May 15th, 20180BAGHDAD — Already pressured by the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran faces a major test in managing Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a formidable opponent who beat Tehran’s longtime allies to achieve a shock victory in Iraq’s parliamentary election.
But If Tehran overplays its hand by squeezing Sadr out of a coalition...
May 10th, 20180BAGHDAD — For the first time since driving out ISIS, Iraqis go to the polls on Saturday in an election that will shape attempts to heal the country’s deep divisions and could shift the regional balance of power.
Iraq’s three main ethnic and religious groups, the majority Shi’a Arabs and the minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds, have...
May 8th, 20180BEIRUT ― The United States urged Lebanon to uphold a policy of staying out of regional wars and a U.N. Security Council resolution that sought Hezbollah’s disarmament, after the Iran-backed group and its allies won more than half the seats in Sunday’s election.
The United States views Hezbollah as a terrorist group and is...
April 10th, 20180WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO ―Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg started testifying before Congress on Tuesday as he looks to fend off the possibility of new regulations as a result of the privacy scandal engulfing his social network.
The 33-year-old internet mogul faces tough questioning from a joint hearing of the U.S....
April 6th, 20180LANSING — Legislation before the Michigan House of Representatives is expected to make it easier for citizens with driver’s licenses or state identification cards to register to vote. The bill was passed by the Senate unanimously.
“Our online services already allow for changes in address for both driver’s license and voter...
April 2nd, 20180CAIRO – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected with 97 percent of votes, the same proportion that the former military commander secured four years ago for his first term but with a lower turnout, official results showed on Monday.
Turnout was 41 percent, despite efforts to get as many Egyptians as possible to...
March 30th, 20180CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi cruised toward a landslide election victory against no real opposition but early results showed a lower turnout than the vote that brought him to power in 2014, despite efforts to get more Egyptians to the polls.
The vote this week had long been set to hand Sisi a second term after a crackdown...
March 9th, 20180DEARBORN — He'd never thought politics would be in the cards for him, but Abdul El-Sayed is the first Democratic candidate to submit required signatures to the state, inching closer, aspiring to become Michigan's first Arab and Muslim American governor.
On March 6, El-Sayed, 33, a physician and epidemiologist and former director of...
February 16th, 20180Bringing back jobs, improving the economy, education, immigration and infrastructure are some of the most prominent issues on Michigan voters' minds this upcoming election season.
The pool of Democratic gubernatorial candidates is distinctly diverse – a Muslim Arab American, an Indian American, an African American and a...
February 9th, 20189
HAMTRAMCK — When Saad Almasmari made history in Nov. 2015 by receiving the most votes in the Hamtramck City Council race— making it the first City Council with a Muslim-majority in the U.S— he pledged to ensure proportional representation and that the city would handle resources well enough to move on from emergency...
February 9th, 20180LANSING — The amount of money raised for the soon-to-be open governor's seat is nearly $17 million, according to reports. These figures are more than double amount last time the seat was available in 2010.
The numbers represent both the eight Republican and four Democratic candidates for the August primary.
"In general, each race...
January 5th, 20180Here's our 2017 year-in-review of the most important news and developments as reported by The Arab American News locally, nationally and internationally.
Community and local
1. Former Dearborn City Clerk Kathy Buda was convicted on embezzlement charges, after clerk office employees reported suspicions she was stealing cash from fees...
January 5th, 20180DEARBORN — This year, Michigan residents will have an opportunity to take part in setting new goals by shaking up the state's leadership, as numerous critical offices in both Washington, D.C. and Lansing become open.
The primary election will be held on August 7 and the general election will be held on November 6.
United States...
December 8th, 20170DETROIT — The Wayne County Board of Canvassers began its recount of votes for Detroit's City Clerk on Tuesday at Cobo Center, two weeks after candidate Garlin Gilchrist II announced he was requesting it. He lost by a narrow margin to incumbent Janice Winfrey.
Gilchrist said he had more than 30 campaign volunteers observing the...
October 27th, 20170DEARBORN — There is a lot on the line in the city — from major investments and revitalization projects, to alleviating high property taxes and diversifying the workforce. As they battle in a heated race, the two mayoral candidates say that on Nov. 7, Dearbornites will have a chance for the first time since 2001 to stick with already...
October 27th, 20171HAMTRMACK – A few divisive races and shake ups in the City Council are bound to emerge during elections in a town as diverse as Hamtramck.
After a contentious debate over who to appoint as the new city manager, disparaging remarks by a Council member and a state investigation over voter fraud by an incumbent Council candidate,...
October 25th, 20170BAGHDAD - Elections for Iraq’s Kurdistan region’s presidency and parliament set for Nov. 1 will be delayed because political parties failed to present candidates.
Iraqi forces captured the oil city of Kirkuk and other territory claimed by the Kurds in retaliation for the referendum, dealing a severe blow to Kurdistan Regional...
October 20th, 20170DEARBORN – It was an unfavorable outcome for some new candidates in Dearborn and neighboring cities' primary elections, but some might have another shot at making it into office on Nov. 7.
After a passionate debate on Tuesday, Oct. 17, The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) endorsed candidates in the general elections...
October 17th, 20170DEARBORN — The city has had its fair share of shock and scandal during recent elections, but it took the first contested mayoral race since 2001 to land incumbent Mayor Jack O'Reilly and his opponent, long-time City Councilman Tom Tafelski, in a media frenzy over poor judgment and regretted deals.
Increasing transparency in...
September 29th, 20170BERLIN ― German Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office on Sunday but Europe’s most powerful leader will have to govern with a far less stable coalition in a fractured parliament after her conservatives poured support to a surging far right.
Two years after Merkel left German borders open to more than 1 million...
August 11th, 20170DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On August 8, Dearborn Heights held its municipal primary elections for mayor, City Council, City Clerk and treasurer. Mayor Dan Paletko won first place in the mayoral race, followed by Councilwoman Lisa Hicks-Clayton who came in second. The two candidates will face off in the general election on November 7. Eduardo...
August 11th, 20172DEARBORN — Despite excitement about this year's primary elections, the bustle of many campaign volunteers outside polling locations and significant mayoral races, the average voter turnout in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck was about 22 percent.
Several incumbent Arab American candidates in the three cities secured their...
July 27th, 20170There's no shortage of threats to our democracy. Russian meddling in elections, the vulnerability of state voting systems to hacking, politicians' assaults on the media and political leaders' growing fondness for policy-making in secret — all of these pose a real challenge to our system's viability.
As worrisome as these are,...
July 21st, 20170DEARBORN — Although voters and candidates in Dearborn are preparing for the Aug. 8 primary election, not all communities in Metro Detroit have primaries. These are the communities in Oakland, Washtenaw, Wayne and Macomb Counties that will:
In Oakland County, candidates in Pontiac are running for mayor and for council positions in...
July 21st, 20170DEARBORN — Majority immigrant cities like Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck tend to see a decrease in residents every summer, since most community members choose this season to visit their families overseas.
In election years, such as this year, civic-minded residents might wonder if they'll miss the opportunity to vote in...
July 14th, 20170HAMTRAMCK — As Michiganders mull over who to elect or reelect to various government positions, a town with a growing Arab American population is also preparing for the upcoming elections.
Hamtramck is facing shifting demographics, reflecting that of its neighbors, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. It's also where an unprecedented...
June 16th, 20172DEARBORN — Despite expectations from the community at large and more than 100 people in attendance, the Dearborn Board of Education did not appoint a new trustee on Monday, June 12. Instead, the board tabled the decision until the June 19 meeting at Henry Ford College.
The board recently interviewed candidates to replace...
May 11th, 20170WASHINGTON-President Donald Trump plans to create a commission on Thursday to investigate voter fraud and voter suppression, a White House official said, a move that follows Trump's unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud in the 2016 U.S. election.
Trump planned to sign an executive order creating the Presidential Commission on...
