Sterling Heights’ silent majority defeats bigots
November 6th, 20150 Sterling Heights residents, gathered against the mosque, Sept. 10 - Archive"The Muslim religion is not a religion; it's a cult. It's a political," said Sterling Heights City Council candidate Moira Smith at an election forum last month. Her husband, Paul Smith, who was running for mayor, advocated for denying mosques on technicalities...Homeowners must pay taxes, but government should make it simpler
A petitioner addressing Dearborn City CouncilOwning a home is a part of realizing the "American Dream." It is an immense responsibility and a great opportunity. The security a home provides and prosperity it symbolizes come at a cost. Homeowners must make their mortgage payments, maintain their properties and pay their taxes.Residents...
You should vote on Tuesday
October 29th, 20150 Dave Abdallah is a trusted community leader who can improve Dearborn HeightsArab Americans are growing in numbers and business power across Metro Detroit. Although many local Arabs are first-generation immigrants, our roots run deep here. Michigan is our home. To fortify our presence and safeguard our interests, we should engage in...The internet mocks Netanyahu with viral hashtag
The hashtag #BibiHistoryLessons went viral with memes depicting Palestinians as responsible for numerous tragediesIsraeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu has become the subject of international criticism and mockery after claiming that the Palestinian Mufti of Jerusalem is responsible for the Holocaust, saying that Hitler had wanted to...
Netanyahu hates Palestinians more than he cares for Jews
October 21st, 20150 Netanyahu with John Hagee, who claims God sent Hitler to "hunt" JewsIsraeli PR to the world is based on factual inaccuracies and fabrications — Palestine was a vacant land before 1948; Palestinians want to throw Jews into the sea; Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East; God gave Israel the right to colonize the West...Palestinians are struggling, alone
"Palestinians are alone, fighting with rocks, knives and screwdrivers against one of the most well-equipped armies in the world. "The world was shocked by the footage of Israeli settlers taunting a 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot by occupation forces in the West Bank. "Die you son of a whore," a Jewish settler told the...
We are Americans, like you
October 9th, 20150 If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. And if you put satire on xenophobia, it's still xenophobia. The O'Reilly Factor's segment on Dearborn, which was supposed to be comedic, was racist, bigoted and dangerous. Jesse Watters, Bill O'Reilly's correspondent who was sent to Dearborn, tried to ridicule his Arab...
Hubbard’s statue was removed, but the struggle continues
September 30th, 20150 "Confining ourselves to demographic islands perpetuates Hubbard's racist ideals."Residents and civil rights activists celebrated the removal of Orville Hubbard's statue from the grounds of Dearborn's historic City Hall. Hubbard was a White supremacist who advocated for racial segregation. The statue is being relocated to the Dearborn...Stampedes are too common at Hajj; Saudi Arabia should be accountable
An ambulance drives to the camp city of Mina near Mecca, Sept. 24The death of more than 717 people in a stampede at Hajj on the day of Eid is a tragedy. But it was not a natural disaster. It is a man-made incident that could have been avoided. Saudi authorities pledged to investigate the deadly blunder, which was caused by two...Carson’s anti-Muslim remarks: The party of Lincoln is becoming the party of Palin
"It is farcical that Trump and Carson are leading the GOP race."Dr. Ben Carson, the second most popular Republican presidential candidate, said he would not advocate for a Muslim president because Islam's teachings are inconsistent with the Constitution. The statement showed an astounding amount of hate and ignorance. But what is...On “abeed” and “camel jockeys”: Racial supremacy is a disease
"Snuffing out prejudice in our African and Arab American communities is not only ethically necessary, it is in our self interest.""You camel jockey motherf****ers," yelled an African American man at a crowd of Arab Americans at a Dearborn gas station after a traffic dispute this week. As the confrontation escalated, the angry driver...
We should always stand with Ahmed
September 18th, 20150 A 14-year-old brings a homemade clock to school. A teacher and the school’s principal pretend to think it's a bomb and call the police, who amplify the prejudice by detaining the student. Nobody had actually mistaken the clock for a bomb. If that had been the case, the school would have been evacuated and the bomb squad...The 33rd anniversary of the Sabra massacre: Where are the Arabs
"Where are the Arabs?" distressed Palestinian women asked the cameras while leaving the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp after witnessing one of worst crimes of the second half of the past century. In cooperation with the Israeli forces, Christian extremist militants murdered more than 3,500 Palestinians over two days in the Sabra...
An open letter to the Chaldean community: Dialogue is needed
September 11th, 20150 Arab-Chaldean relations have reached a critical point. Repeated attempts by some Chaldeans to attack, smear and ridicule Arab and Muslim Americans can no longer be tolerated. This rising bigotry should be addressed with reason and dialogue within and between both communities. Members of the Chaldean community took turns trying to...Sterling Heights desecrated the Constitution; we must act
On Sept. 10, the Sterling Heights Planning Commission rejected the proposed mosque on 15 Mile Road. As explained in a previous editorial, zoning and residential concerns against the mosque were thinly veiled lies that failed to hide the rampant Islamophobia expressed by bigots who opposed the house of worship. We have to organize......
Celebrating 31 years in a painful world
The Arab American News staff during our 30th anniversary celebrationThe Arab American News was established 31 years ago, on Sept. 7, 1984. Since then, it has grown from an idea to become a destination for tens of thousands of readers, journalists and politicians seeking the news of Arab America.The newspaper has matched the growth and...
Syria’s refugees: Poetry doesn’t help; action needed
September 4th, 20150 Aylan KurdiThe photo of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian child who drowned and washed on the shores of Turkey, has inspired volumes of poetry and sympathy. But words and tears will not help the people of Syria. Actions are needed by all governments— including ours— which considers itself the leading force in the free world. Aylan, 3,...Israel’s thug at the UN
The appointment by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of one of his most hawkish and outspoken rivals as Israel’s new ambassador to the United Nations has prompted widespread consternation. As one Israeli analyst noted last week, Danny Danon’s appointment amounts to a “cruel joke” on the international community. The new...
Opposing mosques is un-American
August 28th, 20150 The Chaldean resident who said all Muslims are killersIt was a parade of bigotry. Resident after resident piled insults on Islam and Muslims to voice opposition to the building of a mosque in Sterling Heights. And the one speaker who reminded the crowd at the city council meeting last week of the First and 14th Amendments was booed by......
We should be better neighbors
Children playing at night in a Dearborn street.Dearborn has a rich, diverse culture— a hybrid of the Middle East and the Midwest that can manifest itself in tasty food, welcoming faces and exuberant atmospheres. But not all is great. Our enthusiasm and liveliness are turning into chaos. Our tendency to be loud and stay up late...Crestwood superintendent owes Arabs explanation on discrimination findings
More than two years have passed since the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission made findings that the Crestwood School District (CSD) discriminated against Arab Americans in hiring and recruitment. Last year, the CSD reached a settlement agreement with the civil rights division of the Department of Justice to improve......
There is nothing to surveil in Dearborn
August 7th, 20150 Reports about an FBI-owned plane that was surveilling Dearborn over the weekend are alarming. The bureau has denied that it was targeting the Arab community and added that it is not aware of any threats in Metro Detroit. However, there is a growing irrational and unfounded fear of Dearborn being a hub for extremism. The city of 95,000...Greater cooperation needed between police and businesses in Detroit
Excessive ticketing of gas stations and liquor stores owners continues to be a problem in Detroit. Once again, business owners are receiving multiple tickets for not having the proper licenses, missing invoices and other suspected violations. Sometimes the owners get several tickets for the same offense while in the processes of......
