awards Wednesday. The event raised funds for scholarships that went to deserving high school students...
Six reasons why Iran cannot be explained in a Twitter feed
July 4th, 20090 The world's attention is on Iran. But the rhetoric of reformists vs. conservatives and students vs. mullahs cannot capture the complexity of what is happening on the streets of Tehran. Here are six reasons why the situation in Iran cannot be reduced to simplistic headlines or Twitter feeds. Police in full riot gear walk past......
