We strongly urge the community to participate in ‘Flag Day’
June 11th, 20140 “Flag Day” has traditionally been a time to commemorate the adoption of the “Stars and Stripes” as the U.S. banner. Towns across the nation will raise the American flag on government buildings, residential properties and businesses. We feel that our community should partake in these traditions as well, but not because a...Anti-Muslim protesters’ visit to Dearborn an opportunity to show the positives
The Qur'an-burning "pastor" is coming back to Dearborn on June 14. He will be here to display the same old hatred, racism and xenophobia he has passionately upheld since he rose to infamy for burning the Qur'an in 2010.This time, the Florida-based pastor is bringing a gang of motorcyclists with him. They plan on protesting against...Saving ADC Michigan from Collapse in 2013?
I read with dismay in The Arab American News' issue number 1476 a question your reporter Ali Harb posed in an interview with ADC Michigan Director Fatina Abdrabboh, to which she answered with even more disturbing and misleading content. "How did you deal with ADC-Michigan staff who are close to your predecessor?" Harb asked...Stop the mass school killings
I sold Grit newspapers when I was 9- years-old. It was always a great day when I had sold my last Grit for the week. The profit was five cents per paper. Some weeks I made as much as two dollars! I lived in a very rural area, so bicycling up and down the road and knocking on doors took time and was a workout. However, it was...The pope’s visit to the two walls
The trip by Pope Francis to the Holy Land, billed in advance as solely religious, made some eye-catching intrusions into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Comments minimizing the significance of this aspect of the trip were quick to follow.Palestinian legislation Hanan Ashrawi seemed to go out of her way to pooh-pooh the coming prayer...Naturalization – Do it for your family
It’s hard to imagine that we as individuals can do anything about the broken immigration system that is tearing many of our families apart. But we can.There is one step that, if taken together, could have the power to protect our families and move our communities forward. More than eight million immigrants in the United...The Arab American News exhibit at the Newseum in Washington an achievement for the entire community
Since its inception, The Arab American News has been telling the stories of the community. Now, the Newseum, a museum for media outlets in Washington D.C., is telling our story. For three decades, we have been trying to provide Arab Americans with their own platform to voice their opinions and raise their concerns. The...Law corner: GM censored its employees to hide deadly ignition switch defect
Last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) fined General Motors (GM) a record $35 million for GM’s handling of an ignition switch defect affecting more than 2.5 million of its vehicles. This amount is the largest-ever fine against an automaker imposed by the DOT. It is also the maximum fine allowed by law....A nation disintegrates: Libya on the brink of civil war
A view of damage caused by Sunday's clashes in Tripoli. Heavily armed gunmen stormed Libya's parliament, demanding its suspension and claiming loyalty to a renegade army general who has vowed to purge the country of Islamist militants. Smoke rose over parliament after gunmen attacked and then withdrew, and gunfire erupted across...State environmental chief’s reckless decision puts the health of residents at greater risk
Residents in Dearborn’s South End and neighboring communities, including southwest Detroit, will suffer the consequences of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Air Quality Division (AQD) Chief Vinson Hellwig’s recent reckless decision to approve a revised emissions permit that allows one of the state’s largest...Climate change and corporate welfare
It’s been a pretty bad couple of weeks on the climate front. Two separate teams of climate scientists warn that the collapse of the western Antarctic ice sheet has already begun and is now too late to stop. The six glaciers already in retreat are enough, by themselves, to add four feet to global sea levels. Although total collapse...
Dearborn needs more Arab police officers
May 16th, 20140 Over the past weeks, questionable conduct by Dearborn police officers has shed light on the dire need for hiring more Arab Americans into the police department, so that it reflects the population of the city. In March, the police executed a search warrant at the wrong house, where they entered the home of an Arab family at 2 a.m.,...Michigan’s economy showing signs of improvement
Michigan’s economy is beginning to show signs of strength. Although our unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the nation, it is inching downward. These are good signs, but we must be aware of potential shortfalls if we want our state to keep moving forward.One roadblock to Michigan’s recovery is our single-industry,...Navigating Syria: The Impossible, Indispensable Mission
I unfriended another Facebook friend this week. It may seem to be a trivial matter, but for me, it is not. The reason behind my action was Syria. As in Egypt, Syria has instigated many social media breakups with people whom, until then, were regarded with a degree of respect and admiration.But this is not a social media affair. The...Happy Mother’s Day to the lowest-paid workers in America
This Sunday, as we offer praise and gratitude to our mothers, I want to suggest that we acknowledge the millions of mothers earning minimum wage who struggle every day just to provide basic necessities for their families. For these mothers, I would bet that brunch and flowers are low on the list of priorities this Sunday.In her recent......
The U.S. government should stop supporting jihadists in Syria
Two weeks ago, FBI Director James Comey visited Detroit as part of a speaking tour he embarked upon to numerous field offices. Our newspaper reported, “Comey said homegrown violent extremists and the emergence of Syria as a new ground for jihadi fighters make counterterrorism the top priority for the bureau throughout the...Interfaith cooperation builds bridges and understanding
While US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew arrived in Detroit this week to "highlight the Obama Administration's continued commitment to the city's revitalization," we were appalled Monday night by Bill O'Reilly's peppering and pressuring of Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, to admit that there are “jihadist mosques” in......
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio should be applauded
When politicians publicly speak out against the violations of Arab and Muslim American civil liberties, they deserve applause. It is a courageous move, considering how much hate and misunderstanding there is surrounding both communities nationwide. Most politicians turn their face away from the hateful rhetoric and policies...Triumph of the immigrant American spirit: Meb Keflezighi and the Boston Marathon
Meb Keflezighi.Boston responded on Monday, April 21, with its vigorous spirit of community and transcendence to the cowardly terrorism that marred the Boston Marathon in 2013, coming out in record numbers for the 2014 event. The fastest man in the competition is being touted as the first American male to win since 1983. But of course...Let us not forget Qana and the victims of terrorism
It is often said that Western governments and media consider Arab lives less valuable than those of their own citizens. Civilians in the Arab world killed by foreign aggression are seen as collateral damage. Their murderers are excused, and their deaths turn into a number, flashing briefly on a TV screen. But that should never be...Are Chaldeans Arabs too? I hope so!
Amer Zahr.Before I moved to Ann Arbor in 1995, I had never met a Chaldean. Ok, in truth, I had never heard of a Chaldean. But as a freshman at the University of Michigan, and in no small part due to my curiosity and blind (and sometimes misguided) love for my fellow Arabs, I came to meet many Chaldeans, and some have......
ACCESS’ honoring of LaHood was a bad choice
Last weekend, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) held its 43rd annual dinner in downtown Detroit at the Renaissance Center. Much was to be celebrated at the event, including the announcement of a $2 million endowment to be awarded to the Arab American National Museum from Arab American...Easter and America’s hope
They are holding on to the instilled American dream they saw in grandpa or even mom and dad. It's about the attainable dream of living securely with a job, a house, a car and trips to the grocery store. Don't forget a trip to the doctor when necessary. Many Americans can remember people in their family retiring at 55 - 65 years old.......
Irresponsible Free Press coverage misleads readers and misrepresent community
A Detroit Free Press article titled "Muslim parents upset over flyer promoting church's Easter egg hunt" was published on Thursday, April 3. After reading the story, however, one discovers that the “worry” expressed comes from only one Muslim father, Dearborn resident Majed Moughni.Niraj Warikoo, the article’s author, quoted only...Guilty until proven innocent
A federal judge acknowledged on Monday, March 31, that Mohammad Hamdan, who was allegedly planning to leave the country to join Hizbullah's fight in Syria, had no intention to harm America or Americans. The judge described the suspect as a "confused young man" yet denied him bond on the premise that he might flee.However, a question must......