December 2nd, 20220DEARBORN — Abed Hammoud, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, has been named the new co-chair of BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity).
Hammoud has extensive experience in law, practicing at both the state and federal levels, including his eight years serving as assistant U.S. Attorney and 15 years as...
February 21st, 20220DEARBORN — In a new collaboration, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) and the Center for Arab American Studies have launched a new podcast.
The podcast, "Seen Jeem", means question and answer in Arabic and episodes contain part conversation and part author reading exploring the work of contemporary Arab American...
April 16th, 20210ANN ARBOR — Ten days after an Arab American teen, Haitham Breadiy, passed away in October 2019 after battling Lafora Body Disease, his younger brother, Gehad “GG” Breadiy, began to experience symptoms of the same terminal illness. Their mother, Azeza Kashem, continues to seek help from community support and to raise awareness of...
April 15th, 20210DEARBORN — 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...
February 12th, 20211NORTH CAROLINA — Toni Breidinger, 21, a rising star in the car racing world, is set to become the first Arab American female driver to compete in a NASCAR national series.
Breidinger, who is also a successful model, hails from the Bay Area in California. Her mother was born in Beirut and Breidinger currently has family in...
May 23rd, 20200DEARBORN — The University of Michigan-Dearborn was set to induct a Dearborn sporting legend, Ibrahim “Juice” Baydoun, into its Athletic Hall of Fame for the Class of 2020 on June 7. Only the second such class to be given that honor, the ceremony may be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t take away from...
May 19th, 20200DEARBORN — The Arab American News has received a letter from an inmate in a Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) facility, describing the conditions in his prison and prisons in the state's system at large. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a further challenge for prisoners and has added a layer of risk to their day-to-day existence...
May 15th, 20200CANTON — Many were saddened to hear of the passing of beloved business owner Abdelfattah Abdrabbo, who succumbed to COVID-19 on April 27 at the age of 65. Besides running the successful Sunrise Import and Export in Detroit, Abdrabbo was known for his charity work, selflessness and generosity.
Abdrabbo was ill for four weeks with...
May 1st, 20201On Wednesday, Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly announced on Facebook that he and his wife were dealing with the coronavirus and the city’s many residents were happy to hear that they had recovered from the terrible virus, safe and strong.
“Although I am a public figure, I am someone, like many of you, who values personal and family...
April 30th, 20200DETROIT — On Thursday, The Arab American News learned from sources in the Wayne County Examiner’s Office that the long-awaited toxicology report in the death of Dearborn resident Balkees Sadek has come back negative for all drugs. The Wayne County examiner is getting ready to rule Sadek's death was caused by “strangulation and...
December 21st, 20190LANSING — Governor Whitmer announced several new commission appointments on Wednesday, including one for former Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) Vice President Zenna Faraj Elhasan. She will be serving as a commissioner on The Michigan Civil Rights Commission beginning in January.
Elhasan and her family are...
August 31st, 20190BROWNSTOWN, MI — A police officer has been found in violation of department policies for not being “courteous” or “exemplary” following a verbal argument with an Arab American man at Lake Erie Metropolitan Park in Brownstown Township on Sunday, June 30.
The Lake Erie Metropark officer was accused of making a discriminatory...
July 13th, 20190BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP — An alleged discriminatory remark made to an Arab American family by a Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority police officer is growing in concern as advocacy groups demand action be taken against the officer.
The officer, who allegedly told an Arab American family to “Go back where you came from” at Lake...
June 22nd, 20192Natasha Tynes, a Jordanian American author who lost a book deal after shaming a Black train worker for eating on a train, has sued her publisher for $13.4 million, claiming their condemnation led her to have "suicidal thoughts" and receive death threats.
Tynes filed a lawsuit against publisher Rare Bird Lit in a Los Angeles court on...
BROOKLYN —A federal jury awarded $4.7 million to Osama Saleh, a Yemeni American who was punched and bullied by a co-worker who had repeatedly called him "Bin Laden" and "terrorist."
Saleh went from earning $7.15 per hour as a stock clerk at the Pretty Girl women's clothing store on Knickerbocker Ave. in Brooklyn to being a...
May 24th, 20190DEARBORN — On Wednesday May 22, Nasser Beydoun, the chairman of the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) was named co-chair of BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity). Participating steering committee members supported the nomination unanimously.
BRIDGES is a partnership between federal law...
May 24th, 20190LANSING — Gov. Whitmer announced the following appointments and/or reappointments to the Commission on Middle-Eastern American Affairs:
John D. Daoud of Troy is the director of human resources at the Arab American and Chaldean Council. Daoud is appointed to succeed Haifa Fakhouri, whose term expired April 19, for a term expiring...
May 20th, 20191DEARBORN — On Saturday, April 27, The Arab American Health Initiative (AAHI) held a public seminar on raising awareness about mental health treatment, including therapy and medication, at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center.
Attendees included community and organization members and panelists in psychiatry and other mental...
May 8th, 20190Dearborn – A research study is underway that seeks to examine the intergenerational socioeconomic mobility of Arab Americans and Chaldean Americans in Southeast Michigan.
Bridget Smith-Botos, a graduate student researcher in the Department of Sociology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham is looking for participants for this...
April 5th, 20190BROOKLYN, NY — Fatin Jarara, or DJ Fatin, is a Palestinian immigrant and a unique voice in the New York City DJ scene.
Jarara recently DJ-ed on March 30 for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s Gaza 5k and dabke party at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
She said she normally focuses on private events such as weddings,...
April 5th, 20190
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Celebrating 30 years of strengthening the American-Lebanese relationship, the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL) will honor four exceptional American leaders of Lebanese heritage who have made significant contributions in their fields at its annual Gala Awards Night held April 10 at the Fairmont Hotel in...
March 29th, 20190ANN ARBOR – Tragedy struck the home of Lola Bzeih and Mohamed Jaafar last Friday, March 22. Their son, Ismail Mohamed Jaafar, a soldier in the U.S. Army according to Bzeih, was found by his mother with a cloth belt tied around his neck. He would have turned 18 this week.
Ismail's legal name is Blane Miller.
At a memorial for her...
March 25th, 20190SAN DIEGO, CA — For Huda Al-Marashi, an Iraqi American and Muslim author, wife and mother, the process of writing her memoir, “First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story”, took almost 10 years to finish.
The book, which follows her story about her relationship with her husband of 22 years, was released last...
March 15th, 20190DEARBORN — A March 4 meeting between Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Arab American community leaders at the La Pita restaurant ended with the senator failing to mollify participants regarding his vote on the anti-BDS bill.
At the meeting, Peters addressed his choice to vote "yes" on Bill S.1, which includes the controversial Combating...
March 15th, 20191As we approach our 35th anniversary celebration on Friday, March 22, we can't help but reflect on the challenges we've faced, the successes we've achieved and the issues we've reported on and overcome together as a community.
Running a media publication has always been difficult, challenging and complex, especially in ethnic...
March 9th, 20190DEARBORN — The Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC), a nonprofit organization that addresses the needs of Arab American women professionals and business owners, held a women’s bazaar at the Dearborn Inn on March 7.
The AAWBC, which was founded in 2007 in Dearborn, also helps cater to the needs of young Arab American...
February 25th, 20192YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Thursday an Arab American man living in Ypsilanti Township found a racial slur painted on his garage.
The man said he woke up at about 5:30 a.m. and pulled out of the garage at his home on Blue Jay Drive and noticed "sand " spray-painted on the door.
He immediately painted over the words.
Washtenaw...
February 22nd, 20190DEARBORN HEIGHTS— Sara Raad, a Dearborn Heights native and daughter of Lebanese immigrants, said she writes poetry to heal from past trauma.
She reads her poetry at local events and posts it on her Instagram blog which has more than 11,000 followers.
“I used to just write little poems here and there,” she said, adding...