COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
Pro-Israel, pro-corporate outside funds thrown at campaign opposing Talib in 12th District primary
June 5th, 20220 A new political action committee, raising funds from wealthy, pro-Israeli occupation groups and individuals, is mounting attacks against U.S. Rep. Rashida Talib (D-Detroit), in her bid to represent the newly formed 12th District. Urban Empowerment Action is planning to spend upwards of $1 million in campaign funds on one of Tlaib’s...
Hamtramck Schools Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed accuses board members of discrimination, conspiracy to get her fired
June 4th, 20220 HAMTRAMCK — Hamtramck Public Schools Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed, who has been on leave since last October, has filed a lawsuit accusing five board members and the teachers union of conspiring to get her fired. Ahmed is also accusing the parties, which include two board members who, like her, are Yemeni Americans, of...
Muslim family intentionally given bacon by McDonald’s employee files discrimination complaint
June 2nd, 20221 CHICOPEE, MASS — A Muslim woman in Massachusetts has filed a legal complaint against a McDonald’s restaurant whose employees purposefully stuffed bacon into a fish sandwich she and her son bought. "McDonald's made my children and me feel unwanted and worthless by intentionally stuffing a fish sandwich full of bacon for no other...
Police rule out drugs, alcohol in hit-and-run crash that killed 12-year-old Dearborn girl on Belle Isle; sister is in critical condition
June 1st, 20220 DEARBORN — The 16-year-old sister of 12-year-old Ghadir Saleh, who was tragically killed on Belle Isle on Monday from a hit-and-run crash, was in critical condition and required surgery, as of Wednesday evening. A member of the girl’s family told The Arab American News that she had been responsive, but had been undergoing careful...
Samer “Sam” Jaafar named Wayne County’s director of Homeland Security
May 28th, 20220 WAYNE COUNTY — With a dedication to public service, Samer “Sam” Jaafar has been named Wayne County’s new director of Homeland Security. The appointment is subject to Wayne County Commission approval. Jaafar has served as deputy director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management since February 2011. In his role,...
Dearborn’s new public health dept. gives 500 units of baby formula to area families
May 27th, 20220 DEARBORN - The city's new Department of Public Health (DPH), and its director, got a sort of unveiling at a baby formula food distribution event on Friday. The distribution event, which comes amid a national formula shortage, took place at the west entrance of the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center. Families were able to...
Muslim woman who had her hijab forcibly removed by Ferndale police reaches settlement with city
May 27th, 20220 FERNDALE — A Muslim woman who was forced to remove her hijab and subjected to a cross-gender search by the Ferndale Police Department has won a settlement with the city. Last summer, Helana Bowe, who is African American, was stopped by Ferndale police while she was traveling on Eight Mile road inside the city of Detroit. Police...
Ohio man charged in foiled plot to kill former President George W. Bush
May 27th, 20220 An Iraqi asylum seeker living in Ohio was arrested and charged by federal authorities for aiding and abetting a failed plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush. According to authorities, Shihab Ahmed Shihab, 52, told an FBI informant in November that he wanted to target Bush because he was “responsible for killing many...
Dearborn government and non profit partners to hold baby formula distribution on Friday
May 27th, 20220 DEARBORN — Dearborn officials are holding an emergency baby formula distribution event on Friday, spurred by a nationwide formula shortage. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Public Health Director Ali Abazeed, other city officials and non profit partners will host the event from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the west entrance of the Ford...
New book details the story of Arab Americans in Indianapolis
May 26th, 20220 Arab Indianapolis is an accessible, intimate look at the oft-neglected history of Arab Americans in Greater Indianapolis who have made a remarkable impact on the region since the late 1800s. Written by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Professor Edward E. Curtis IV, the 160-page Arab Indianapolis features the stories of...
Judge Yvonna Abraham thanks mentors, inspirations, family at investiture ceremony
May 22nd, 20220 DEARBORN – Hundreds of community members, supporters, judges and elected officials were at the investiture ceremony for Wayne County Third Circuit Court Judge Yvonna Abraham on Monday, May 16. The ceremony for Abraham, the first Palestinian American judge in Michigan, took place at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in...
Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders join local community to commemorate the Nakba, ask justice for slain Palestinian journalist
May 20th, 20220 DEARBORN — Hundreds gathered at the Second Annual Metro Detroit March for Jerusalem Palestine rally in Dearborn, commemorating 74 years of the Nakba, last Sunday. The rally, which occurred in front of the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, was one of two such events in the city last weekend. The rally had been organized...
Federal commission finds that employer discriminated against Michigan woman fired during Ramadan
May 19th, 20220 FARMINGTON HILLS — The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says a Michigan woman faced religious discrimination during Ramadan in 2019 when she was fired from her job for asking for reasonable accommodations. The woman had filed a federal complaint against her employer alleging she faced religious and gender...
Tlaib introduces congressional bill recognizing, commemorating the Nakba
May 17th, 20221 On Monday, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) introduced a resolution in the U.S. House commemorating and recognizing the 74th anniversary of the Nakba this past Sunday. The Nakba, or “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the mass expulsion of Palestinian Arabs from British Mandate Palestine to make way for Israel’s creation...
Free citizenship services available to Metro Detroit immigrants
May 17th, 20220 DETROIT — The International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit (IIMD) is offering free citizenship legal services to Metro Detroiters through a grant from the federal government. The institute is encouraging anyone thinking of applying for citizenship to reach out to it. Immigration legal staff will assist people applying for......
Apple Dip raises money for orphans in Lebanon, hopes to continue to grow
May 14th, 20220 DEARBORN — A 17-year-old Dearborn High School senior has launched a new business in her dad’s memory. Fatimeh Homayed came up with the idea after her father, Mohamed, tragically passed away from cancer a few months ago and she decided to open up a business out of her home called Apple Dip. “My dad always took us to these...
Dearborn Police ask community to celebrate weddings safely after burnout incident on residential street
May 13th, 20220 DEARBORN — As the weather warms up, the Dearborn Police Department is urging residents to celebrate weddings safely and to avoid incidents like the one that occurred on Saturday, May 7. Video captured by a neighbor's doorbell camera showed cars performing burnouts, a practice of keeping a vehicle in place while spinning its...
Shireen Abu Akleh: A trailblazer who gave voice to Palestinians
May 13th, 20220 This report was originally published by members of Al Jazeera's staff, whose colleague Shireen Abu Akleh was killed last Wednesday by Israeli occupation forces while she was covering a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. It has been edited for style Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist killed...
Israeli occupation forces murder renowned Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
May 12th, 20220 OCCUPIED WEST BANK — Israel drew international condemnation over its forces' targeted killing of prominent Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The 51-year-old Palestinian journalist had been with the news organization since 1997 and had covered numerous notable events in the region, like the Second Intifada between the......
Seeking change, Lebanese living abroad cast 142,000 ballots for May 15 parliamentary elections
May 10th, 20220 Lebanese living abroad cast 142,041 ballots for parliamentary elections on Friday and Sunday, many backing political newcomers after the worst crisis since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war led to widespread poverty and a wave of emigration. Only 225,277 Lebanese living overseas were eligible to participate in the elections in more than 50...
Fairlane Town Center mall sold, could gain housing
May 6th, 20220 DEARBORN - Fairlane Mall once again has a new owner. A Dallas-based real estate firm bought Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn and may add housing to the mall property in the future, closing the sale on Wednesday. Centennial owns a dozen other enclosed shopping malls in the U.S. The sale price was not disclosed. The former owner,......
Dearborn resident sentenced to 33 months in $500,000 investment fraud scheme
May 6th, 20220 DETROIT – Dearborn resident Ali Rameh Bazzi was sentenced to 33 months in prison on Wednesday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering arising out of an approximately $500,000 investment fraud scheme. In addition to the 33 months of imprisonment, Bazzi was ordered to pay $441,231 in restitution to his victims. Bazzi was...
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden host Eid al-Fitr reception at the White House
May 5th, 20220 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, May 2, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden hosted a reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the White House. The reception welcomed Muslim community members from across the country, including from Michigan, like U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Wayne County Commissioner Sam......
