The Arab American News
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Educator of the Year award given
DEARBORN Students of Fordson High School teacher Amira Kassem turn to her for guidance, not only for their writing skills, but for help with their everyday lives. "She's a friend. A lot of teachers are just teachers. She plays a role of parent away from home," said Fordson senior Abbas Alawieh. Kassem, who teaches advanced...Student group looks to empower Arabs
DEARBORN The Arab Student Union (ASU) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn is looking for businesses and community members to sponsor its third annual "Empowering the Youth" banquet. The dinner will take place on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 6 p.m. at Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn. ASU says it is an...Community News Roundup
ACC announces scholarship awards SOUTHFIELD The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) has announced its 6th Annual Scholarship Awards Program, which provides financial assistance to graduating high school students pursuing a higher education. Applicants must be a high school senior with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, who has...City officals urge residents to stay safe
DEARBORN In a presentation on personal and home safety given by Dearborn Police at the Esper Branch Library on Wednesday, officials implored a group of about 40 people to keep their heads up, their doors locked and the city's new neighborhood watch telephone number on hand. "The city of Dearborn is a safe city but we have to do...Move cars off street during Public Service Days in Dearborn
DEARBORN A change is on the way regarding Dearborns Public Service Days program. Launched in January, Public Service Days promote cleaner neighborhoods in Dearborn. But, in order for city crews to deliver services in the most efficient manner on those Public Service Days, residents need to keep their parked vehicles off the...
Michigan’s sluggish economy not getting in the way of stores’ growth
March 1st, 20080 Johnny Karmo knows his 'Market' Some people seem to have a natural talent for their occupation. They can find success where others have struggled almost as if they have special built-in job-related instincts. Johnny Karmo is a grocer with a natural talent for his industry. His three suburban Detroit...$100 million effort to strengthen Southeast Michigan economy
DETROIT As part of a major regional initiative to foster economic growth, the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan (NEI) is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations for projects that will help accelerate the transition of Metro Detroit to an innovation-based economy. The New Economy Initiative, a joint...Neo-cons fine-tune Iran angle
WASHINGTON (IPS) A new report published by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think-tank purports to show the reach and scope of Iranian influence across the Middle East, but stops short of drawing conclusions about Tehran's intentions or grand strategy. Co-written by AEI fellows Fred Kagan and Danielle Pletka, and Kagan's...Midamar brings halal meat to Detroit
New source is in one of oldest communities in America DEARBORN Members of one of the oldest and most obscure Arab American communities in the country are connecting with the Detroit-area as they work to put halal meat from Iowa on local dinner tables. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is home to one of the first mosques established in the...Seven tax tips to put more in your pocket
Taxpayers can find tax breaks in charitable donations, private mortgage insurance, and higher education, experts say. There weren't many changes with income-tax legislation in 2007, but there's always something going on in Washington an odd twist here or a screwball trap there. So it pays to, well, pay attention to...Secret Omar Khadr witness disclosed
A never-before-disclosed American eyewitness to the furious battle in Afghanistan where Omar Khadr allegedly tossed a grenade has cast doubt on whether the teenager was an "unlawful" combatant, his defense team said this week. Britain's Prince Harry sits on his camp bed at FOB Delhi, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan The...Films to premiere in Michigan
An Oscar-winning documentary investigating detention and interrogation policies in the war on terror, and a winner of eight Israeli Film Academy Awards about an Egyptian police band's journey when lost in Israel, are opening in local theaters this weekend. "Taxi to the Darkside" will be showing at the Main Art...Survey challenges Western view of Islam
A huge survey of the world's Muslims released this week challenges Western notions that equate Islam with radicalism and violence. The survey, conducted by the Gallup polling agency over six years and three continents, seeks to dispel the belief held by some in the West that Islam itself is the driving force of radicalism. It shows...If it bleeds in Israel, it leads in America
But most Palestinian resistance to the occupation is non-violent Recent actions by Palestinians in Gaza seemed designed to expose bias in the American media. Last weekend, they organized a non-violent, symbolic protest at Gaza's borders. Later in the week, Hamas began launching retaliatory rockets into Israel,...Why Lebanon hasn’t slipped into civil war
Rival factions have worked hard to defuse points of conflict. Washington Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, was killed by a huge explosion near downtown Beirut in February 2005. Since then, the country has seen in addition to the Israeli bombardments of summer 2006 more than a dozen other mysterious assassinations.......
Something bad is happening to us
We have become accustomed to treating the Palestinians as inferior people. Generations come and go, and new soldiers abuse the residents of occupied Hebron in almost the same manner. This time, it was regular soldiers in the Kfir Brigade. They exposed their backsides and sexual organs to Palestinians, pressed an electric heater to the...Kudos to ABC and Primetime
Show alerts audience to Islamophobia live This past week, the ABC newsmagazine Primetime ran a limited series entitled "What Would You Do?" The hidden camera show set up everyday scenarios that happen in America and then captured people's reactions to them. The leading scenario pitted a Waco, Texas bakery clerk (played by a male...New security certificates issued
On February 22, the Canadian government issued new security certificates against the five Muslim men previously cited. However, they did not reissue a certificate against Manickavasangam Suresh, a Tamil supposedly linked to the Tamil Tigers. This time, the government amplified the reasons for the certificates. The...Islamic charities draw more scrutiny
Counterterrorism officials in the U.S. and the Middle East, who in recent years have shut down several Islamic charities accused of financing terrorist organizations, now are pursuing what they describe as a second constellation of such groups. Key figures who avoided the initial legal dragnet in 2001 and 2002 have continued to......
Strategic alliances in Iraq remain elusive
WASHINGTON (IPS) The George W. Bush administration has ballyhooed recent legislation passed by the Iraqi parliament as a sign that its troop escalation strategy has indeed created space for political reconciliation. But observers say a closer look at the legislation in the context of the grander Iraqi quagmire suggests that the...
Children killed as Israel pounds Gaza
March 1st, 20080 A boy sits next to the body of 6-month-old Palestinian baby Mohammed al-Borai in a mosque before his funeral in GazaGAZA CITY Israel pounded the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Thursday, February 28, killing four children and 10 militants, as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to make the Islamists pay a heavy price for rocket......
U.S. positions warships near Lebanon
March 1st, 20080 The U.S. has sent three warships, including the USS Cole, to take up positions off the coast of Lebanon in a show of force over the ongoing political deadlock in the country. A senior U.S. official said Washington was "very concerned" about the situation in Lebanon and the move was a "support for regional stability." The U.S....Europe headed for new security deal with Israel
BRUSSELS (IPS) The European Union is considering new steps to deepen its cooperation on scientific research with Israel, despite admitting that previous funds earmarked for that purpose have gone to firms operating illegally in the Palestinian territories. Between now and 2013, the Israeli government is to contribute 440 million......