The Arab American News
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Assad seeks reelection as Syrian war rages
DAMASCUS — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared on Monday, April 28, he would seek reelection in June, defying calls from his opponents to step aside and allow a political solution to the country's devastating civil war.Assad formally submitted his nomination to Syria's constitutional court to stand in an election which...Yemeni army mounts offensive against al-Qaeda
SANAA—Yemeni troops backed by air force planes attacked al Qaeda bastions in the south of the country on Tuesday, April 29, to try to eradicate the Islamist militant group that has killed hundreds of people in Yemen since 2011.The state news agency Saba said five local al Qaeda leaders, including one identified as Abu al-Qa'qa', were...Algerian media question Bouteflika’s health after oath ceremony
ALGIERS — Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was sworn in for a fourth five-year term on Monday, April 28, after he easily won an election opponents dismissed as fraudulently returning the ailing 77-year-old to power.State television showed Bouteflika sitting in a wheelchair to take the oath and give a brief statement in one of...Egyptian court sentences 683 Brotherhood supporters to death
CAIRO — An Egyptian court sentenced the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 supporters to death on Monday, April 28.The Brotherhood, in a statement issued in London, described the ruling as chilling and said it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule."An Islamist alliance that includes the...Interfaith cooperation builds bridges and understanding
While US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew arrived in Detroit this week to "highlight the Obama Administration's continued commitment to the city's revitalization," we were appalled Monday night by Bill O'Reilly's peppering and pressuring of Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, to admit that there are “jihadist mosques” in...New York Mayor Bill de Blasio should be applauded
When politicians publicly speak out against the violations of Arab and Muslim American civil liberties, they deserve applause. It is a courageous move, considering how much hate and misunderstanding there is surrounding both communities nationwide. Most politicians turn their face away from the hateful rhetoric and policies...U.S. justices weigh limits to police cellphone searches
WASHINGTON - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared to seek a compromise over whether police officers need warrants to search cellphones when a suspect is arrested.In two hours of oral arguments, the justices appeared sympathetic to the need of police officers to quickly search phones but also were wary of privacy concerns...Muslims, Sikhs object to headscarf ban at California go-kart parks
SAN FRANCISCO — Three Muslim families have filed complaints against an amusement park chain in California that they say barred them from riding go karts wearing headscarves, family advocates said Tuesday.The families claim that Boomers! Parks in two locations in the state violated their civil rights with an unfair safety policy that...Florida legislators seek to give anti Muslim parents say on school textbooks
ORLANDO — The Florida Legislature is likely to pass a bill this week giving parents more influence over school textbook choices, in a move that opponents say is rooted in anti-Muslim bias.The bill followed organized protests by parents and conservative political groups in November over a world history textbook in Volusia County on...Divestment resolution passes at U of New Mexico
NEW MEXICO - The Graduate and Professional Student Association passed a resolution calling for the University of New Mexico to divest from companies associated with human rights violations in Palestine.The resolution, which passed during a GPSA meeting last Saturday, was endorsed by members of Students for Justice in Palestine,...Two U.S. soldiers lose bid to dress according to religious custom
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army has denied requests by two soldiers to dress and groom themselves according to their religious beliefs under a revised Pentagon policy, a spokesman said on Monday.The policy approved earlier this year was mainly expected to affect Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and other groups that wear beards, long hair or articles...
ADC Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship draws large crowd
May 2nd, 20140 ADC-MI’s new director Fatina Abdrabboh.DEARBORN — Despite the controversial sexual harassment scandal that rocked the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) last year, the group’s 15th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Dinner held Wednesday at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn was a...
Arab Americans increase their business presence in Detroit
May 2nd, 20140 Attorney Helal Farhat and a business partner purchased the Frederick K. Sterns House on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The 10,000 square foot building features medieval architecture and was initially built as a house in 1902 for Frederick K. Sterns. Three nonprofits are...
Arab Festival cancellation draws mixed reactions from past organizers
May 2nd, 20140 DEARBORN — A signature event in the city for almost two decades, last week's announcement of the cancellation of the Arab International Festival for a second consecutive year sparked a mixed community reaction. Within hours after the organizer, the American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC), confirmed the cancellation, previous...
Iraqi Americans turned away at the polls in Michigan
May 2nd, 20140 Iman Abbas (left) holds her son Ahmed Al Kanani.DEARBORN - Voter identification requirements prevented several members of metro Detroit’s Iraqi American community from voting in their homeland’s parliamentary elections this week. The Iraqi Parliamentary Elections were held on Wednesday, April 30, but thousands of Iraqis in......
Muslim imam convicted of sexually abusing his nieces in Detroit
May 2nd, 20140 Masroor. DETROIT — A Muslim imam was found guilty of 15 counts of criminal sexual conduct by a jury on Friday, May 2. Mohammad Masroor was convicted for sexually abusing his nieces as children, when they lived in Detroit from 2000 to 2003.He will be sentenced on May 21 and could face up to life in prison. A circuit...
Hamdan awaits trial after grand jury indictment for ties to Hizbullah
May 2nd, 20140 Hamdan (left) and his sister. DETROIT — Dearborn Heights resident Mohammad Hassan Hamdan pleaded not guilty on Friday, April 25 at the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan to charges of "attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization" made by the FBI and the U.S. District Attorney's...Authorities say couple died in murder suicide
OAKLAND COUNTY— On Sunday, authorities found the bodies of a couple who were fatally shot to death in Pontiac. The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office is calling the deaths a murder-suicide. The 26-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were both found dead of gunshot wounds to the head. The couple was found in the bedroom...6-month-old baby fighting to survive after being severally beaten by father
TAYLOR — Nicholas Spirdione, 23, pled not guilty to charges of torture, child abuse and assault in connection to the beating of his six-month-old baby Tuesday in Taylor, where he was arraigned. The infant suffered injuries to the head and had to undergo multiple surgeries. He is still in critical condition at the hospital. In......
ACC encourages patient compliance with texting software for Behavioral Health Program
LATHRUP VILLAGE —The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) has been awarded a $35,000 Health Innovation Grant by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). The grant is to be used to develop a texting software program to benefit the ACC’s Behavioral Health Program (BHP), a comprehensive community-based, outpatient...
Dearborn Police: Crime down 15 percent in first quarter, up 26 percent in South End
May 2nd, 20140 DEARBORN — On Wednesday, April 30, the Dearborn Police Department held a Community Awareness Meeting at the Dearborn Public Schools Administration Building on the city's west side to inform residents of crime trends that typically arise in the spring and summer seasons.Hosted by Sergeant David Marshall and Corporal Dan Bartok, the......
Dearborn bodybuilder places first in showdown
May 2nd, 20140 Klait (left). DEARBORN — Arab American bodybuilder Ibrahim Klait has taken home first place in the 2014 NPC Simmons-Peckham Ultimate Showdown. The competition took place on April 26 at Rochester’s Adams High School. He competed against bodybuilders from 13 other Midwest states in the heavyweight division. Klait, better...
Disqualified EMU student government candidate alleges discrimination
May 2nd, 20140 Jaber.YPSILANTI — An Arab American candidate who was disqualified from the election of the student government presidency at Eastern Michigan University is accusing the Student Government Elections Commission of discrimination.Fatma Jaber ran a write-in campaign to challenge incumbent Desmond Miller. Students voted online on March......
