The Arab American News
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Iraq still a quagmire say experts
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Despite a reduction in violence over the past 15 months, "the U.S. risks getting bogged down in Iraq for a long time to come, with serious consequences for its interests in other parts of the world," according to a new assessment by the same group of experts who advised the bipartisan blue-ribbon Iraq Study Group...Ellison speaks out on need for unity
DETROIT — U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the country's first Muslim congressman, appeared in Detroit on April 6 at an anniversary event for a local civil rights group, where he spoke about uniting advocates of different causes to fight together in an unfavorable political atmosphere. Ellison keynoted the 27th anniversary...Driving Skills for Life emphasizes safety
DEARBORN — Students here participated in the Ford Motor Company Fund's "Driving Skills for Life" program this week, an ongoing initiative designed to reduce teen car crashes and fatalities. Students from Fordson, Edsel Ford, and Dearborn High School competed to create public service announcements (PSA) that effectively conveyed...Edsel Ford tackles diversity challenges
Dearborn — Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer paid a visit to Edsel Ford High School students March 26 during a student leadership conference that Principal Hassane Jaafar said was put together in part to address issues of diversity and division at the school. He said the event was the first of a series of interactive efforts to...USCIS updates projected naturalization case processing and name check times
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will finish more than one million naturalization cases during fiscal year 2008 — far exceeding the number of cases completed last year. This update comes following a thorough analysis of the work completed during the last six months. ...Community Foundation supports ACC refugee outreach
Detroit — The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has awarded a grant of $150,000 over two years to the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC), a non profit organization, for support for refugee acculturation outreach services. ACC's Community and Family Strengthening and Integration Project will target the Metro Detroit...Detroit gas station owner charged in rival’s slaying is shot to death
DETROIT — According to The Detroit News, police are investigating the killing this week of a gas station owner who was charged last year with killing a rival gas station owner during a price war. "Hassan Masbouth, 52, was shot to death outside his home in the 1600 block of Infantry on the city's southwest side at about noon. He...Granholm signs booster seat legislation
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm this week signed legislation that will require the use of approved booster seats for children who are between the ages of four and eight and less than 4 feet 9 inches tall. The bill takes effect July 1. "I am pleased today to sign into law a bill that protects...AANM founder honored at ACCESS dinner
DEARBORN — Ismael Ahmed, a driving force behind the creation of the Arab American National Museum, will be honored for his long and varied service to the community at the ACCESS 37th Anniversary Dinner on May 10 in downtown Detroit. Ahmed, who currently serves on the Museum's National Advisory Board, is also a founder of ACCESS; he...Grand success for Ollie’s
DEARBORN — The popular new Dearborn Middle Eastern restaurant Ollie's held a grand opening celebration Tuesday. The restaurant, 16351 Ford Road at Mercury Drive, began serving food in late 2007, but hadn't yet held an official opening ceremony. Ollie's has already gained a loyal following of customers. Customers said Tuesday...Israeli peace activist sees little hope
DETROIT — Israeli peace activist Neve Gordon spoke at Wayne State University on March 26 about prospects for peace in the Middle East, offering a fairly pessimistic perspective on the likelihood of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said that while Palestinians believe that establishing their own state will create...5th Annual ACCESS environmental leadership celebration
Dearborn — The Environmental Program at ACCESS has been a leader on environmental issues in Southeast Michigan since its inception, promoting community health protection, environmental advocacy for vulnerable communities, and youth leadership development. For over a decade, ACCESS has brought a unique and important voice to the...Guantanamo’s child is America’s and Canada’s shame
"For me, Omar's age has always been the greatest factor." Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen, was 15 at the time of his capture in Afghanistan in 2002. That's the bottom line for Michelle Shephard, the Toronto Star reporter who has covered the Khadr story since his capture. And indeed his age is an issue on more than one...
A useful guide to racist Hollywood
April 4th, 20080 As any Muslim will tell you, one of our biggest enemies is the image makers of Hollywood, who for years have advanced bad policies and encouraged stereotypes and discrimination against a community already caught in the vise of foreign policy. Anti-Muslim, anti-Arab propaganda existed long before 9/11, but the images continue to...Ghosts from the land of milk and honey
NEW YORK (IPS) — Somewhere in Baghdad, a family sits down to dinner. Heaped plates of food line the long table. A man sits at the head, fork in hand. Beside him, a youngish woman with immaculately shaped eyebrows turns to speak with a young girl. Forks and spoons face upwards on still empty flowered plates. Somewhere in Baghdad,......
Cross-over music good, but lacks anger
One of the most unfortunate drawbacks of the 1979 Iranian Revolution was the suppression of creativity and artistic freedom in the name of Islamic purity, as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini cemented theocratic rule over an increasingly frustrated populace. In recent years, some of the rules governing the purchase of Western pop music and...Film designed to anger Muslims divides the West
The timing could not be more truthful. Just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended a peacekeeping mission to Israel-Palestine and declared her opposition to Israeli settlement expansion, Israel announced plans to build 1,400 new settler homes in the West Bank. Last week Secretary Rice gave a press...We need to protect Michigan’s waterways
Current legislation puts our water at risk Both the Michigan House and Senate are currently holding important legislative committee hearings around competing packages of water legislation. In short, the debate is centered on corporate versus public control of our water. There are House Bills 4343 and 5065-5073, and...Deterrence: Mother’s milk of nuclear proliferation
French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced last week that he was cutting France's total nuclear capability to fewer than 300 warheads. This, he said, was a return to Charles de Gaulle's vision of minimal deterrence that would create "strength from weakness." His speech was not only, or even primarily, about French nuclear weapons. It......
Canada tries to change immigration rules
Canada's minority Conservative government is trying to change the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The changes are in accord with the government's over-all style. When elected, the Conservatives pledged a more open government, but in fact everything is tightly controlled by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He...Battle of Lebanon’s political players on billboards
BEIRUT — Hours after Hizbullah commander Imad Mughnieh was killed, huge billboards of his burly face stenciled like the iconic Che Guevara portrait or a photo of him in battle fatigues were printed and ready to display all over Lebanon. Pictures of this man on America's Most Wanted list are among the first images to greet visitors......
Iraq lawmakers seek help from Iran
BAGHDAD (IPS) — Despite the huge media campaign led by U.S. officials and a complicit corporate-controlled media to convince the world of U.S. success in Iraq, emerging facts on the ground show massive failure. The date March 25 of this year will be remembered as the day of truth through five years of occupation. Fighting had...Turkish scholars aim to modernize hadith
Theologians are revisiting the collections of the Prophet Muhammad's sayings that Muslims use as a guideline for daily life. Ankara — For centuries, the hadith — a collection of the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad — has guided Muslims in their daily lives and served as a basis for Islamic jurisprudence, offering......
