COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
MMCC hold leadership dinner celebrating Muslim unity and COVID volunteer work
December 4th, 20210 The Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) held its inaugural Muslim Leadership Appreciation Dinner on Nov. 20. The MMCC has been an instrumental community volunteer and civic service association in Michigan for decades and has encouraged various Michigan Muslim communities to get further involved in community service. The...
Students arrested in Southfield, Sterling Heights for weapons and threats following the Oxford School shooting, more than 60 schools close statewide due to threats
December 2nd, 20210 DEARBORN — In the days following the Nov. 30 Oxford School shootings that killed four students, schools statewide went into a panic over “copycat” threats. On Dec. 1 at approximately 12:30 p.m., a 17-year-old Southfield Regional Academic student was arrested after police found him carrying a pistol in his coat pocket during...
Samer “Sam” Jaafar joins ACC Board of Directors
December 2nd, 20210 DEARBORN — Samer “Sam” Jaafar has been appointed to the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) Board of Directors. As Wayne County deputy director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Jaafar has dedicated his entire life to public service. Jaafar served with the Detroit Police Department from 1993 until 2011 as...
Tlaib, Dingell and colleagues introduce Lebanon TPS Act
November 30th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) have introduced the Lebanon TPS Act of 2021. The proposed legislation seeks to grant Lebanese nationals...
Arab American organization honors businesswoman of the year
November 30th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC) is announcing Lola Elzein as the Arab American Businesswoman of the Year. During its 14th annual event on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m., the AAWBC will also feature Yumna Jawad as the keynote speaker and will distribute several scholarships to young Arab American...
Dearborn police collecting donations for Toys for Tots
November 30th, 20210 DEARBORN — With the holiday season in full swing, the Dearborn Police Department is accepting donations for Toys for Tots. On Monday, Dec. 6 from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. police officers will be standing in front of the Police Department, accepting unwrapped new toys on behalf of the campaign. The Police Department lobby will also be...
Community continues to deal with reckless driving and road safety issues
November 25th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Police Department said this week it was investigating a dangerous case of reckless driving and shooting in the city. Police asked the community for help identifying people who were involved in Monday’s incident. Officers were dispatched to the area of Cherry Hill and Silvery Lane for two vehicles, a 2020...
Dearborn High School alumnus nominated to win Burlsworth Trophy, hopes to inspire others
November 20th, 20210 DEARBORN — Dearborn High School alumnus Hassan Beydoun was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy for a third year in a row; and while not selected, said he hopes his story can inspire others. Beydoun graduated from Dearborn High in 2017 before going on to study psychology at Eastern Michigan University. He is now in his junior...
Hassan Beydoun appointed to Crestwood School Board
November 20th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Hassan Beydoun, the football coach and defensive coordinator for Crestwood High School, has been appointed to the Crestwood School Board. Beydoun, the father of three, moved to Dearborn Heights in 2009 and started volunteering as a coach in 2010 when his neighbor, who was also a coach, got him to come help the...
NAABA Michigan Chapter hosts first annual Khalta
November 19th, 20210 DETROIT — The National Arab American Bar Association (NAABA) Michigan Chapter held its first annual End of the Year Khalta on Nov. 17 at the Atheneum Suite Hotel in Detroit. This was the new association’s first event and the organization says it was elated by the turnout. NAABA Michigan formed eight months ago, with the same...
Maha Freij leads ACCESS as new CEO as organization marks 50th year
November 16th, 20210 DEARBORN — ACCESS, the nation's largest Arab American community nonprofit providing both human services and programming, announced its CEO transition is now complete, with Maha Freij leading the organization as president and CEO effective Oct. 1. Freij takes over the role after long-time ACCESS CEO Hassan Jaber announced his...
Dearborn City Council election results broken down by precincts show plunking citywide
November 15th, 20210 DEARBORN – Now that the general election dust has settled, The Arab American News examined Dearborn election results broken down by precincts. Here are some observations based on the detailed results: • The candidates' rankings in the different areas of the city (see tables) offer several key conclusions: 1. Dearborn’s...
Gala raises funds for upcoming “Mosque of the Prophet” in East Dearborn
November 12th, 20210 DEARBORN — East Dearborn can soon look forward to a new mosque and prayer space thanks to the efforts of community members to develop an extension of the long-running Islamic Institute of Knowledge (IIOK) on Schaefer Road. The new development will be significant in several ways. Named the "Mosque of the Prophet", the new mosque...
Republican state senator-elect who expressed Islamophobia in tweets “committed to renouncing” hate speech during meeting with Muslims
November 12th, 20210 NEW JERSEY – The Republican who defeated New Jersey's State Senate president last week has "committed to renouncing" hate speech amid criticism of old tweets he posted expressing Islamophobia, a Muslim advocacy group in the state said Wednesday. State Sen.-elect Edward Durr met with Muslim community leaders in the state last...
Community mourns death of 6-year-old; hit and run driver turns himself in
November 12th, 20210 DEARBORN – Tragedy struck the community when a 6-year-old was struck and killed by a driver on a residential street in Dearborn on Sunday. The Dearborn Police Department said that on Nov. 7, at approximately 2:50 p.m., officers responded to the 7600 block of Bingham Hit on the report of a pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle.......
Hamtramck’s Amer Ghalib to serve as city’s first Yemeni mayor after historic election
November 3rd, 20211 HAMTRAMCK — Amer Ghalib celebrated a decisive victory against a long-time incumbent mayor on Tuesday, in an election that marks the changing of political tides in the city's history. Ghalib may also be the first fully Yemeni American to serve as mayor of an American city, though Montgomery Township, New Jersey's Sadaf Jaffer,...
Bill Bazzi becomes first Arab American to be elected mayor; beats Council chair
November 3rd, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi has beat challenger Council Chairwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell and will continue being mayor. Bazzi earned 73 percent of the vote for a partial term that ends this year and 72 percent of the vote for a full four-year term that follows. The partial term was to finish the term of former...
State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud makes history as Dearborn’s first Muslim and Arab American mayor
November 3rd, 20210 DEARBORN — State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud became the seventh mayor of Dearborn following the Nov. 2 election, beating Gary Woronchak by nearly 3,000 votes. The votes cast were 13,040 for Hammoud, giving him 54.6 percent, and 10,796 for Woronchak, giving him 45.2 percent. “The people of Dearborn spoke loudly,” Hammoud said....
Children’s Garden II to open in Dearborn
October 31st, 20210 DEARBORN — With child care being such an important topic among many working families, Children’s Garden II is set to open next week. The new location, located on Henry Ford College’s campus in Building I at 5101 Evergreen Road, at the south entrance of the HFC campus in Dearborn, will host two open house events for parents to......
The Arab American News endorsements for Dearborn’s municipal elections
October 30th, 20210 DEARBORN — With a historic election on the horizon, The Arab American News has announced its endorsements for mayor, City Council and Charter Revision Commission. The Arab American News made the decision of endorsing State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud for mayor and incumbent Mike Sareini, Mustapha Hammoud, Khodr Farhat, Samra’a Luqman,...
AAPAC hosts pre-election reception, encourages high voter participation
October 29th, 20210 DEARBORN — As Election Day looms, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) hosted a pre-election reception at Byblo's Banquet hall in Dearborn. While the event was not as large as typically would be due to COVID, elected officials and candidates alike were in attendance. “This is probably the most critical and......
COVID vaccine hesitancy campaign continues in Wayne County
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — C-Assist, a Dearborn-based NGO headed by Nancy and Zeina Berry, is one of two given a grant for vaccine hesitancy by the Health Services and Resources Administration Agency. The campaign, Partners of Health Equity, is a COVID vaccine awareness campaign that began in August and targets the Arab American communities...
Dingell introduces legislation to protect foster children, inspired by Amer family
October 26th, 20210 DEARBORN — This week, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell introduced legislation in the U.S. House inspired by the story of a Dearborn family in the 1980s. The legislation, named the Samier Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2021, requires state foster care programs to ensure children are prioritized for placement with their relatives and......
