Muslim Caucus announces first ever national gathering of American Muslims in politics
June 26th, 20191 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Muslim Caucus will host a historic conference on July 23-24, featuring some of the most influential names in Muslim American politics. The lineup will include U.S. Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dr....
Egyptian American on CBS show said to be the “first Arab American Muslim hero”
June 26th, 20190 Arab Americans and Muslims are overwhelmingly cast as background characters at best, terrorists, dictators and other negative roles at worst. But an Egyptian American actor named Zeeko Zaki has made headlines recently for his role as Special Agent Omar Adom Zidan, also known as “O.A.,” on the CBS crime procedural drama show...
Bernie Sanders proposes canceling entire $1.6 trillion in U.S. student loan debt
June 24th, 20190 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed a bill on Monday eliminating all $1.6 trillion of student debt held in the United States, two days before the candidates' first debate in Miami, adding to the 2020 policy fight of the Democratic presidential primary. Sanders' proposal suggests that the federal government pay to wipe clean the student...
Trump hits Iran with new sanctions in retaliation to downing of drone
June 24th, 20190 WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Monday that he was imposing new sanctions on Iran, further squeezing the Iranian economy in retaliation for what the United States says are recent "aggressive" acts by Tehran, but the response to the penalties targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were "is that all you got?" This...
Lebanese consul general explains mission’s services to the community
June 22nd, 20190 SOUTHFIELD – The Lebanese Consulate in Detroit is an active and contributing member in the community, with Suzan Mouzi-Yassine as its consul general and the head of the mission. In an interview with The Arab American News, Mouzi-Yassine explained the various services the Consulate offers to the large Lebanese American community in...
Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud to meet Flint residents, expand investigation
June 22nd, 20190 LANSING – The Department of Attorney General (AG) dropped all charges related to the Flint water crisis as an expanded investigation spearheaded by Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy is underway. Though details of the new investigation are yet to be released, Hammoud has said that she won't...
Keys to avoiding home rental scams
June 22nd, 20190 By Colleen Tressler Need more space than an apartment, condo or townhouse can offer, but not ready to buy? A single-family home rental may fit the bill. But not all home rental listings are legit, so here are some tip-offs and tools to help you avoid a rental scam. According to National Rental Home Council (NRHC) members,...
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell cosponsors bill to protect Palestinian children under Israeli occupation
June 22nd, 20191 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) has joined a roster of 19 legislators in cosponsoring H.R.2407 - Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act. The bill was introduced on the House floor by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) in April and was referred to the House...
Chapel Hill man gets three life sentences for murdering Muslim neighbors
June 22nd, 20190 DURHAM, N.C. — Moments after a North Carolina man pleaded guilty to gunning down three Muslim university students, a prosecutor played a cellphone video of the slayings in court as one of the victims' relatives fainted, others wept and a man openly cursed the confessed killer. Craig Stephen Hicks, 50, pleaded guilty to three counts of...
Arab American author who lost book deal sues publisher for $13.4 million
June 22nd, 20192 Natasha Tynes, a Jordanian American author who lost a book deal after shaming a Black train worker for eating on a train, has sued her publisher for $13.4 million, claiming their condemnation led her to have "suicidal thoughts" and receive death threats. Tynes filed a lawsuit against publisher Rare Bird Lit in a Los Angeles court on...
Two men from Chicago convicted of providing support to ISIS
June 22nd, 20190 CHICAGO — Two Chicago-area men were found guilty on Thursday of supporting ISIS in a federal case in which one of them was accused of saying he hoped to see the terrorist group’s flag over the White House, local media reported. Edward Schimenti and Joseph Jones, both 37, were convicted for providing material support and resources...
Fears of undercounting people of color rise before 2020 Census
June 22nd, 20190 Combatting a predicted major undercounting of people of color in the 2020 U.S. Census was the focus of a national roundtable discussion, featuring key representatives of civil rights and voting rights organizations, earlier this month. In sometimes heated presentations, representatives of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), the...Yemeni American Osama Saleh wins $4.7M lawsuit for being called ‘Bin Laden’
BROOKLYN —A federal jury awarded $4.7 million to Osama Saleh, a Yemeni American who was punched and bullied by a co-worker who had repeatedly called him "Bin Laden" and "terrorist." Saleh went from earning $7.15 per hour as a stock clerk at the Pretty Girl women's clothing store on Knickerbocker Ave. in Brooklyn to being a...
Local Arab Americans claim they were victimized by alleged Ponzi scheme
June 14th, 20190 DEARBORN – Three people with ties to the Metro Detroit area are among those claiming they were defrauded by former Canton resident Syed Arbab, a recent graduate of the University of Georgia, who has attracted the interest of the Securities and Exchange Commission. On June 3, the SEC announced that it was taking emergency action,...
Arab American group sues Illinois State Police over “discriminating” surveillance and recording tactics
June 14th, 20190 CHICAGO — An Arab American group based out of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Police in an effort to force the department to release so-called “Suspicious Activity Reports” and related documents, a report from the Chicago Sun-Times said. The Arab American Action Network said it wants a judge to force state......
Egypt, Jordan and Morocco to attend U.S. sponsored “Bahrain workshop” despite Palestinians’ objection
June 14th, 20190 WASHINGTON — Egypt, Jordan and Morocco have told the Trump administration they will attend a U.S.-led conference in Bahrain this month on proposals for boosting the Palestinian economy as part of a coming U.S. peace plan, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Palestinians urged Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday to reconsider their...
House votes to hold Attorney General William Barr, former White House counsel Don McGahn in civil contempt
June 11th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn in civil contempt, a report from Business Insider said. Tuesday's vote will allow a congressional committee to enforce subpoenas by taking uncooperative executive-branch officials to court......
U.S ranked low in human rights and safety, new survey shows
June 10th, 20190 WELLINGTON, New Zealand— A recent poll conducted by the Wellington-based Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) asked civil society groups, lawyers and journalists from 19 different countries to assess how each country treats its citizens. Annie-Marie Brook, co-founder of HRMI, told Reuters that the United States is performing...
Strong U.S. jobs growth expected from May, but trade tensions remain a threat
June 10th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Job growth in the United States likely increased solidly in May, with wage growth expected to rise despite looming concerns and questions over trade tensions internationally. These were among the key findings of a report from the Labor Department on Friday. Expectations remain that the Federal Reserve will cut...
Freedom of expression in America has a different meaning when it comes to Israel
June 10th, 20190 When then-graduating PhD candidate Steven Thrasher made a speech at the NYU graduation commencement last month, endorsing the BDS movement, some parties felt the need to disassociate from Thrasher’s views and go out of their way to express their “outrage” and “shock” at his remarks. Thrasher, who earned his doctoral degree...
Arab American man, fiancée file discrimination lawsuit after eviction from South Florida hotel
June 1st, 20190 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — An Arab American man who visited South Florida for his anniversary last week has filed a lawsuit against a Fort Lauderdale hotel, a report from the Miami Herald said. The man, a Chicago resident and Jordanian American, said its staff discriminated against him by evicting him and his fiancée without just cause,......
Mueller says he could not charge Trump as Congress weighs impeachment
May 31st, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Special Counsel Robert Mueller said on Wednesday his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election was never going to end with criminal charges against President Trump, but he did not clear him and indicated it was up to Congress to decide whether he should be impeached. In his first public comments since...
Republican Congressman Amash receives standing ovation after calling for Trump’s impeachment
May 29th, 20190 GRAND RAPIDS, MI — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Cascade Township) received a standing ovation on Tuesday evening at a town hall, his first public event since calling for the impeachment of President Trump. Amash, the son of a Palestinian father and Syrian mother, became the first Republican to call for Trump's impeachment after......
Iran says it will not surrender in “clash of wills” with U.S., warns against “adventurism”
May 24th, 20190 LONDON — Iran will not surrender to U.S. pressure and will not abandon its goals even if it is bombed, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, stepping up the war of words between the Islamic Republic and the United States. Earlier in the day, Iran’s top military chief said the standoff between Tehran and Washington was a...
DOJ charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with espionage
May 24th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Justice Department unveiled 17 new criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday, saying he unlawfully published the names of classified sources and conspired with and assisted ex-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in obtaining access to classified information. The......
