The Fordson incident: Hazing or sexual assault?
October 20th, 20170 While the school district, community and police look for answers, here are some professional perspectives. DEARBORN — Last week, Dearborn Public Schools officials informed the community about an alleged afterschool hazing incident involving several of Fordson High School's junior varsity football players in the locker...
SAFE holds inaugural fundraising dinner
October 20th, 20171 DEARBORN — every day, 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rabih Darwiche has avoided being one of those statistics for 15 months. On September 18, at the inaugural fundraising dinner for the nonprofit SAFE Substance Abuse Coalition, Darwiche received the first...
Dearborn’s Iris Becker Elementary honored as blue ribbon school
October 20th, 20170 By Farah Harb The Arab American News - intern DEARBORN — The U.S. Department of Education recently recognized Iris Becker Elementary School as a 2017 Blue Ribbon School. The school, one of 13 out of 342 nationwide to be so honored, is the first from Dearborn to receive the award. "Here at Becker, we set the bar very high,...
Blankets of Hope event aids young cancer patients
October 20th, 20170 By Dalia Sukari The Arab American News - intern DEARBORN — On Friday, October 13, the United Network of Islam (U.N.I) hosted a Blankets of Hope event at the Islamic Center of America on Ford Road. The U.N.I's mission is to foster faith, unity and leadership within the community by drawing inspirational lessons from important...
Family of dead Muslim recruit sues Marines for $100 million
October 18th, 20170 TAYLOR, MI — The family of a Muslim Marine recruit from Taylor who died in a fall at boot camp last year after allegedly being hazed and abused is suing the government for $100 million for his death, claiming "negligence on multiple levels of command." The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit claims the Marines...
Study: Refugees contributed $295M to Michigan’s economy and provided hundreds of jobs in 2016
October 18th, 20170 WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI - Refugees in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties are contributing to the region's economy and helping grow its population, according to a new study released Tuesday. The study by Global Detroit and the University of Michigan's School of Public Policy said, over the past decade, about 21,000 refugees...
Land deal puts Dearborn mayoral race in media crossfire
October 17th, 20170 DEARBORN — The city has had its fair share of shock and scandal during recent elections, but it took the first contested mayoral race since 2001 to land incumbent Mayor Jack O'Reilly and his opponent, long-time City Councilman Tom Tafelski, in a media frenzy over poor judgment and regretted deals. Increasing transparency in...
ICA program improves seniors’ quality of life
October 13th, 20170 DEARBORN— The Islamic Center of America kicked off its senior program again in partnership with ACCESS on Oct. 10, after a summer break due to the holy month of Ramadan and family related events. The program, designed to benefit Arab and Muslim American seniors in Dearborn, was established in January. Approximately seven people...
The cost of death can get in the way of grief
October 13th, 20170 DEARBORN—After you’ve hit the snooze on your alarm clock a few times, picked yourself up and showered, had your breakfast, put on your coat and shoes and reached for your keys, how many times did you think about your mortality? In the commotion of daily life we often forget about something that happens to us...
The AANews reporter Zahraa Farhat receives UM-D Mentor of the Year award
October 13th, 20170 DEARBORN—Although she’s written nearly 100 articles during more than a year as a staff writer for The AANews, Zahraa Farhat never planned to be a journalist. "I actually only minored in journalism, so becoming a reporter was never my ultimate goal,” Farhat said. “I earned my bachelor’s degree in English.” In 2013,...
Proposed auto insurance bills seem farfetched
October 13th, 20170 By Farah Harb DEARBORN – The package of auto insurance bills proposed in September to reduce rates by up to 50 percent is in the works, but seems to be farfetched. State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D- Dearborn), said in an interview with The Arab American News that the bill “does not have enough votes to pass.” “My hope is...
Michigan to charge state’s top medical official in Flint water deaths
October 10th, 20170 FLINT- Michigan’s top medical official will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for her role in the city of Flint’s water crisis, which was linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that caused at least 12 deaths, state prosecutors said on Monday. Dr. Eden Wells, the state’s chief medical executive who already faced...
Roy Freij appointed as deputy treasurer and in preventing foreclosures for Wayne County
October 8th, 20170 Detroit — On Monday, Oct. 2, Roy Freij was pronounced as a Wayne County deputy treasurer as well as having an expanded role in preventing foreclosure. He was named by Wayne County Treasurer Eric R. Sabree, who said he’s pleased with having Freij in such position and that they’re expanding the efforts to help reduce the amount of...
Recent report shows a nine percent drop in Michigan’s homelessness numbers
October 8th, 20170 Lansing — According to the annual report of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, along with the Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness, the numbers of homelessness in Michigan has dropped by about nine percent. The decrease reveals how Michigan is succeeding in offering housing care and prioritizing those in need. Earl...
Dearborn officials named in suit filed in U.S. District Court
October 7th, 20170 DEARBORN—On October 5, physical therapist Olajide Akunrounmu filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing Dearborn officials of defaming his reputation. Allegedly, Dearborn officials used Akunrounmu’s photo in lieu of a different doctor’s photo, Dr. Tete Oniango, who is facing federal drug charges. Some of the officials......
Donutville: A Dearborn mainstay for half a century
October 6th, 20170 DEARBORN — For the past 51 years, a popular local donut shop and coffee bar has been witness to the cultural changes that swept the city. Located on Ford Road, a few miles east of the Southfield Freeway, Donutville, which has been in business since July 4, 1966, has served as a gathering place for residents of various races, creeds...
Mayor, City Council share thoughts on potential sale of 40 acres in Camp Dearborn
October 6th, 20170 DEARBORN — During a candidate forum hosted by the Dearborn Area Board of Realtors on Wednesday, Oct. 4, the incumbent mayor and City Council members addressed the possible sale of 40 acres of Camp Dearborn, which has had residents fretting on social media. According to a press release by the city, 40 of Camp Dearborn's 626 acres may...
ACRL honors Portland hero’s mother at annual Fight for Justice Gala
October 6th, 20170 By Farah Harb The Arab American News – intern DEARBORN — At its sixth annual Fight for Justice Gala, the Arab-American Civil Rights League (ACRL) honored Asha Deliverance, mother of Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, one of the Portland heroes who died defending two young women after he came to their rescue in a racist incident in...
Jeremy McLellan: Comedian goes viral in Arab, Pakistani and Muslim communities
October 6th, 20171 DEARBORN — A U of M-Dearborn campus officer approached him outside an event hall and began aggressively and suspiciously questioning why he, a White American, was outside a majority-Arab and Muslim event. "I had just gotten a haircut, so I looked like a fresh Nazi," he said. "I had a camo shirt and I was pacing outside of this......
Muslims march against injustice in Dearborn
October 6th, 20171 DEARBORN — A few days before the fifth annual "March for Justice" took place in Dearborn, the Ashura Project released a video promoting its organized procession with the question, Why do we march? The video powerfully displayed scenes of injustices around the world that call for action and revealed the reasons. They march for Black...
BRIDGES meeting with federal official focuses on ‘Terror Watchlist’
October 6th, 20170 DEARBORN — To those who are regularly held for questioning at airports or border crossings and believe they may be wrongfully placed on a federal watch list, the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center has news: You are most likely a terrorist or somehow connected to a suspected terrorist. In Dearborn, where about half of residents are......
‘Listen to America’ bus tour stops in Dearborn, hears from Arab and Muslim Americans
October 6th, 20170 DEARBORN — East coast media outlets have been accused of being out of touch with middle America, so The Huffington Post embarked on a multi-city bus tour on September 12 titled "Listen to America." In each city, HuffPost partnered with a news organization to host an event so that it could record stories from local residents. The...
Community members share Ashura experiences and traditions
September 29th, 20170 DEARBORN— When comparing the Ashura programs offered at local mosques to those found in the Middle East or any Muslim countries, for that matter, there’s evidently a lot of time and effort put into them with hopes of keeping the message of Ahlulbayt’s (the Prophet Mohammad’s family) sacrifice for humanity alive and teaching it to......
