Yemeni nationals in U.S. backed into a deadly corner by uncertain TPS policies
November 26th, 20190 By Mark Hedin WASHINGTON, D.C.— "If I go back to Yemen, I have only one option: To die." So said a Brooklyn shopkeeper as he movingly described how a lifeline provided him by the United States has allowed him to thrive despite the horrors of the war afflicting his native country. The Department of Homeland Security could end that...
Fourth and final defendant pleads guilty in Coldwater child sex abuse conspiracy ring
November 26th, 20190 LANSING — Matthew Toole, 33 of Battle Creek, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one felony count of conspiracy to commit first degree criminal sexual conduct on a child under the age of 13, a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Toole was the fourth and final...
Human Rights Watch official expelled by Israel over alleged support for pro-Palestinian boycott
November 25th, 20190 JERUSALEM — An official from the Human Rights Watch non-governmental organization was expelled by Israeli officials on Monday over accusations that he backs an international pro-Palestinian boycott, a report from Reuters said. Omar Shakir, a U.S. citizen representing the New York-based organization in Israel and the Palestinian...
Ban on flavored vapes could lead to loss of 150,000 jobs, $8.4 billion sales hit
November 23rd, 20190 NEW YORK — A potential U.S. ban on e-cigarette flavors could result in a loss of more than 150,000 jobs and a direct sales hit of $8.4 billion, according to a report released on Friday by a vaping industry trade group. Two months ago President Trump’s administration announced a sweeping plan to ban all e-cigarette and vaping...
2020 Census: New jobs, complete count efforts and MENA
November 23rd, 20190 DETROIT — In a Wednesday teleconference, leaders from the U.S. Census Bureau briefed media outlets that serve the Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) communities on the status of the 2020 Census, describing the efforts underway for all people to be accurately counted and the opportunity for individuals to apply for temporary jobs...
Ibrahim Aljahim’s criminal sexual conduct charges dismissed without prejudice
November 21st, 20190 HAMTRAMCK — 31st District Court Judge Alexis G. Krot dismissed all criminal sexual conduct charges against prominent Yemeni community activist Ibrahim Aljahim on Thursday, concluding the now long running preliminary exam. The case was dismissed without prejudice, with Krot informing Wayne County prosecutors that they were free to...
Arab American leaders criticize Whitmer’s decision to ignore community concerns before departing for Israel
November 21st, 20190 DEARBORN — Arab American community leaders representing a wide group of civil rights advocates, political and local civic organizations held a press conference on Thursday, November 21 to express their strong disapproval of Governor Whitmer's trip to Israel this week and her decision to ignore their community concerns prior to...
Statement of Michigan Arab Americans regarding Gov. Whitmer’s trip to Israel
November 21st, 20192 DEARBORN — Governor Whitmer is currently visiting Israel. We Arab Americans became aware of this trip, like most Michiganders, from media reports this past Sunday, November 17, the same day she departed. Michigan is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States, boasting several hundred thousand residents...
Attorney General Nessel announces second conviction in clergy abuse investigation
November 20th, 20190 LANSING — Just hours after the first convicted defendant in Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's clergy abuse investigation was sentenced, Nessel announced the second conviction in her department's ongoing investigation. Brian Stanley, age 57, of Coloma, a city on the west side of the state near Lake Michigan, pleaded guilty to...
Michigan Civil Rights Commission appoints Mary Engelman as interim director
November 20th, 20190 DETROIT — Mary Engelman, the acting Michigan Department of Civil Rights director, was appointed as interim director of the Department on Monday. She was appointed along with Sylvia Elliott, who was named as a special adviser to the Commission. Both women interviewed for the position of interim director last month. Engelman...
Governor Whitmer appoints Arab American Zeinab Hussein to Health Endowment Fund Board
November 19th, 20190 LANSING — On Wednesday, Gov. Whitmer appointed Dearborn Heights resident Zeinab Hussein, the director of diversity and inclusion for Wayne County, to the Health Endowment Fund Board. The governor also appointed Emily McDonough of Williamston to the Data Collection Agency Governing Board. Hussein is a national and state board...
Attorney General Nessel joins 18 others to urge withdrawal of proposal obstructing asylum-seekers’ ability to work
November 19th, 20190 LANSING — Eighteen attorneys general joined Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel last week in opposing a proposed rule from the Trump administration that would eliminate the 30-day time frame currently in place for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to review asylum-seekers work permit applications. The move...
U.S. angers Palestinians, violates international law with reversal on Israeli settlements
November 19th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration changed the U.S. position on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank on Monday, reversing four decades of American policy and further undermining the effort to gain Palestinian statehood. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. is repudiating the 1978 State Department...
Governor Whitmer trip to Israel angers Palestinians and Arab Americans
November 19th, 20191 LANSING - Governor Whitmer decision to travel to Israel from November 17th to November 23rd, angers Palestinians and Arab Americans in Michigan. The governor will visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem to meet with government, business, and nonprofit leaders. Whitmer traveling to Israel while the Israeli army is bombing Gaza...
“Leading While Muslim” author, scholar to speak in Dearborn
November 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — Longtime New York City educator, administrator and diversity expert Debbie Almontaser is expected to speak at the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Monday, November 18. Almontaser is the author of of “Leading While Muslim”, which will be the title of her discussion. The founding principal of the Khalil Gibran......
Recreational marijuana shops could begin sales this December
November 17th, 20190 LANSING — Recreational marijuana shops could start selling product as soon as Dec. 1 after state regulators said Wednesday they could transfer some of their medical marijuana products to their new adult use supplies. Medical marijuana shortages are now being feared by some industry stakeholders. Those store owners with an...
Wayne County ballot to include DIA millage renewal in March
November 17th, 20190 DETROIT — Voters in Wayne County will consider a renewal of the Detroit Institute of Arts millage on the March election ballot, Wayne County officials announced. The Wayne County Art Institute Authority voted unanimously on Wednesday to put the renewal of the 10-year, .2-mill tax on the ballot next year — two years before it is......
Sen. Gary Peters meets with Michigan faith leaders to discuss securing houses of worship
November 17th, 20190 SOUTHFIELD – On Friday, November 8, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, met with faith leaders and law enforcement officials to discuss his bipartisan efforts to improve security for faith-based institutions in Michigan. A fact sheet compiled by the National...
Nessel kicks off robocall crackdown effort with State and Federal partners
November 15th, 20191 LANSING — State and federal partners joined Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in Lansing on Friday to kick off a statewide crackdown on illegal robocalls targeting the state's residents. Michigan residents have received 1.3 billion robocalls in 2019 to date, a problem Nessel said requires action. “There is nothing more...
Dearborn Heights Police Chief Dan Voltattorni to retire Nov. 21
November 14th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS —Police Chief Dan Voltattorni will be retiring later this month after a year on the job. While his tenure as chief was brief, he has been with the Police Department for more than 32 years. Voltattorni began his career as a police cadet and then became a patrolman. In 2013 he became a captain and in 2017 he was...
Arab American poet’s first book relates how she survived domestic violence
November 14th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Sara Raad, an Arab American poet from Dearborn Heights, released last week her first book, “My squeak. My Shout. My Roar.” The book is a three-part chronicle of her experience with domestic violence. “Anyone who has been in an abusive relationship could relate to the book,” Raad told The Arab American......
Governor Whitmer appoints Alyia Marie Hakim to the 39th District Court
November 14th, 20190 LANSING — On Thursday, Gov. Whitmer appointed Alyia Marie Hakim to the 39th District Court. Hakim is a partner with Hakim & Hakim, PLLC. She is also of counsel at Aloia & Associates, PC. Before she began her private practice, which specializes in criminal defense, estate planning, juvenile law and family law, she worked...
Catastrophic claims auto fee in Michigan to be cut in half or eliminated in 2020
November 14th, 20190 LANSING — Michigan drivers will see their catastrophic claims fees cut in half or eliminated in 2020, as part of a series of changes that advocates say will lower costs to drivers, the Detroit News reported. Those who decide to pick lifetime, unlimited medical benefits will pay $100, down 55 percent from $220, and others will pay no......
Federal court rules in favor of Arab American family: Suspicionless searches of phones and laptops unconstitutional
November 12th, 20190 BOSTON — A federal court in Boston ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the ACLU of Massachusetts on behalf of 11 travelers on Tuesday. The court ruled that suspicionless searches of travelers' electronic devices by federal agents at airports and other U.S. ports of...
Preliminary exam for Ibrahim Aljahim continues, defense seeks dismissal
November 9th, 20190 HAMTRAMCK – Both sides rested their cases at yet another continuation of a preliminary exam for Yemeni activist Ibrahim Aljahim's sexual assault case, with the defense attorney reminding the court that he had filed a motion to dismiss earlier in the week. Tension were high and objections and interruptions caused 31st District Court......
