Ann Arbor peace groups discuss support for Annapolis conference
ANN ARBOR — A group of peace organizations against the occupation in Palestine gathered in Ann Arbor on Tuesday to show support for the Annapolis Mideast peace conference, despite being generally skeptical of its chances for ultimate success. "We feel we should support whatever can happen there," said Odile Hugonot-Haber, of the Women's...Fight dedicated to slain uncle
DEARBORN — One of two local Arab American boxers initially scheduled to perform at an upcoming nationally televised event in Dearborn has pulled out of the show. Undefeated middleweight Brian "The Lion" Mihtar and promoters of the event said they could not agree on the amount of money Mihtar was to be paid and the opponent he was to...Students donate to Locks of Love
DEARBORN — A group of Dearborn girls had their long hair lopped off last Monday at McDonald Elementary School, offering their thick locks to a charity that provides hairpieces for disadvantaged children who suffer from illness-related hair loss. Fifth-grade teacher Reem Bathish organized an assembly at the school where students with...Niqab farce continues
When my partner Adèle, unable to get around because of knee replacement surgery, filled out her ballot at home, no one came around to see if she was wearing a niqab or other face covering. Perhaps the matter was overlooked. The bill forbidding voting while wearing a face covering is now moving through Canada's House of...Liberal leader attacks Khadr’s Gitmo ordeal
Stéphane Dion, leader of Canada's opposition Liberal Party, has called upon Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to "demand that Omar Khadr be removed from Guantanamo Bay detention facility to be transferred to the United States to be tried in a legitimate court." Khadr, a Canadian citizen whose family has had close ties to Osama...Almrei denied bail from Gitmo North
Hassan Almrei is the last inmate of Guantanamo North, the detention facility for people with suspected terrorist affiliations seeking to avoid deportation from Canada. The facility is on the grounds of the Kingston Penitentiary. Justice François Lemieux refused to give him bail. Judge Lemieux listed several factors...Abu Dhabi spending billions in Alberta
Because of their province's substantial oil wealth, Albertans have been called Canada's blue-eyed Arabs. Now some dark-eyed Arabs are moving in. Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (TAQA), majority-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, has put down $5 billion to purchase Prime West Energy Trust, through its Canadian subsidiary TAQA...Muslim groups support rape victims
Recently, a Muslim student was sexually assaulted on an Ottawa campus. At first, the media described the assault as rape, a description which was later corrected. The woman made a point of having the correction noted because of the shame associated in some Muslim traditions with being the victim of rape. In response to...Canadian Islamic Congress stubs its toe
With Maclean's, the simplest description would be that it is more or less the Canadian Time, though, while over the decades Time has become somewhat less right wing, Maclean's has moved in the other direction. On October 20, Maclean's carried an excerpt from a book by Mark Steyn in which he argues that, as the title puts it, "The...
Palestinian mural finally inaugurated
December 2nd, 20070 SAN FRANCISCO – After a two and a half year battle with campus administration, San Francisco State University became the first school to showcase a Palestinian cultural mural honoring Dr. Edward Said. But the General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS), the group that spearheaded the mural, says achieving it was no easy task. "Let's...U.S. senators, panel seek closure of Saudi Islamic school
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — Twelve U.S. senators and a federal commission want to shut it down, and its most virulent critics have dubbed it "Terror High." The teachers, administrators and about 900 students at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Fairfax County have heard the allegations for years — after the Sept. 11 attacks and then a few years...Activists remember day of Palestinian solidarity
The e-mail notice from the group in Boston began, "the photo-op which was the Annapolis peace conference is over." Pro-Palestine activists did not forget the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Held on November 29th of every year, the day commemorates the 1947 partition of Palestine by the United...
‘Our Arab American Story’ profiles in a good way
December 2nd, 20070 DEARBORN — OK Arab Americans, get your hankies ready. After centuries of cultural isolation, decades of political ostracization and six years of post-9/11 social hysteria, our real story is about to be told. And when you watch Visionalist Entertainment Productions' documentary, "Our Arab American Story," the tears are gonna...Religious leaders join battle against domestic violence
DEARBORN — Women's activists have marked November 25 as a day against violence since 1981. On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Resolution 54/134). The date comes from the brutal assassination in 1960 of the three...He believes giving back is an obligation
For Russell J. Ebeid, giving back to the community is more than an obligation; it is an opportunity to fulfill his passions through his generosity. After years of faithful giving, Russell recently made the decision to grant a $500,000 endowed gift to the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan (CFSEM). "I am at the stage......
2007 Golden Cedar Awards presented for leadership
Gala celebrates contributions of Lebanese Americans DETROIT — The Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce held its Second Annual Night of a Hundred Stars Spectacular this week at the historic Hotel St. Regis in the New Center area of downtown Detroit. Pegged as "Celebrating Leadership in North America," the gala honored Governor John H....American Muslims for Palestine holds second annual meeting
The Second Annual Convention of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) was held in Chicago November 22-25, 2007. The theme of the convention was "After 60 years of Al Nakaba, to Al Quds We Shall Return and We Will Return." The convention was attended by approximately one thousand Muslims from all over the country including from......
Proud history of Islamic medicine
Many people are unaware of the tremendous contribution to medical knowledge made in Islamic culture between the 9th and 13th centuries. It was Professor Ingrid Hehmeyer's task to open up this chapter of medical history at the recent gala dinner held by the Canadian Islamic Congress in Ottawa. She teaches at Toronto's Ryerson...Cultural festivities mark club’s 25th anniversary
Two days before Lebanese President Emile Lahoud declared a state of emergency and ordered the army to take over security powers in the country, a 25 year-old Lebanese American organization celebrated its anniversary with pride and optimism. Despite the rising tensions in their homeland, a crowd of about 700 danced and waved miniature...Community pays tribute to slain station owner
DEARBORN — The body of Jawad Bazzi, a victim of a gas station shooting in Detroit November 16, was held for viewing at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge Sunday and Monday, November18 and 19, as the local community paid tribute to the well-known and well-liked husband and father of four. Imam Abdellatif Berri conducted a funeral...New businesswomen’s group launched
DEARBORN — The Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC), newly founded in the Detroit area as a 501c6 nonprofit professional organization, will hold its kick-off breakfast on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, at Byblos Banquet Center, 7258 Chase Rd. in Dearborn. Denise Roberts, president of Sales Partners Troy, will deliver the keynote......
Canada resists demand for passenger info
The Canadian government is now lending its voice to the objections raised by airlines to U.S. demands for information about passengers flying over the U.S. to destinations outside Canada such as Mexico and the Caribbean. Homeland Security wants lists of passengers and information about them — when reservations were made, method of...Situation of child soldiers pursued
The issue of what happens to child soldiers in Afghanistan is being raised both in Canada and the United States. In Canada, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff, pressed the government on its practice of turning child soldiers over to Afghan authorities because of concern about how prisoners are treated......
Arab boy chooses ballet for career
Ayman Saffah is a 17-year-old Israeli Arab from the town of Kafr Yassif, in Galilee, but he has chosen to live a life and develop a career beyond the cultural norms of his community. He fell in love with ballet while watching it on television, and he secretly practiced the steps which he saw. When he was 14, he asked his mother for...UAE recruiting in Quebec
Bernard Grenier, president of Personnel Outaouais, has recently returned from Dubai, and his firm is recruiting personnel to work in the United Arab Emirates. The Outaouais is the region of Quebec just across the river from Ottawa. He visited Dubai along with representatives from some 15 other Quebec head-hunting firms, under......