COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
11-year-old author Zaynab Shebley launches first book, inspired by Lebanon visit
June 14th, 20210 ILLINOIS — Zaynab Shebley, an 11-year-old Lebanese American author, is launching her first published book, The Princess Hero. The children's book is inspired by Shebley's love for the environment and for influencing children to make a positive difference in the world one step at a time. Shebley's book was inspired by her first...
Owner of local coffeehouse apologizes for past derogatory comments about Shi’as
June 11th, 20211 DEARBORN — The owner of a popular new cafe, Haraz Coffee, has sparked outrage for previous derogatory comments he made against Shi'a Muslims over social media. An Instagram profile named HAR*Z COFFEE posted screenshots Thursday of past posts made by Hamzah Nasser disparaging Shia's, who are a large segment of Metro Detroit’s...
Detroit pizzeria Pie-Sci hosts Palestinian Youth Movement specialty pizza fundraiser
June 11th, 20210 DETROIT- Pie-Sci, a popular pizzeria near Wayne State University, has collaborated with Palestinian activists to create a delicious new pizza special for the week, the “Musak It To Me.” Pie-Sci also collaborated with renowned Detroit pastry chef Lena Sereini for the special. On Wednesday afternoon, Pie-Sci hosted a "Pizza and...
U.S. Supreme Court to hear case involving FBI’s spying on California mosques
June 11th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to look at a decade-long class-action case involving the FBI’s use of an informant to spy on several LA and Orange County mosques, the Courthouse News reported Tuesday. For more than a year, the FBI planted an informant in the mosques and instructed him to coerce and gather...
“Block the Boat-Detroit” protest held at ZIM shipping facility, BDS calls against Israeli company
June 10th, 20210 ROMULUS — A "Block the Boat-Detroit" protest was held by some 100 Palestinian rights activists outside the ZIM American Integrated Shipping Services, LLC office on Tuesday. Sahar Faraj, one of the main organizers with the Palestinian Youth Movement of Detroit, was joined by a line up of speakers from seven other organizations...
Dingell secures $20 million in funding for Miller Road and Rotunda Drive bridges replacement
June 10th, 20210 DEARBORN - U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) announced the inclusion of $20 million in funding for replacing the Miller Road and Rotunda Drive bridges. The funding is the largest request granted to Michigan and was included in the House 2021 Surface Transportation Authorization bill and would be sourced from the Highway Trust...
Four members of a Muslim family killed in a “hate-motivated” attack
June 7th, 20211 OTTAWA — A family of five was run down in London, Ontario on Sunday night by the driver of a pickup truck who, police say, chose his victims because they were Muslim. Police said a man in a black pickup truck drove up on a curb and mowed down a family standing on the sidewalk as they were waiting to cross the street. The victims...
New study shows number of U.S. mosques continues to grow
June 6th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Center on Muslim Philanthropy have jointly published an extensive study on the characteristic of the U.S. mosque. Entitled The American Mosque 2020: Growing and Evolving: Report 1 of the U.S. Mosque Survey 2020:...
Pro-IDF restaurant owner Jeremy Sasson says critics of his pro-Israel post are “anti-Semitic”
June 5th, 20213 DETROIT — During the beginning days of Israel’s 11-day assault on Gaza, the owner of two popular restaurants took to Instagram to say he stood with Israel. Jeremy Sasson is the CEO of Heirloom Hospitality Group, LLC, which operates Prime + Proper in Detroit and Townhouse in Birmingham and Detroit, establishments regularly...
Redistricting Commission holds public hearing in Dearborn
June 4th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) met in Dearborn Thursday to address redistricting in the state. More than 150 residents from all over downriver attended the event to provide their input on the redistricting. In 2018, Michigan voters approved the creation of the MICRC under Proposal...
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee announces new project to track xenophobia
June 3rd, 20210 The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announced a new project that will research, track and document anti-Arab and Islamophobic bias in the media, public discourse and from public officials. The ADC-Research Institute's (ADC-RI) Media Research Project, led by veteran journalist Ali Younes, hopes to expose xenophobia...
Immigrants’ contributions recognized in Michigan, nationwide
June 2nd, 20210 LANSING — Contributions made by the state’s immigrant community were given a nod with a proclamation by Governor Whitmer, declaring June 2021 Immigrant Heritage Month. The state has joined a nationwide effort to collectively celebrate the history, culture and powerful influence immigrants have in shaping their communities and...
Hamtramck, River Rouge, other cities, receive grants to upgrade water systems
June 2nd, 20210 LANSING — Governor Whitmer announced this week grants awarded to different Michigan communities to help upgrade drinking water infrastructure towards safe, affordable tap water across the state. The grants come under the umbrella of the MI Clean Water plan. Under that plan Hamtramck receives $188,315 under the Drinking Water...
Prison guard in Connecticut fired over anti-Muslim meme
May 28th, 20210 CONNECTICUT — Officer Anthony Marlak, a prison guard at Connecticut’s Garner Correctional Institution, was recently fired from his job after discovery of a disturbing anti-Muslim meme he posted in 2018. Marlak's post reportedly depicted five Muslims with nooses around their necks. It was paired with the caption, “Islamic Wind...
Tlaib calls for end to censorship of Palestinian voices on social media; activists tank Facebook ratings
May 27th, 20210 On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) sent a letter to the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, urging the platforms to cease censorship of Palestinian political speech in the wake of a report they’ve been censoring content and disabling user accounts raising awareness about recent Israeli state-backed......
Whitmer appoints Jaleelah Ahmed, Amal Berry to Mid East affairs commission
May 26th, 20210 LANSING — On Wednesday, Governor Whitmer announced five appointments to the Commission on Middle Eastern American Affairs. Of the five, three are reappointments and two are new appointees, namely Hamtramck Public Schools Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed of Dearborn Heights and Dearborn’s Amal Berry, senior manager of global...
Two local protests held in ongoing support of Palestinian liberation, drawing crowds in Wayne and Macomb Counties
May 24th, 20210 SOUTHEASTERN MI — Two “Free Palestine” rallies and marches were held last Sunday, May 23, by some 2,000 residents of Wayne and Macomb Counties at Warren City Hall and in Downtown Detroit. These are the latest in a series of protests held within the last two weeks as local resistance efforts continue to organize against the...
Three thousand protesters mobilize in downtown Ann Arbor, demand “Free Palestine”
May 23rd, 20212 ANN ARBOR — Some 3,000 protesters rallied and marched in downtown Ann Arbor last Saturday, May 22, to demand justice for the ongoing state-sanctioned attacks by Israel on the Palestinian people. Despite a ceasefire declared between the Israeli Occupation Forces and Hamas leaders, Israel immediately violated the armistice when the...
Community members discuss COVID-19 vaccines and return to normality
May 22nd, 20210 DEARBORN — On Tuesday, May 18, community members attended a virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccination held by ACCESS, the ACC, the Protect Michigan Commission, the MDHHS, Unity Community Family Services and The Arab American News. Panel members included Evone Barkho, MD; Sawsan Jamil, MD; Farah Jalloul; Imad Obeid, MD; Madiha......
Local CINA Radio show host terminated for “Palestine protest” comments on air
May 21st, 20210 DEARBORN — After co-hosting the locally broadcast weekly radio show, “Talking Real Estate” on CINA Radio (102.3 FM) for two years, local attorney Ali Dagher claimed his contract was wrongfully terminated Wednesday. Dagher said this was due to general comments he made on air regarding the local community protests for Palestine he...
Ceasefire announced for Friday, as progressives push against White House stance on Israel
May 20th, 20210 Israel and Hamas announced a ceasefire across the Gaza Strip border as of Friday, the Palestinian Islamist faction and Egyptian state TV said, bringing a potentially tenuous halt to the fiercest fighting in years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his security cabinet had voted unanimously in favor of a "mutual......
Abdullah Hammoud talks of his interaction with Biden in Dearborn, handing him letter on Palestine
May 19th, 20210 DEARBORN - During Tuesday’s visit to Ford’s new electric vehicle factory in Dearborn, President Biden had an interaction with Democratic State Rep., and Dearborn mayoral candidate, Abdullah Hammoud. The visit sparked multiple protests in Dearborn on Tuesday. During that brief conversation, Hammoud was able to hand Biden a letter...
Protests persist in response to Biden visit to Dearborn and Palestine’s call for “Day of Action”
May 18th, 20210 DEARBORN — On Tuesday, more than 3,000 local activists and protesters returned to the streets for three separate rallies and marches throughout the day in response to President Biden’s planned visit to the Ford Motor Company’s electric vehicle plant in the city’s Southend. The protests arose in reaction to Biden expressing......
