The Arab American News
Author's Posts
Report shows jump in anti-Muslim bias incidents
December 5th, 20090 WASHINGTON — An annual report released this week by a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization shows an increase in the total number of bias-related incidents, but a decrease in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2008. The report by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), titled "Seeking...
‘A Country Called Amreeka’ author to visit Dearborn Thursday
December 5th, 20090 To fully and accurately relate the Arab American experience in a book, an author would have to present the stories of communities and individuals of countless backgrounds from throughout the country. Alia Malek did exactly that in "A Country Called Amreeka." A civil rights lawyer born to Syrian immigrants in Baltimore, Malek traveled...Free Gaza Movement raises funds
DEARBORN — Activists from multiple backgrounds joined together Wednesday at Bint Jebail Banquet Hall in Dearborn for a fundraising dinner in support of the Michigan Peace Team's upcoming trip to Gaza near the end of December. Huwaida Arraf The event, created by the Students for Socially Responsible Investing at the...Habib’s will deliver inspired cuisine
DEARBORN — Habib's Cuisine Restaurant and Banquet Center held its grand opening celebration on Tuesday, December 1, with guests in attendance ranging from Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly to city council members and other community leaders. Guests mingled and listened to dedication speeches while enjoying a buffet featuring some of the...Clark-Coleman distributes Thanksgiving dinners with staffers, volunteers
DEARBORN — State Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman and her staff held a second annual Thanksgiving turkey drive Nov. 24. Over 160 families benefited from the effort, made in collaboration with the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). Abbas Elhadi, right, a...
Obama switches gears on Afghanistan
December 4th, 20090 WASHINGTON (IPS) — President Barack Obama presented a case Tuesday for sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan that included both soaring rhetoric and a new emphasis on its necessity for U.S. national security. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, December...
Nasrallah: Sectarianism impeding democracy
December 4th, 20090 BEIRUT — Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday the major problem facing Lebanon's political regime was political sectarianism, which hindered the establishment of a true democracy. He also stressed the continued need for the resistance, given the absence of a strong Lebanese state. Lebanon's Hizbullah...
Tea on the Axis of Evil
December 4th, 20090 Jean Marie Offenbacher moved to Syria to meet ordinary people and see what life was like on the "Axis of Evil." Her documentary "Tea on the Axis of Evil" was screened recently at the Arab Film Festival. Following is an interview by Suzanne Mannneh from New America Media. What made you want to make this film? One friend of mine told...Palestinians building institutions of statehood
RAMALLAH (IPS) — The Palestinian Authority (PA) appears to be successfully countering the Israeli government's refusal to work towards a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict. A Palestinian demonstrator uses a tennis racket to return an empty tear gas canister at Israeli soldiers during a protest against the...Arab Detroit hosts 7th Annual Workshop
DEARBORN — The Dearborn-based Web site Arab Detroit will host its 7th annual educational workshop entitled "Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans: Arab America: Bridging the Gap" on Thursday, December 3, 2009. Byblos Banquet Hall at 7258 Chase Road in Dearborn will be the site of the event, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m....HFH president to keynote woman’s breakfast
DEARBORN — The Arab American Women's Business Council will hold its 3rd Annual Breakfast on Friday, December 4, giving local businesswomen a chance to network and learn from the best. The breakfast was held at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn. AAWBC founder Jumana Judeh The event, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and is...Dr. Adnan Hammad receives award from the American Cancer Society
Dr. Adnan Hammad received a prestigious award from the American Cancer Society in Los Angeles Nov.18 for his volunteerism, humanitarianism and distinguished service. Adnan Hammad The American Cancer Society, the nation's largest voluntary health organization, honors individuals who are helping to realize the...Attacks on Iran are attacks on Obama
In the last few weeks, there has been a flurry of unsubstantiated accusations against Iran. These accusations may seem to be aimed at Iran but, in fact, a pattern is emerging, which suggests that the attacks are really directed at destroying the Obama administration by discrediting its goodwill gesture toward Iran, which is a sharp...School budget cuts must be addressed
This is the time of year, when we typically talk about the academic achievement and success taking place in our school district, the time of year when we emphasize that every day, every school is deeply engaged in the mission of this district, the education of students. However, over the last several weeks one topic has been consuming...U.S. urged to increase aid and involvement in Yemen
WASHINGTON (IPS) — As President Barack Obama ponders escalating Washington's military and political investment in Afghanistan, a think tank close to his administration is urging Washington to ramp up U.S. aid and involvement in strife-torn Yemen, as well. Children sit outside a tent in al-Mazraq camp in the western Yemeni......
Threat rises from within Israel
JERUSALEM (IPS) — Israelis were perturbed when new recruits at a recent passing-out parade at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the remains of Judaism's holiest site, suddenly unfurled banners reading, 'Our Sons Do Not Evacuate Jews'. Israel's President Shimon Peres (R) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend the annual...Palestinian children face daily settler attacks getting to school
AT TUWANI, West Bank (IPS) — Being able to travel to school in relative safety is something children all over the world take for granted. But, for Palestinian children living in the shadow of the ubiquitous and illegal Israeli settlements dotting the West Bank, simply walking to school can be a terrifying...Iraqi refugees move to Michigan despite poor economy
The U.S. government resettled Mazen Alsaqa in Massachusetts in February. Within a month, the Iraqi refugee moved to Michigan. Iraqi refugee Rawaa Bahoo helps her daughter Maryam, 5, with her hair as Marvin, 8, left, and Maryana, 4, watch TV in Farmington Hills, Mich. Bahoo, 29, came to Michigan in July 2008 just a few days after...Budget cuts hit education hard
Dearborn Public Schools students and parents demonstrated against expected teacher layoffs outside the district’s administrative center on Nov. 23. PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN DEARBORN — In the district hit hardest by severe state cuts in education funding, school board members bore the brunt of students' parents' and......
Arab American veterans reflect on Fort Hood attack
Maj. Nidal Hasan's face continues to haunt Muslim and Arab Americans, his image floating around news media endlessly as investigations go on, details emerge and commentators associate his alleged crimes with his religion and ethnicity. For many Arab and Muslim veterans of the U.S. military, hearing about the victims of the Fort Hood...Retailer stands by diversity message
One of the world's biggest electronics retailers this week stood by a decision to include a small "Happy Eid al-Adha" greeting in its circular advertising Thanksgiving Day sales. Right-wing internet bloggers and forum users attacked Best Buy for printing the greeting after coming under fire in past years from groups like the American......
A struggle for the soul of Saudi Arabia
"Robert Lacey, Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for the Soul of Saudi Arabia" (Viking, 2009) Robert Lacey is one of the most distinguished writers of our time. The author of twenty books, Lacey is noted for his astute biographies of Queen Elizabeth II, Henry Ford and Princess Grace of...Obama returns to greater Middle East mess
WASHINGTON (IPS) — As Barack Obama arrives home from his weeklong tour of East Asia, he confronts a growing list of ever more urgent problems in the Greater Middle East that he inherited from George W. Bush's "global war on terror." President Obama in the Middle East in 2008. From Palestine to Pakistan, Obama, who also faces a......