Nearly 22,000 student loan borrowers in Michigan approved for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
May 16th, 20230 To mark Public Service Recognition Week, the U.S. Department of Education announced it has approved nearly 616,000 borrowers nationwide for approximately $42 billion in Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) since October 2021. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), covers public employees — such as teachers, firefighters and...
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum introduces bill to restrict aid to Israel
May 16th, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. – A U.S. representative from Minnesota has renewed a push to ensure that aid to Israel does not contribute to abuses of Palestinians, particularly children, as progressive legislators continue to call for conditions to be placed on the assistance. On Friday, May 5, Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum reintroduced a...
Friend or foe — The dawn of the AI revolution
May 16th, 20230 By Peter White A research scientist who works on the intersection of reasoning and machine learning likens the boom in artificial intelligence to the Industrial Revolution. “I wasn’t around then,” said Hector Palacios, “but back in the day people would say, ‘I’m going to buy an engine.’” After a while, nobody was...
San Diego attorney general promises Arabs and Muslims to fight rising hate crime
May 6th, 20230 On Thursday, San Diego Attorney General Rob Bonta told members of San Diego’s Arab and Muslim community that he is working to increase the inclusion of immigrants in California while simultaneously fighting rising hate crime. “We know there has been an increase in hate crimes and Islamophobia,” he said, promising to fight it as...
U.S. appeals court upholds dismissal of lawsuit linking American Palestinian group to “terrorism”
May 6th, 20230 WASHINGTON D.C. – On May 2, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit charging that a Palestinian rights organization had provided “material support” for terrorism by engaging in advocacy. Brought by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and several U.S. citizens who live in Israel, the suit targeted First...
Muslim New Jersey mayor blocked from attending Eid al-Fitr celebration at the White House
May 6th, 20230 WASHINGTON D.C. — A Muslim mayor in New Jersey was blocked from attending a belated Eid al-Fitr celebration hosted by President Biden. The White House held an Eid al-Fitr event to celebrate the end of the Muslim holly month of Ramadan on Monday, May 1, where President Biden addressed the invited guests. The mayor of Prospect...
New Jersey designates January as Muslim Heritage Month
May 6th, 20230 New Jersey Muslim community and faith leaders have hailed the governor’s decision to designate January as “Muslim Heritage Month” after years of rallying for the decision. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a proclamation Saturday in a measure that will bring more awareness to the Muslim communities in the state, North Jersey...
How to apply for your share of Facebook’s $725 million settlement in privacy suit
May 1st, 20230 Facebook users have until August to claim their share of a $725 million class-action settlement of a lawsuit alleging privacy violations by the social media company, a new website reveals. The lawsuit was prompted in 2018 after Facebook disclosed that the information of 87 million users was improperly shared with Cambridge...
U.S. Reps. Tlaib and Dingell lead Congressional effort on adding MENA category to Census
May 1st, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 27, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) led 20 of their colleagues in a joint congressional public comment letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to end the systemic erasure of the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) community. The...
Free speech vs. national security in proposed TikTok ban
May 1st, 20230 By Peter White With a billion users worldwide and 150 million in the U.S., Chinese-owned social media giant TikTok is facing a possible ban here amid growing concerns around data privacy and rising geopolitical tensions with Beijing. Opponents of the ban say it ignores wider data concerns around social media and potentially raises...
Minneapolis authorities investigating two mosque fires on consecutive days
May 1st, 20230 Emergency crews responded to fires at two mosques in south Minneapolis over two consecutive days and authorities are asking for help identifying a man believed to be involved in one of the fires. According to the Minneapolis Fire Department, the first fire happened Sunday evening at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center inside the 24 Somali...
Biden, 80, makes 2024 presidential run official as Trump fight looms
May 1st, 20230 President Biden launched his re-election bid on Tuesday with a promise to protect American liberties from "extremists" linked to former President Trump, whom he beat in 2020 and might face again in 2024. Biden made his announcement in a video released by his new campaign team that opens with imagery from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the...
U.S. Reps Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell introduce resolution recognizing Eid al-Fitr
April 21st, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) introduced a resolution recognizing Eid al-Fitr, the observance of the conclusion of Ramadan, and offering best wishes and support to all Muslims for a joyous and meaningful celebration. “Ramadan is a time for us to renew...
$4.7 million available to help Michigan businesses address talent shortages
April 21st, 20230 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) has released a competitive Request for Proposals to support the development of new, or the enhancement of existing, employer-led collaboratives throughout the state. $4.7 million in grant awards are available to organizations through the Sector Strategies...
Suspect arrested in stabbing of imam while praying at mosque in New Jersey
April 20th, 20230 PATERSON, NJ — An imam at a mosque in Paterson, New Jersey was stabbed while leading prayers. Around 5:30 a.m. last Sunday, Imam Sayed Elnakib was stabbed several times while praying at the Omar Mosque, according to reports. The alleged attacker, Serif Zorba, was restrained by the other individuals praying in the mosque. The......
FBI arrests 21-year-old National Guardsman for “criminal” U.S. intelligence leaks
April 15th, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, the FBI arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard, over the leaks online of classified documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Teixeira "in connection...
Muslim Americans strive across the U.S. to make Eid Al Fitr a school holiday
April 14th, 20230 By Jihan Abdalla It all started last year, when Saamih Bashir’s eldest son, Kareem, a ninth grade pupil in the U.S. state of Michigan, started complaining about never having the day off from school during Eid Al Fitr. Instead of being able to enjoy the celebrations and time with his family, Kareem said he was stressed out. “He...
Israeli company’s malware used to hack dissidents, activists across 10 countries
April 14th, 20230 An Israeli firm's hacking tools have been used against journalists, opposition figures and advocacy organizations across at least 10 countries — including people in North America and Europe — according to new research published Tuesday by Microsoft Corp and the Internet watchdog Citizen Lab. Citizen Lab said in its report that it...
Biden says he plans on running in 2024
April 14th, 20230 On Monday, President Biden said he plans on running for reelection in 2024, but he’s not yet ready to make an official announcement. Biden spoke with NBC’s Al Roker for a “Today” show segment on the White House Easter egg roll. Roker asked the president if he had plans to host more of the events in the future, a nod to his......
Classified docs leak: Who should go to prison
April 13th, 20230 by Thomas L. Knapp As I write this, Politico reports that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has made an arrest in the matter of “classified” government documents found circulating on social media after allegedly being posted on an Internet game chat server over a period of weeks or months. The New York Times reports that...President Biden issues a proclamation declaring April 2023 Arab American Heritage Month
April 8th, 20230 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, March 31, President Biden issued the following proclamation declaring April 2023 as the Arab American Heritage month: "The Arab American story is the American story — one of diverse backgrounds and faiths, vibrant tradition, bold innovation, hard work, commitment to community and stalwart patriotism,......
U.S. citizen gets 20 years for joining ISIS
April 8th, 20230 MIAMI — A U.S. citizen who moved his family to Syria to join the ISIS terrorist group has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Emraan Ali, 55, a U.S. citizen born in Trinidad and Tobago, was sentenced Tuesday in Miami federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in November to conspiring to provide material...
Chicago-based organization launches campaign to educate the community about Ramadan
April 8th, 20230 CHICAGO — GainPeace, in partnership with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) and the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) proudly announces the launch of a four-week joint campaign aimed at educating the broader community about the significance of Ramadan and promoting humanitarian......
