Local

Biggby Coffee opens second halal location with community partners

November 14th, 20140 Biggy, located at 3389 Greenfield Road in Dearborn. DEARBORN – Although it’s only been open for a month, the Biggby Coffee shop on Greenfield Road, near Rotunda Drive, already has patrons feeling a sense of community when they walk through the door. That atmosphere is led by owner Killoud Dabaja, 35, a lifelong Dearborn...

Annapolis High School suspends bullied Arab student, mother questions administration’s actions

November 14th, 20140 Annapolis High School is located in the south-end of Dearborn Heights.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The mother of an Arab student at Annapolis High School is speaking out against the school district following months of alleged bullying and racial slurs from other students that escalated into an altercation at a powderpuff football game on...

Wayne Mayor Al Haidous reflects on public service and the American Dream

November 14th, 20140 Haidous.WAYNE — An immigrant arrives in the United States, opens a small business, becomes involved in the community and gets elected as a councilman in his small town. Then, he successfully runs for mayor and 13 years later moves on to become a county commissioner. Mayor Abdul "Al" Haidous maintains that his story is a testament...

Dearborn Police hires three Arab American officers

November 14th, 20140 Mayor O'Reilly and Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad pose with new police officer hirees.DEARBORN — The Dearborn Police Department announced this week that it has added four new officers to its police force, three of whom are Arab American residents from the city.The three Arab American officers are; Michael Hammoud, a graduate of the...

Islamic Center of America chairman refutes anonymous letter attacking leaders

November 14th, 20140 DEARBORN — The Islamic Center of America (ICA) is a symbol of the Muslim community in Dearborn. As the biggest mosque in North America, pictures of its illuminated dome and minarets have become synonymous with Islam in the United States. The mosque has been targeted by anti-Muslim protesters, threats and even a bomb plot....

Junior commissioners welcomed by City Beautiful Commission

November 14th, 20140 The City Beautiful Commission and Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. welcomed new junior commissioners during the annual All-Schools Breakfast on Oct. 29.DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Beautiful Commission and Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. welcomed students serving as junior commissioners during the annual breakfast kick-off of the...

Warren Evans chooses transition team

November 14th, 20140 Evans.DETROIT — Warren Evans, the newly-elected Wayne County executive, announced last week that he had chosen a transition team. Evans, who earned 70 percent of the votes, has named Joseph Nardone, development director for the Wayne County Airport Authority, to lead the transition team. Lisa Canada, legislative director for the...

National Arab American arts forum to be held in Dearborn

November 14th, 20140 DEARBORN — The sixth biennial convening of DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts will be held at the Arab American National Museum (AANM), May 7-9, 2015. The conference will coincide with the launch of the Museum’s 10th anniversary programming year, as well as the Museum’s new visual arts exhibition, Ten. The Conference Committee welcomes...

Dana Alicia Thompson elected to Wayne State University Board of Governors

November 14th, 20140 Dana Alicia Thompson.DETROIT — Michigan voters have elected Dana Alicia Thompson, a University of Michigan law professor and director of the Entrepreneurship Clinic at Michigan-Law, to the Wayne State University Board of Governors. Thompson won along with fellow Democratic candidate and former Michigan Supreme Court Justice...

Dearborn increases snow emergency tickets to $80, prepares designated parking areas

November 14th, 20140 DEARBORN — The city is gearing up for winter by preparing a pilot program in the south-end and northeast neighborhoods that would allow residents to temporarily park their vehicles on designated streets during a snow emergency.The city is also enforcing a new policy that would increase snow emergency tickets to a one time flat rate...

University of Michigan-Dearborn hosts Veterans Day Scholarship Dinner

November 14th, 20140 State Senate-elecect David Knezek. DEARBORN — The University of Michigan- Dearborn and the Student Veterans Association (SVA) hosted a scholarship dinner on the eve of Veterans Day, Nov. 10, in honor of the veterans who continue to serve the community. Scholarships will be awarded to student veterans and proceeds from the dinner...

Arab woman files suit against Advance America, says she was denied services because of religious headscarf

November 13th, 20140 INKSTER—A local Arab American woman is suing Advance America for  discrimination. Raghdaa Ali was denied services at the Advance America location in Inkster because she was wearing the hijab, a traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women. On Wednesday the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of...

Odeh found guilty of unlawful procurement of citizenship, defense to appeal

November 10th, 20140 DETROIT — A federal jury found Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh guilty of unlawful procurement of citizenship. After the verdict was announced on Monday, U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain revoked Odeh's bond, and she was detained immediately by federal marshals. Odeh, 67, is accused of lying on...

Arsons target Arab homes in Dearborn Heights, police claim incidents not racially motivated

November 7th, 20140 A Bazzi family was awakened to a firebomb in Dearborn Heights, October 22.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Residents are on edge this week after the third arson and home invasion incident since July targeted yet another Arab American household.Two of the incidents occurred just days apart and both of those families' last names are Bazzi, although...

Education top priority for Dearborn voters

November 7th, 20140 DEARBORN — Several voters surveyed by The Arab American News at precincts throughout Dearborn in Tuesday's midterm elections said education is the number one issue that brought them to the polls. The elections included races for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representative, state legislature and county executive. However,...

Mariam Bazzi wins first place in School Board

November 7th, 20140 Bazzi and AAPAC volunteers meet before election day.DEARBORN — The Arab American community celebrated a triumph on election night after voting results revealed that candidate Mariam Bazzi had landed in first place in her bid for a seat on Dearborn's School Board. The race, which had three open seats out of a seven member body,...

Judge Mark Somers re-elected in heated race

November 7th, 20140 Somers.DEARBORN — 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers emerged victorious in his re-election bid against opponent Tony Guerriero, in what was— by far— the most heated and heavily debated race in the city. Somers and his supporters were on the edge of their seats all evening long at La Pita, where his campaign staff unwound...

ADC-MI brings back ‘Judges Night Gala’, keynote speaker Mike Duggan honored

November 7th, 20140 ADC-MI Director Abdrabboh with Attorney Petter Hammer..DEARBORN — Following an interval in 2013, the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) held its 12th annual Judges Night gala on Thursday October 30. Dozens of dignitaries, activists and community leaders attended the event.Held at Byblos Banquets in...

UM-D students express mixed feelings about elections

November 7th, 20140 Historically, midterm elections have a lower turnout than presidential elections.  And young people don’t always go to the polls. On Monday, The Arab American News asked students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn if they intended to vote in any of the races, including governor, representatives in the U.S. Senate and House...

Odeh testifies at trial: I did not lie

November 6th, 20140 Odeh supporters rally outside the federal courthouse in Detroit. DETROIT — Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh took the stand at her trial on Thursday and testified that she did not lie about arrest and conviction in an Israeli military court in 1969 on her U.S. naturalization application.Odeh said she thought the questions about whether...

Muslim families celebrate Halloween despite coinciding with Ashura

October 31st, 20140 DEARBORN — Whether it be trick-or-treating, carving a pumpkin for the front porch or spending big bucks for thrills at a haunted house, Halloween has transitioned into a month-long lifestyle in the U.S. In recent years, both adults and children have been increasingly indulging themselves with lavish decorations, tasty treats and...

What is Ashura, why do local Shi’a commemorate it?

October 31st, 20140 Ashura service at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge.DEARBORN — If you are unfamiliar with the rituals of Shi'a Islam, Ashura gatherings might seem like funerals. But the mourning congregations in Ashura are to commemorate a man who died more than 1,300 years ago.Ashura is one of the pillars of the Shi'a religious creed. Yazid,...