The Arab American News
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Local performer Naim Homaidan dies at 68
Naim Homaidan, age 68, of the famed local area duo Rana and Naim, passed away on January 23, 2011 after falling in his home which led to fatal internal injuries. He is survived by his wife, Rana, daughter Nagham and his brother Bahij Homaidan. He will be buried in California, per his wishes. The family will accept...Westland residents must boil water before drinking
Water main breaks have caused the City of Westland and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to issue a mandatory boil water notice to residents in the Norwayne area of the city. The water main breaks have left the area with low or no water pressure, according to an alert issued this afternoon. The boil water notice is...Baby-making: Another struggling Michigan industry
The Michigan economy seems to have taken its toll on the child-birth rate in the state. Just 117,309 babies were born in 2009 in Michigan, the smallest supply of newborns since the end of World War II. The birthrate is just 11.8 per 1,000 Michiganders, the lowest since the 1870's; the state's all-time high was 27.6. Many young residents...Demand for Arabic teachers spurs MSU programs
East Lansing— A rising demand for teachers of Arabic in the state considered the capital of Arab America has led Michigan State University to launch new undergraduate and graduate programs. The East Lansing school says the moves will help fill the shortage of those who can teach the language. About 300,000 people in southeastern...Darany pledges to fight for Dearborn schools in Lansing
DEARBORN — House State Representative George Darany (D-Dearborn) is now on the Education, Health Policy, Military and Veteran Affairs and Homeland Security House committees for the 2011-2012 legislation session. Darany has participated on committees and projects related to the Dearborn school system in the past. He is looking...Trial set for first of three lawsuits against local judge
DEARBORN — A jury trial for the first of three lawsuits against Chief Judge Mark Somers of the 19th District Court is scheduled to begin January 31 in the Wayne County Circuit Court. Former Probation Officer Simone Calvas, former Deputy Court Administrator Julie Pucci, and former court clerk Sharon Langen are alleging that Somers...Local fundraiser to help Lebanese child fight leukemia
DEARBORN — A fundraiser will be held on Thursday, February 3 at Bint Jebail on behalf of Amir Samhat, a one-year-old in Tyr, Lebanon who is suffering from leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Amir, who is called “the little prince’’ by his family, was diagnosed with leukemia in October of 2010. The family of five owns a...
WSU president says he pulled Helen Thomas award, admits decision was made too abruptly
January 27th, 20110 Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour said the decision to remove the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award was made solely by him. “I take accountability fully. The buck stops here,” Gilmour told The Arab American News after a WSU Board of Governors meeting earlier today. He admits the decision to remove the award...Dearborn, Dearborn Heights residents could get library-sharing option
A decision is expected by March 1 on a new plan that will allow Dearborn and Dearborn Heights residents to check out books and use computers and other services at each other's libraries. The city councils must approve the agreement first, however. There would be no cost involved if the plan goes through. ...Former MI Gov. Granholm has new job on west coast
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is heading to the West Coast for a new job at the University of Cal-Berkeley, her alma-mater, to teach a joint course along with former First Gentleman Dan Mulhern. Granholm will also be a paid consultant for NBC's "Meet the Press," and has booked a speaking tour with her husband as well. In...
Al Jazeera releases Wikileaks-style “Palestine Papers”
January 23rd, 20110 Landmark new documents released by Al Jazeera show that the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, offered "The biggest Yerushalayim" ever in conceding key parts of East Jerusalem during U.S.-brokered negotiations. More of the 1,600 documents obtained describing the inner workings of a decade of...
The Arab world must face its demons
January 19th, 20110 Attacks on Christians are a wake-up call for fragmented Arab societies where disenfranchisement breeds bigotry.In the wake of the recent attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, warned that Christians face a campaign of "religious cleansing in the Middle East". But, given Western governments'...SPJ votes to remove the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award
The Society of Professional Journalist’s board of directors voted to remove the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award on Jan. 14. SPJ will no longer offer a award for lifetime achievement. The action does not rename the award or remove Thomas’ name. A statement from the group following the...Zahra replaces Corrigan on Supreme Court, Corrigan replaces Ahmed at DHS
Brian Zahra, a former Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) endorsee and Michigan First District Court of Appeals Judge since 1998, was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by new governor Rick Snyder on Monday, Jan. 10. The appointment of the Republican Zahra means that the party will have a 4-3 majority on the court over...Yale law student group helps Iraqi refugees
The Ibrahims are a family seeking asylum in the west as refugees. They fled their home in Iraq after their son, Ibrahim, was blinded by a car bomb, their daughter, Tuhama, nearly died while trying to reach a hospital after they were repeatedly stopped by checkpoints and when the family’s life was threatened when the father......
Judge Hultgren takes oath one last time
DEARBORN—Nearly a century of public service was highlighted Dec. 15 when William C. Hultgren chose State Rep. Gino H. Polidori to swear him in for a fourth six-year-term as judge of Dearborn’s 19th District Court. The November election saw Hultgren run unopposed for the third consecutive time. Prior to becoming judge, Hultgren served...Attorney Akeel appointed ADC-Michigan Advisory Board Chairman
The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Michigan (ADC-MI) office announced that attorney Shareef Akeel, a long-time friend and contributor to ADC, was appointed as the new Advisory Board Chairman. Akeel has tackled issues regarding immigration, First Amendment protections, religious organations' rights, discrimination, and...MLK Detroit March for Jobs, Peace, and Justice includes Palestine
DETROIT - The annual 2011 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rally & March to Call for Jobs, Peace and Justice will begin on Monday, Jan. 17 from noon until 3 p.m. The event will begin at Central United Methodist Church on Woodward at Adams in downtown Detroit near Comerica Park and was sponsored by the Detroit MLK Planning...Human rights advocates release new resource
A new resource for human rights practitioners enabling them to monitor, document, and advocate for human rights was expected to be released on Thursday, Jan. 13 by the Advocates for Human Rights and U.S. Human Rights Network. The manual will provide guidance on how to use a human rights framework for social change and will be released......
ISNA diversity conference this weekend
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is expected to hold its first annual diversity forum Jan. 14-16 at the Double Tree Hotel in Detroit. The workshop titled “Realizing the Dream: Finding Strength Through Diversity” is expected to educate attendees on the history, role and importance of diversity in Islam, and suggest tangible...Report says Michigan consumers, businesses will pay more if health care law is repealed
A new report says repealing the federal health care law will cost Michigan consumers and small businesses a lot of money. PIRGIM, the consumer advocacy group that issued the report, says individuals could see their premiums go up by 20% by 2016 if the repeal goes through. The repeal would also increase the cost of offering......
The Birthright Citizenship Act seeks to change 14th Constitutional Amendment
Early this year U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 5th congressional district, Republican Steve King introduced House Resolution 140 also known as “The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011” to the House floor. The bill’s objective is to alter the 143-year-old 14th Amendment of the U.S. constitution which grants birthright...Journalist uses skills to help Muslim image in U.S.
Since September 11, 2001, Muslim Americans have had the challenge of facing stereotypes and prejudices within the media. Even with organizations and rights groups speaking out against hatred, “Islamaphobia” is still very high. In an effort to combat this, Mustafa Stefan Dill created a consultancy firm just for Muslims. Ummah......
