COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
Dearborn native becomes one of the first Muslim Americans to command U.S. naval ship
April 15th, 20210 DEARBORN — Commander Houssain “Sam” Sareini of Dearborn has become one of the first Muslim Americans to command a U.S. naval ship. On April 9, Sareini took command of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) at a ceremony in Portsmouth, VA, according to a Navy press release. Sareini has been in...
Khodr Farhat announces candidacy for Dearborn City Council
April 14th, 20210 DEARBORN — Longtime resident and activist Khodr Farhat has announced that he is running for one of seven City Council seats up for grabs in the upcoming election. Farhat made the announcement in a Facebook post. “After many long conversations with community members, family and friends, I’m excited to announce that I will be...
Governor Whitmer shares Ramadan greetings via video
April 14th, 20210 LANSING — With the start of Ramadan this week, Governor Whitmer shared Ramadan greetings with the entire Muslim community. “Peace be upon you,” she said. “I want to extend my greetings for a Ramadan Mubarak to all Michiganders who observe this important and holy month.” In her statement, Whitmer went on to explain the...
Hamtramck students win speech competition with hopeful messages
April 14th, 20210 HAMTRAMCK — Five Hamtramck Public Schools students recently competed in the Optimist Club of Downtown Detroit's Annual Oratorical Virtual Competition on March 17, with three students placing in first, second and third place. First-place winner Nura Uddin will be advancing to the next level of the competition, along with...
Dearborn approves temporary pop-up food businesses during Ramadan
April 14th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council approved temporary pop-up outdoor food businesses to operate to accommodate Ramadan gatherings. The initiative is intended to encourage individuals to celebrate Ramadan safely while practicing social distancing and was recommended by Mayor Jack O’Reilly’s administration and approved by the...
HAP selects Hassan F. Abdallah as interim chief compliance officer
April 13th, 20210 DEARBORN — Health Alliance Plan (HAP), the insurance subsidiary of Henry Ford Health System, has named Hassan F. Abdallah as its interim chief compliance officer. As the interim CCO, Abdallah will be responsible for ensuring the organization complies with federal and state laws, regulatory requirements and leading the organization...
Biden greets Muslims as they observe the holy month of Ramadan
April 13th, 20210 WASHINGTON D.C. — President Biden issued a statement marking the beginning of Ramadan to all Muslim communities. “In this pandemic, friends and loved one cannot yet gather together in celebration and congregation, and far too many families will sit down for iftar with loved ones missing,” the statement said. “Yet, our Muslim...
Dearborn Schools recognizes Arab American Heritage Month
April 13th, 20210 DEARBORN — April is National Arab American Heritage Month and the Dearborn Public Schools says it is proud to recognize the accomplishments and contributions Arab Americans have made to the Dearborn area, Michigan and the country. During the April 12 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko reminded attendees...
Aseel Almudhala named wrestler of the year, one of 10 heading to nationals
April 13th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) has named Henry Ford College (HFC) wrestler Aseel Almudhala wrestler of the year at this year’s MCCAA tournament. The HFC wrestling team was also named a runner up at the tournament. Almudhala, whose weight class is 125 pounds, took first place at the MCCAA...
Local police remind the community about distracted driving
April 11th, 20210 DEARBORN — With April being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, state and local law enforcement agencies are joining forces. The law enforcement agencies will be intensifying their enforcement of state and local texting and distracted driving laws to raise awareness about the dangers and legal implications of distracted...
Dr. Maya Hammoud elected at-large member of NBME Executive Board
April 10th, 20210 Dr. Maya Hammoud has been elected as an at-large member of the National Board of Medical Examiners' Executive Board. Hammoud, originally from Dearborn, has chaired the NBME’s International Foundations of Medicine® (IFOM®) Committee since 2016 and currently serves on the International Oversight Committee. The NBME is a leading...
Winners selected for Women’s Leadership and Community Service Award
April 10th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Dearborn Heights Community and Cultural Relations Commission has announced five winners for the Women’s Leadership and Community Service Award. Current commissioners were removed from the selection pool out of fairness and the community was asked to submit nominations for Women’s History Month in...
Susan Dabaja kicks off mayoral campaign with a fundraiser event
April 10th, 20211 DEARBORN — Council President Susan Dabaja kicked off her mayoral campaign with a fundraiser event at Byblos Banquet Center in Dearborn. The event, which was held outdoors and observed CDC guidelines with mask requirements and social distancing, brought out supporters from all around the community. Fellow Council member Leslie...
Local Arab activists lead ongoing 11 day hunger strike in protest of blockade on Yemen
April 9th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Metro Detroit Yemeni and other activists have been leading a hunger strike for 11 days in front of the White House, protesting the U.S.-backed Saudi blockade during an ongoing six year war in Yemen. The Yemeni Liberation Movement (YLM) is calling for the Biden-Harris administration to withdraw all material and...
“Barber Al” announces candidacy for Dearborn City Council
April 9th, 20210 DEARBORN — Ali Alhashemi, owner of Uppercutz in Dearborn, has announced that he will be running for a seat on the Dearborn City Council. Alhashemi, better known as “Barber Al”, is a 26-year-old barber born to Iraqi American immigrants. “My parents came to this country, to this city, in pursuit of the American dream,” he......
Crestwood senior accepted to Harvard, Yale and Columbia Universities
April 8th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — 18-year-old Zaharaa Altwaij, a senior at Crestwood High School, has been accepted to three prestigious universities. Altwaij received acceptances to Harvard, Yale and Columbia. With an intended major in mind, Altwaij said she applied to see what was out there. “My intended major is biomedical...
Allied Media Projects to continue arts, liberation, justice work at new LOVE Building
April 8th, 20210 DETROIT — Allied Media Projects (AMP), a renowned Detroit organization that has strong ties with the region’s Arab arts and activism community, is gearing up to transition to a new collaborative space in the city. AMP is best described as a network of people and projects that utilize media-based organizing towards it’s goal of...
Garden City man charged with murder of Detroit police officer granted bond
April 8th, 20210 DETROIT — A Garden City man charged in the shooting death of his domestic partner, an off duty Detroit police officer, was granted bond. Eddie Ray-Jr. Johnson was charged with the killing of Elaine Williams in their home on June 2, 2019 in Garden City. Officers had arrived at the home in the 200 block of Belton Street at 11:45...
State Rep. Jewell Jones reportedly facing felony, misdemeanor charges following vehicle accident
April 7th, 20210 INKSTER — Sources have reported that Michigan State Representative Jewell Jones is awaiting arraignment following a vehicle accident. Jones (D-Inkster), represents the 11th District, which is all of Garden City and Inkster and portions of Dearborn Heights, Livonia and Westland. He is 25-years-old and reportedly facing multiple......
Dingell calls on Biden administration to press Saudi Arabia to end Yemeni blockade
April 6th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) joined Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) in leading 76 of their congressional colleagues to call for the Biden administration to publicly increase pressure on Saudi Arabia to lift the blockade on Yemen immediately, unilaterally and...
Nessel, other attorneys general, to fight sales of fake vaccination cards
April 6th, 20210 LANSING — A coalition of 45 attorneys general issued a letter to different companies’ CEOs to prevent people from selling fraudulent vaccination cards. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined the coalition, calling on Twitter, eBay and Shopify to act immediately in preventing people from offering to sell the fraudulent CDC......
Activists stage hunger strike, rally in D.C. against the war on Yemen
April 6th, 20210 - From contributor Laura Albast Activists from the Yemeni Liberation Movement (YLM) and other organizations held a rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. They carried banners calling for an end to the U.S.-backed Saudi blockade on the embattled country. The five Michigan natives leading the action staged a...
In Geiger, Geoff Johns pens another Arab character into the comics world
April 6th, 20210 There’s no doubt, comic book fans are well aware of Geoff Johns' illustrious career. Whether writing for some of the DC Comics' most iconic series, being the creative force behind some of the company’s biggest movie hits or serving in various executive capacities, Johns’ time in the industry is nothing short of......
