40 years of holding on to our principles and commitments
September 6th, 20241 On September 7, 1984, when the Arab American community in Dearborn was almost exclusively centered in the "Dix" area in the southern part of the city, and when the number of Arab-owned businesses in Dearborn could be counted on one hand — not to mention the marginalization, racism and lack of political participation and involvement in...
These candidates deserve your votes in the August 6 primary election
August 2nd, 20240 The political and social tensions stemming from the fierce competition in the presidential race, as well as the support of most American officials and elected representatives for the brutal war that Israel has been waging on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for almost 10 months — which was blatantly highlighted last Wednesday during...
On Feb. 27: Punish Biden, VOTE “uncommitted.” But, VOTE YES for the schools and college millage proposals
February 24th, 20241 Michigan's presidential primary elections on February 27 constitute an exceptional milestone, as they include very important decisions for the Arab American community. Next Tuesday, Democratic and Republican voters will select their respective presidential candidates to face off in the November general election. This is an important...
Betrayed by Biden and other Democrats, Arab and Muslim Americans in Michigan vow: “We will never vote for them again”
October 27th, 20231 The positions of the Biden administration on the current Israeli war on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip since October 7 were not only disappointing, but rather shocking and provocative to the extreme of oppression and resentment among Arab and Muslim Americans in Michigan and nationwide. They felt that President Biden and most...
39 years of milestone accomplishments, and the best is yet to come
September 8th, 20230 On September 7, 1984 I opened the door to The Arab American News offices on Michigan Ave in Dearborn. The rest is history. It has been 39 years and a fantastic journey. I’m very proud of what we have achieved here, joined and supported by hundreds of professionals who dedicated their times and efforts to make a...
Dearborn Charter Commission’s decision on wards was the right one
June 9th, 20230 By Abed Hammoud The Dearborn Charter Commission voted this week to leave the city as one ward for purposes of City Council elections, effectively rejecting the idea of dividing the city into wards. On final reading, the vote was overwhelming, with opposition from only one member of the nine-member commission. Residents pushing for a...
Syria stands alone in healing its wounds from devastating earthquake
February 10th, 20230 The dawn of February 6, 2023 will be recorded as a typical tragedy that befell the peoples of the eastern Mediterranean, or to be precise, part of their peoples. The fear and panic, despite their magnitude, can’t be compared to the horror and devastation of being buried under the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings. It is an...
Michigan voters hand Democrats historic victory, deal a blow to the MAGA movement
November 11th, 20220 The midterm elections shocked most observers and political experts throughout the nation. While Republicans gained a few seats in the Congress, and may perhaps still win the majority there, nothing like the widely predicted "Red Wave" came to fruition. The Senate is still up for grabs, and Democrats scored a number of major victories...
Michigan Election Day guide and endorsements: Who deserves our vote
November 5th, 20220 Michigan's midterm election is on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and among the races at stake are for governor, secretary of state and attorney general. There are also three ballot proposals that could change the state's constitution, all 13 seats in the U.S. Congress and all the State House and Senate seats. The midterm elections will likely...
Our endorsements for Nov. 8: Don’t let bigotry and misinformation divide our community
October 21st, 20220 The November election is around the corner, and because of ongoing and unprecedented attacks on civil liberties and democracy itself, we cannot emphasize its importance enough. We know these elections will not occur in a vacuum. Recently, the nation turned its attention to our community once more; but sadly, this time it wasn’t due...
Dearborn must embrace diversity, inclusion and freedom of expression
October 14th, 20225 By now, just about in everyone in Dearborn is aware of the book banning saga in the Dearborn Public Schools. A number of concerned citizens and parents have voiced their objections to the presence of certain books in school libraries, namely books that explore LGBTQ+ themes and lifestyles. Undoubtedly, parents should have a say in the...
38 years of being the loudest, clearest and the bravest voice for our community
September 11th, 20220 As we quietly marked the 38th anniversary of our establishment on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, we can’t help but reflect on the challenges we’ve faced, the advancement we’ve achieved and the issues we’ve reported on and overcome together as a community. Running a media publication has always been difficult, challenging and...
Our endorsements for the August 2 primaries
July 31st, 20220 As a rule, primary elections do not enjoy the same attention that voters give to general elections, but party qualifiers are — in some races — so decisive that the general elections seem to be a foregone conclusion, and this applies to the fullest extent to the primary elections on Tuesday, August 2. It is a fact that the...
Stand for Palestine and Shireen Abu Akleh
May 14th, 20220 - Amer Zahr is a law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy and president of New Generation for Palestine On Wednesday morning, in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin, Israeli occupation forces assassinated Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Since 1997, Shireen has been the face of Palestine for Al-Jazeera, the...
Clerks Garrett and Darany: Get the translation done
April 16th, 20220 On March 22, the Dearborn City Council unanimously passed a resolution requiring ballot translation to any language spoken by more than 10,000 residents (or 5 percent of the population, whichever criteria is met first). The resolution also calls for implementation to start as early as the August primary election. This was a historical......
A long journey to a “historic” election
November 5th, 20210 This week, headlines regarding Tuesday’s election across local, national and international media included some version of the word "historic." Not surprising when one takes into consideration that three Arab American candidates in some of the state’s densest cities enjoyed landslide victories for mayoral races: Amer Ghalib in...
Let us make history on November 2
October 30th, 20211 Elections are always important. That is why, in every election since its inception, The Arab American News has encouraged the Arab American community to be involved in the decision-making process and to show up to vote and run for public offices. This local election is no different in terms of importance, but it is also unique in the......
Why we chose not to endorse either candidate for Hamtramck mayor
October 30th, 20210 Endorsing candidates for important offices is a major responsibility for local organizations and newspapers. For an ethnic newspaper, the voice of the community we advocate for has to be taken into consideration, as should the issues that affect it the most. But decisions on endorsements cannot simply come about with a superficial...
Dearborn, beware of rumors, haters and dividers in this election season
October 23rd, 20210 As much as we all hope and work for better outcomes, it seems as though Dearborn cannot have an election season without anonymous and false attacks and rumors. For the last few days, some individuals have been circulating on social media and through chats what they claim is a statement (in Arabic and English) issued by “Arab...
Lebanon: The accusations against Major General Abbas Ibrahim are malicious and politically motivated
July 25th, 20210 By Osama Siblani / Publisher One of the most unfortunate aspects of Lebanon’s continuing crisis is the way criminal investigations into major violent acts are handled. This has been the case since Lebanon was founded last century. Most of these investigations either did not occur at all, were done unprofessionally or were derailed by...
In Our Opinion: Palestine needs us. Let’s not disappoint her
May 15th, 20210 On Sunday, March 16 at 1 p.m., we will be gathering outdoors at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn for an important event, "the March for Jerusalem." This event will be sponsored by New Generation for Palestine, The Arab American News, Students for Justice at Wayne State University and many other......
“Right to travel”: Biden and Congress must keep their promises to Arab Americans
April 3rd, 20210 This week, a federal appeals court in Virginia enshrined the federal government's use of the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). After a lower court ruling held that the TSDB's application deprived Americans, especially those of Arab and Muslim descent, the right to due process under the law, this appeals court declared that the right...
Reckless behaviors could lead to disastrous consequences
March 20th, 20210 In 2017, The Arab American News published a story titled “Local Yemenis feel marginalized as Lebanese brethren gain momentum.” In it, writer Hassan Khalifeh interviewed multiple Yemeni Americans in Dearborn and Hamtramck about their experiences of marginalization, and in some cases outright discrimination, by other more entrenched......
“An evening of unity” with a fascist criminal is shameful
October 16th, 20201 This Sunday, Michigan's top elected officials will be addressing and attending the virtual event, "An evening of unity", sponsored by Yeshiva Beth Yehuda, the self-described "oldest and largest Jewish educational institution in Michigan." Governor Whitmer, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Gary Peters, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan...
Ilhan Omar’s signature is more than disappointing, it’s shameful
May 8th, 20202 This week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to increase "diplomatic action by the United States to renew the expiring United Nations arms embargo against Iran and United Nations travel restrictions on those Iranian individuals involved......
