Dearborn Police moving in the right direction
September 16th, 20160 Newly recruited ordinance officer Amal Chammout.Three Arab American cops and two ordinance officers, including a woman who wears the hijab, were sworn into the Dearborn Police Department last month. It is a step in the right direction for the embattled force, which has been facing a series of controversies for almost a year. In...
African Americans are not Democrats’ ‘captured group’
September 16th, 20160 Are black voters so loyal to Democrats that their issues are ignored? Donald Trump suggests as much, arguing that blacks had "nothing to lose" by voting for him. Now a column by Farai Chideya at FiveThirtyEight cites academics who make a similar argument. In recent elections, about 90 percent of the black vote has gone to Democrats....
The Native American, the Palestinian: A spirited fight for justice
September 16th, 20160 Protesters stand on heavy machinery near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation - Photo by ReutersThousands of Native Americans resurrected the fighting spirit of their forefathers as they stood in unprecedented unity to contest an oil company's desecration of their sacred land in North Dakota. Considering its burdened historical context,...
Raqqa for Aleppo: The U.S.-Russian agreement hinges on the details
September 9th, 20160 Internal affairs in Russia and the United States are changing the balance of power and the shape of a future solution in Syria. In the United States, the presidential campaign is witnessing vicious attacks between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, with ISIS (and by extension the Syrian crisis) as one of the most important issues to...
Fifteen years after 9/11, America fails to end terror
September 9th, 20160 Fifteen years have passed since the planes hit the towers in New York. Beyond the immediate tragedy, the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 gave birth to the disastrous "war on terror." A decade and a half and multiple wars later, the world is a far more dangerous place. On the second anniversary of 9/11, the United States had...
Syrian refugees are not subjects for a social media gallery
September 2nd, 20160 The Italian "activist" was keen on that photo, as if her social media activism career was dependent on it. As if the misery of the poor Syrian child was not palpable enough in his dejected face and his rash-infested skin, she wanted to define a point of absolute misery for a perfect Instagram photo. So she handed him a bucket filled...Social media’s challenge to democracy
I've been involved in politics for the better part of a lifetime, and have spoken at a lot of public meetings over the years. There's one question, I think, that I've heard more than any other: "If I want to be an informed citizen, which sources of information should I consult?" For many years, I had a set answer for this. Read one or...Has Turkey overplayed its hand in Syria?
Turkey is back in the game in Syria. Turkish tanks and special forces last week joined anti-Assad rebels to capture the border town of Jarabulus from ISIS. It was the first significant Turkish ground operation in Syria since the beginning of the war in 2011. The immediate target was ISIS, but a more important Turkish objective is to...
At 32, we remain young and strong
September 1st, 20160 The Arab American News was established 32 years ago. Osama Siblani founded the newspaper on Sept. 7, 1984, following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and after he witnessed the American mainstream media's atrocious pro-Israeli bias. Over the past three decades plus, the newspaper has evolved, but its core mission and founding...Does Muslim Always Mean Islamic?
What is Muslim versus what is Islamic concerns the question of normative Islam. Due to the difficulty of discerning Islam from its political developments, some have thrown in the towel and declared, "Islam is as Islam does." It is easy to see why some observers draw that conclusion: Islam – through its twin sources of Quran...
France’s ‘burkini’ ban: Hypocrisy and racism
August 26th, 20161 A protest against France's burkini ban, outside the French Embassy in London (Reuters)If you are a man in France, you can wear a wetsuit that covers your head and entire body. But a Muslim woman who chooses to wear a hijab at the beach will be ticketed and ordered to shed some clothing.The hysteria and hypocrisy surrounding French...Israel’s War on NGOs takes a worrying turn
You deserve to see your loved ones suffer and die. But, maybe, you would be hurt before them," was part of a threatening message received by a staff member at Al-Mezan, a Gaza-based human rights group. The photo attached to the email was of the exterior of the activist's home. The gist of the message: "We are coming for...The Obama Doctrine is ravaging the Middle East
Everyone seems to have a theory on how to obliterate ISIS. However, two points are rarely raised: one, concerning the origins of the group and the second, on whether there are genuine intentions to defeat it, in the first place. We must boldly address the first to unravel the enigma behind the rise and growth of Daesh – otherwise,...
Sectarianism is a dangerous game
August 19th, 20160 A protest after the murder of an imam and his assistant in New York - Photo by ReutersArab American immigrants have crossed thousands of miles, leaving behind family histories that stretch back generations, in search of opportunities, peace and freedom here. The land that had supported them for thousands of years became infested by...
Clinton should not take your vote for granted
August 12th, 20160 In politics, as in life, when people take you for granted, they tend to mistreat you. Politicians must earn our votes and support. Hillary Clinton should not assume that she has the backing of Arab Americans, simply because her opponent is Donald Trump. Border and airport harassment, the bloated No Fly and Terrorist Watch lists, mass......
How factionalism in Palestine is killing prospects for freedom
Palestinian demonstrators in Ramallah calling for political unity, 2015 - Photo by AFP.As Palestinians in the Occupied Territories begin preparations for local elections, which are scheduled for October, division and factionalism are rearing their ugly heads. Palestinian political platforms and social media are abuzz with...How soon we forget
Aimee Schoelles, former Dearborn School Board presidentWatching from a distance, it’s quite disheartening the things that have been said over the past few months in Dearborn. An organization and a man are being viciously attacked for asking legitimate questions during a highly contested election. Instead of answering these......
A victory with the taste of defeat
August 5th, 20160 Bazzi and Dabaja campaign volunteers at Dearborn High - Photo by The AANewsThe Aug. 2 primaries in Dearborn painted two opposing political pictures for the Arab American community. The first was bright and encouraging — Abdullah Hammoud, a 25-year-old Arab American Muslim, won the Democratic primary for state rep., defeating five...Courts reaffirm the right to vote against Jim Crow approach
Last week, a panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rebuked the North Carolina legislature for acting with "discriminatory intent" in passing restrictions on the right to vote that "target African Americans with almost surgical precision." The decision came as we approach the 51st anniversary of the Voting...By attacking Captain Khan’s family, Trump sinks to new low
In 2004, Army Captain Humayun Khan was in the middle of a tour of duty in Iraq. While his unit was guarding the gates of their base, Captain Khan noticed a suspicious vehicle approaching their checkpoint. He immediately took control of the situation and ordered his fellow servicemembers to stay back. Captain Khan, however, moved...Next steps for Arab – Black solidarity
A mural featuring Trayvon Martin in Detroit.Since the tragic and senseless death of Trayvon Martin, we've participated in many events designed to bring together the Detroit area's Arab American and African American communities for the common goal of understanding and coalition building. These meetings occur on the backdrop of......
By attacking Captain Khan’s family, Trump sinks to new low
August 4th, 20160 Captain Khan's parents speaking at the DNCIn 2004, Army Captain Humayun Khan was in the middle of a tour of duty in Iraq. While his unit was guarding the gates of their base, Captain Khan noticed a suspicious vehicle approaching their checkpoint. He immediately took control of the situation and ordered his fellow servicemembers to...
Defeat recklessness and obscenity: VOTE ON AUG. 2
July 29th, 20160 This election season has been marred by vulgarity, insults and incivility. But the negativity should not discourage you from casting your vote on Aug. 2. It is important that Arab Americans vote in each and every election to demonstrate the community's political agenda and safeguard its interests. Additionally, county races, a......
Farewell to Yarmouk: A Palestinian Refugee’s Journey from Izmir to Greece
The refugee camp of Yarmouk was ever present in his being, pulling him in and out of an abyss of persistent fears that urged him to never return. But what was this refugee without Yarmouk, his first haven, his last earth? How could any other spot in this unwelcoming universe ever be a 'home' when he had learned that only Palestine,...
Our endorsements
July 22nd, 20160 This election season has been marred by negative campaigning and "dark" turns. But that should not discourage you from participating in the Aug. 2 primaries. Voters will decide on several judicial, legislative and county races. Although it is only a primary, the election will likely determine who will represent Dearborn in the State......
