Legal issues surrounding citizenship
Be very careful if you leave the country for more than six months Because most of the issues I address in this article relate to holders of "Green Cards," I would like to address the term "Green Card." The card is now officially known as a "Permanent Resident Card." In fact, it's no longer even green in...MLK Day observed with scholarships
DEARBORN — After giving away $14,000 in scholarship money January 25 at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn to students from throughout the region at their group's ninth annual Martin Luther King Day celebration, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) officials said to just wait until next year's event. First place ADC Martin...ACLU hosts conference on civil rights
DEARBORN — The Metro Detroit Branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Michigan held its "Reclaiming Our Rights" conference on Saturday, January 26, at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Detroit Branch NAACP Deputy Director Donnell White (l, at table), Dawud Walid, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations...Secretary of State wants to ease travel document requirements
LANSING — Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land has urged swift approval of legislation that eases the identification burden on residents traveling to Canada, and also allows those who are in the U.S. legally but temporarily to apply for a driver's license or ID card. "Protecting our borders is critical in this post-911 world," Land told...How Qatar helped Katrina victims
"We Are All Witnesses," a new book produced by the Qatar Katrina Fund, serves as a first hand account of the rebuilding of the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. In the wake of the hurricane, which hit the north-central Gulf coast in August of 2005, the State of Qatar was among the first countries to commit financial support to the...Hastings, Dingell urge Bush to address Iraqi refugee crisis
Washington — Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, and Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of...U of M students protest for Gaza
DEARBORN — "Peace and Justice UMD, not until Gaza's Free." Students at University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD) screamed and protested Tuesday, January 29. They chanted all sorts of slogans in the midst of the cold and rain. They chanted for unity, justice, peace and freedom. They said they came together not only as Arabs but also as...Oakwood names corporate directors
Dearborn — Oakwood Healthcare Inc. (OHI) has appointed Lisa Rutledge and Roy Sexton to leadership roles in directing Oakwood's communications, planning and community outreach services. Rutledge was named corporate director of community outreach in October 2007. In this role, she oversees community outreach efforts, including community...Tax assistance provided at ACCESS
DEARBORN — The Accounting Aid Society is scheduled to begin holding free income tax preparation assistance sessions at ACCESS, 2651 Saulino Court in Dearborn, starting Saturday, February 2. Assistance will be available every Saturday in February from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to low income families and individuals—up to $40,000 annual income...City announces plans for Wards building
DEARBORN – Nearly seven years after Dearborn's massive Montgomery Ward department store at Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road closed its doors and began deteriorating from the inside out, the city, which acquired the building in 2005, is on the verge of closing a deal to sell the property and have it redeveloped into a major...Hamtramck passes ordinance against profiling
The Hamtramck City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday prohibiting city employees from policing or denying services to people based on their appearance, immigration status and other factors. Council on Islamic-American Organizations-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid speaks to Hamtramck City Council during a hearing on an...Chertoff warns of new rules
As of February 1, Canadians and Americans who have been visiting Canada will face enhanced identification requirements at land crossings. That is what Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a Toronto Globe and Mail reporter on January 18. Anyone over 19 crossing the border by land will need a document with a photo...Reporters ordered to reveal sources
In a classical collision between an accused's rights and the right of journalists to maintain the confidentiality of sources, Canadian Federal Court Judge Simon Noël has come down on the side of the accused. The case involves Adil Charkaoui, a Moroccan, who was imprisoned in 2003 under a security certificate, accused of being an...Rachel Corrie does Vancouver
"My Name is Rachel Corrie" opened in Vancouver's Havana Theatre on January 25. The play, using the writings of the young American woman who served as a peace activist in Palestine and who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to protect the house of a Palestinian doctor, was canceled in New York and Toronto because of...U.S. and Israel accused of torture
There were red faces in Ottawa on January 18, when a Canadian Foreign Affairs document became public, listing the U.S. and Israel among countries using torture. Amnesty International (AI) obtained the report as disclosure in connection with its suit challenging Canada's transferring Afghan prisoners to Afghan authorities. ......
Feeding the hungry is goal of Rotary project
Super Greenland Market donates 1,000 pieces of fruit to effort DEARBORN — Eighteen Rotarians, including their guests, gathered in the kitchen of Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn on a recent Saturday morning to assemble nearly 1,500 lunches to be distributed by the Salvation Army. The lunches are part of a "Bed and Bread"...Students demonstrate skills at future city competition
After spending extra hours at school every day for the last several months channeling their inner-engineers to craft their own little cities of the future, more than 1,200 elementary and middle school students got to show off the fruits of their labor Tuesday. Teams from 60 schools gathered at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi to......
Henry Ford Village announces dining services royalty
Dearborn — Each year Henry Ford Village, a full service retirement community in Dearborn, pays tribute to members of their student dining services staff by crowning "honorary" kings and queens. The students are nominated and elected by their peers. Mary Voiles, staff development manager, announced the latest honorees as Queen...Celebrating 45 years as business leader
WARREN — Ed Deeb, president of the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, celebrated his 45th anniversary in 2007 as an association and business leader. Recently, a group from Washington came to Detroit to see if there has been improvement in Detroit since the 1967 Detroit riots. They were gathering information about...Educational program provides student, professional development
ROCHESTER HILLS — A new educational program has been developed to provide a hands-on cultural education experience for students while teachers and staff receive simultaneous professional development as required by the No Child Left Behind Act. The program is a result of a joint venture between MBC Global, a Rochester Hills cultural...Local educator runs top high school
• The U.S. News and World Report analyzed more than 18,000 high schools in 40 states, identifying 1,591 of them as gold, silver or bronze medal schools. • Six Wayne County high schools were ranked, one silver and five bronze, including Star International Academy, founded in 1998 by Arab American Nawal Hamadeh. DEARBORN — One of the......
Muslim athlete disqualified over uniform
The outfit allows her to compete while adhering to her Muslim faith, which forbids displaying any skin other than her face and hands. "It's not special," Kelly said. "It doesn't make me perform better." WASHINGTON — A high school track star has been disqualified from a meet because officials said the custom-made outfit she wears...Kazemi case reopened
The Iranian Supreme Court has now ordered a reopening of the case of Zahra Kazemi. In July, 2003, Kazemi, a photojournalist with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship, was arrested in Teheran while taking pictures of a student demonstration outside Evin Prison. She was put in that very same prison herself, and she died as a......
Abu Dhabi funds translations
The push is on to translate important Western and other non-Arab works into Arabic. Egyptian Karim Nagy initiated a non-profit agency, Kalima, to undertake this work, and the Abu Dhabi government's Authority for Culture and Heritage is supplying the bulk of the funding. Publishers are on board, with Beirut being a prime...Canadians wary of U.S.
A poll of 1000 Canadians carried out by the firm Strategic Counsel from December 6 to 9 found that Canadians prefer a somewhat arms-length relationship with the United States. When asked what they saw as the major factor influencing Canadian foreign policy, the largest percentage, 25%, said that it is the relationship with the......