A tribute to Francis Allen, an Arab American veteran and a decorated Detroit Police deputy chief
May 31st, 20210 Francis Cyril Allen, born a Detroiter in 1929 to Sadie (Maklouf) of Trablos and Minum Allen of Zahle; a CYO football champion and (in his mind at least) sandlot hall of fame third baseman; a Korean War Veteran; for 59 years, the faithful husband to the only woman he ever loved (the girl next-door and his eighth grade crush); the father...
Redistricting: What is it and why it matters
May 29th, 20210 By Hayg Oshagan What is it? Every 10 years, every state redraws all of its district election maps. For Michigan, that’s 110 House district maps, 38 Senate district maps and 13 U.S. Congressional district maps. Once these are drawn, you elect your Michigan House, Michigan Senate and U.S. Congressional representatives based on...
Prison guard in Connecticut fired over anti-Muslim meme
May 28th, 20210 CONNECTICUT — Officer Anthony Marlak, a prison guard at Connecticut’s Garner Correctional Institution, was recently fired from his job after discovery of a disturbing anti-Muslim meme he posted in 2018. Marlak's post reportedly depicted five Muslims with nooses around their necks. It was paired with the caption, “Islamic Wind...
Tlaib calls for end to censorship of Palestinian voices on social media; activists tank Facebook ratings
May 27th, 20210 On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) sent a letter to the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, urging the platforms to cease censorship of Palestinian political speech in the wake of a report they’ve been censoring content and disabling user accounts raising awareness about recent Israeli state-backed...
One in two Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
May 26th, 20210 Nearly one out of two Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday, while half the citizens above the age of 18 in the country have been fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency said 164,378,258 people, or 49.5 percent of the total U.S....
Local CINA Radio show host terminated for “Palestine protest” comments on air
May 21st, 20210 DEARBORN — After co-hosting the locally broadcast weekly radio show, “Talking Real Estate” on CINA Radio (102.3 FM) for two years, local attorney Ali Dagher claimed his contract was wrongfully terminated Wednesday. Dagher said this was due to general comments he made on air regarding the local community protests for Palestine he...
Abdul El-Sayed: American taxpayers are subsidizing Gaza’s destruction
May 21st, 20211 — This essay, penned by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, originally appeared in his newsletter The Incision on Thursday under the title "Gaza." It has been edited for style. In 2004, a couple childhood friends and I decided, like many 20-somethings, to spend the summer abroad. We headed to the Middle East, land of our forefathers. Our goals were...
Dems offer resolution blocking $735 million Israel weapons sale, Hamas official predicts ceasefire within days
May 19th, 20210 On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution seeking to block a $735 million sale of precision-guided weapons to Israel, in a response to continuing devastating attacks on Palestinians by Israeli forces. Since the fighting began on May 10, Palestinian health officials say 228 people have been killed in aerial...
Dem lawmakers divided on Israeli aggression against Palestinians, Biden admin’s stance
May 13th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The latest escalation of Israeli violence against Palestinians has seen mixed reactions in the Washington D.C. political world. Staunch supporters of Israel on the Republican side made predictable appeals to Israel's security. "Here in Washington, street protesters screamed — listen to this — 'Israel is a...
Top scientists question the need for COVID-19 booster shots
May 13th, 20210 COVID-19 vaccine developers are making ever bolder assertions that the world will need yearly booster shots, or new vaccines to tackle concerning coronavirus variants, but some scientists question when, or whether, such shots will be needed. In interviews with Reuters, more than a dozen influential infectious disease and vaccine...
U.S. children ages 12 to 15 could begin COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday
May 11th, 20210 U.S. regulators authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12 and said they could begin receiving shots as soon as Thursday, widening the country’s inoculation program as vaccination rates have slowed significantly. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized in the U.S. for ages 12...
Miss Lebanon joins incoming U.S. diplomat to commemorate Arab Heritage Month
May 7th, 20210 — The following article was contributed by the Lebanese American Foundation in Los Angeles, California. LOS ANGELES — To mark the culmination of Arab Heritage Month, The House of Lebanon, the cultural center for the Lebanese American Foundation, composed a star-studded message featuring top Arab and Lebanese leaders and...
NYT sources say Pfizer vaccine could be authorized for adolescents by next week
May 4th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could get approval for use in adolescents as early as next week. The New York Times reported federal officials as saying that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to grant expanded emergency use authorization to allow children as young as 12 to receive the coronavirus...
Experts warn vaccine hesitancy will delay herd immunity this year
May 3rd, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Even though more than 44 percent of the U.S. population has had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with about 2.4 million people receiving shots daily, medical experts are warning that it could take the country even longer to get back to normal if more people aren’t willing to take a vaccine. Over the...
Biden marks first 100 days, gives first speech to joint session of Congress
April 30th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden marked his first 100 days in office on Thursday, a day after giving his first speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The first 100 days have been marked by significant moves, many to dismantle policies enacted by former President Trump. Significant among those are the delivery of 200......
REAL ID enforcement deadline once again extended, to May 2023
April 28th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is once again extending its enforcement date for requiring people to have REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses to fly in the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic safety protocols have limited activities at license issuing offices across the country, leading the DHS to announce...
Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of “apartheid” crimes against Palestinians
April 27th, 20210 NEW YORK — On Tuesday, an international rights watchdog accused Israel of pursuing policies of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians — and against its own Arab minority — that amount to crimes against humanity. New York-based Human Rights Watch published a 213-page report, which it said was not aimed at comparing......
U.S. lifts outdoor mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people
April 27th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — With more than half of all adults in the U.S. now having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. government is allowing fully vaccinated people to safely engage in outdoor activities like walking and gathering without wearing masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data...
Dingell, Tlaib introduce Arab American Heritage Month resolution in U.S. House
April 26th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), introduced a resolution honoring Arab American Heritage Month, a celebration held in April to recognize the incredible contributions Arab Americans have made in the country. "As a strong, proud and unapologetically Arab American...
Report shows Muslim advocacy group received more than 6,000 complaints in past year
April 26th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has released a report detailing nationwide incidents of civil rights complaints by Muslim Americans that the group received over the past year. The 2021 report is named Resilience in the Face of Hate. The country’s “largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy...
New U.S. census data will show which states gain or lose House seats
April 26th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau will release the data that determines whether states gain or lose congressional seats and Electoral College votes, setting the stage for a pitched battle over redistricting that could reshape political power in Washington for a decade. Under the U.S. Constitution, the 435 seats......
U.S. ends J&J COVID-19 vaccine pause; shots to resume immediately
April 24th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. can immediately resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, top health regulators said on Friday, ending a 10-day pause to investigate its link to extremely rare but potentially deadly blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug...
Prosecutors expect at least 100 more arrests for U.S. Capitol riot
April 23rd, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Justice Department expects to charge at least 100 more people for taking part in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, signaling prosecutors are far from finished investigating an attack that a judge on Thursday called an act of terrorism. "Over 400 individuals have been charged in connection with the......
Senate overwhelmingly passes bill to target hate crimes against Asian Americans
April 22nd, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that targets hate crimes directed towards Asian Americans on Thursday. The legislation comes amid an increase in discrimination and violence against Asian communities in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officially titled the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the...
House passes NO BAN act, seeking to limit presidential ability to impose discriminatory travel bans
April 21st, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed the NO BAN act, or H.R. 1333, which would limit presidents’ authority to suspend or restrict people from entering the country. The act also prohibits religious discrimination in various immigration-related decisions, such as whether to issue an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa,......
