The Arab American News back issues from January 2007:
Christian Zionists to gather at Southfield church
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Pastor John Hagee, perhaps the most prominent evangelical Christian Zionist in America today, will appear in the first event of a nationwide tour at the Word of Faith International Center in Southfield, Sunday evening, January 7, 2007. The evening is being billed as "A Night ...
We should all have the same dream
Jan 06, 2007; ... Slavery is alive and well in America. It's not physical slavery which threatens us today but the shackles of the mind. The Arab American community owes a great deal of its freedom to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is easy to take for granted the right to vote, the right to eat at any ...
Saddam's execution a cover for U.S.
Jan 06, 2007; ... The fact that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant and a mass murderer is undeniable. In spite of his crimes, his trial was not much different from Stalin's show trials of the 1930s. There are several controversial issues involved in this trial. Did he get a fair trial? Should the death penalty ever be ...
What new strategy in Iraq?
Jan 06, 2007; ... President George W. Bush has been proclaiming for a month now that he is in search of a "new strategy" for "victory" in Iraq, and that he is consulting far and wide about what this strategy will be. Given all the hints and leaks, there are few people waiting breathlessly for the presidential ...
Power balance shift in Israel-Palestine
Jan 06, 2007; ... BEIRUT - By most measures, it would seem that in the Palestinian-Israeli war, the Israelis are winning. They control and colonize Arab lands, enjoy military superiority and total American support and unilaterally try to define the diplomatic parameters of the conflict. But this may be a mistaken ...
Reflections on a new year
Jan 06, 2007; ... 2006 was yet another year of tribulation in the ever tumultuous Middle East. It defied all early expectations that 2005 would be the worst for many years to follow. It ended on a sad note in Palestine, and left wide open the chance for many appalling possibilities that stretch from Baghdad, to ...
Is a new Middle East war looming?
Jan 06, 2007; ... When Western friends ask me why the Palestinians don't get their act together, I simply say "I do not know." Last week provocative, albeit ineffective, Palestinian rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel while a new Israeli settlement was announced to the world. Palestinians complain in a ...
Invasion of Somalia won't stabilize country
Jan 06, 2007; ... Ethiopian and former Somali government forces have brought down the Union of Islamic Courts, Somalia's recently installed government. Humanitarian disaster looms. Aid agencies warn the fighting has prevented flood-relief efforts from reaching two million flood and conflict victims in ...
Congressional committee to look at Arar case
Jan 06, 2007; ... In an interview with the "Toronto Star" on December 20, Democratic Congressman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he will call Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before the committee to ask him why Maher Arar is still barred from the United States ....
Rachel Corrie bulldozed again
Jan 06, 2007; ... In 2005, the Royal Court Theatre in London produced a play based on the words of Rachel Come, the young international volunteer killed by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to prevent destruction of a Palestinian home. Reviews have been largely favorable. Now, the Toronto production of that play, ...
Quebeckers opposed to teachers wearing hijab
Jan 06, 2007; ... Ekos, a public opinion research organization, recently did a study of Canadian attitudes toward the wearing of religious clothing and objects. They queried 1004 people, of whom 243 were Quebeckers. Six months after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a Sikh school child could wear a ...
Graham crusade in Winnipeg
Jan 06, 2007; ... Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, made an appearance in Winnipeg on October 20, in spite of demands from two Muslim organizations that he be barred from Canada because he had declared Islam to be "a very evil and wicked religion." In a press interview, Graham declared that Saddam ...
Canadian Jewish Congress bars anti-occupation Jews
Jan 06, 2007; ... A new organization, the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians, is being rebuffed by the National Office of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC). The Alliance has sought to affiliate with the Congress. The Alliance - which opposes the occupation of Palestinian land and which calls for ...
Security certificates on trial
Jan 06, 2007; ... Canada's security certificates were themselves on trial, in a panel discussion held at the University of Ottawa on November 8. Participants were Hilary Homes, representing Amnesty International (AI), Bill Siksay, a member of Parliament for the socialist New Democratic Party, Diana Ralph, a ...
Honor killing no excuse
Jan 06, 2007; ... The Supreme Court of Canada refused, on November 9, to hear the appeal of a sentence imposed on a man who claimed that his wife's murder was an honor killing. Adi Abdul Humaid, from the United Arab Emirates, killed his wife when she told him that she had committed adultery. For that reason, he ...
Mounted police chief dismounts
Jan 06, 2007; ... It's been a long time in coming, but heads are finally beginning to roll. We are now beginning to see the fallout from the Maher Arar affair. Arar's fate was to a large extent related to false ...
Uncle Sam wants U.S. Muslims to serve
Jan 06, 2007; ... WASHINGTON - As U.S. troops battle Islamic extremists abroad, the Pentagon and the armed forces are reaching out to Muslims at home. An underlying goal is to interest more Muslims in the military, which needs officers and troops who can speak Arabic and other relevant languages and ...
Ellison sworn in as first Muslim in Congress
Jan 06, 2007; ... Racism has always dominated American politics and it's not unusual for it to seep into the hallowed halls of Congress. The Congress is a mirror of American society itself, reflecting how changes sometimes are difficult but continue to take place despite the rantings of extremists and ...
Auto Show enlivens beleaguered industry
Jan 13, 2007; ... DETROIT - The 2007 North American International Auto Show is the signature starting point for the new year in Detroit. The star-studded festivities plant the extravagant event into the memory banks and everyday conversations of Metro Detroiters for months. Spectacular is an understatement when ...
Bush plan on Iraq is dangerous
Jan 13, 2007; ... Two months ago the American people expressed an overwhelming lack of confidence in President Bush and the strategy he has employed in the war in Iraq. They handed the House and Senate over to the Democrats after twelve years of Republican control. One month ago, the Iraq Study Group ...
Joking around on the phone dangerous
Jan 13, 2007; ... The 9/11 attack was one of the most traumatic events that ever occurred in this country. The strongest and most enduring effect has been on the Arab American and American Muslim communities. Many in our community are paranoid about the government spying on them. An Arab American leader in ...
Bush, Blair, Olmert: Rush to Armageddon
Jan 13, 2007; ... George W. Bush has purged senior military and intelligence officials who were obstacles to a wider war in the Middle East, broadening his options for both escalating the conflict inside Iraq and expanding the fighting to Iran and Syria with Israel's help. On January 4, Bush ousted the ...
Yes, there is apartheid in Israel
Jan 13, 2007; ... The U.S. Jewish establishment's onslaught on former President Jimmy Carter is based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all: through its army, the government of Israel practices a brutal form of apartheid in the territory it occupies. Its army has turned every Palestinian village ...
U.S. attacks alleged Al Qaeda militants in Somalia
Jan 13, 2007; ... Just as Somalia's new interim government began taking power in the beleaguered country, U.S. forces attacked alleged Al Qaeda operatives, killing eight people. The strikes possibly hit the target of the operation, though the government was not making any conclusions as of deadline. Ethiopian ...
FBI seminar hosts Hollywood scribes
Jan 13, 2007; ... FBI memo to Hollywood: If it's not too much trouble, could you please portray our counterterrorism efforts with a bit more realism? Hoping for an answer in the affirmative, the FBI hosted its first workshop for screenwriters last week at the Federal Building in Westwood. "FBI - ...
Arabs and Muslims meet with attorney general
Jan 13, 2007; ... WASHINGTON - Prominent American Muslim and Arab American groups met this week with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to share community concerns over post-9/11 federal law enforcement policies and practices. Representatives from the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC), the ...
Muslim sentenced, entire family deported
Jan 13, 2007; ... DETROIT - Monday, a Pakistani immigrant was sentenced to 30 years in prison for plotting to commit an act of terrorism. The day after, his family was detained on immigration violations. "The Washington Post" reported: "Shahwar Matin Siraj, 24, was sentenced Monday afternoon for plotting ...
Maryland's first Muslim lawmaker takes office
Jan 13, 2007; ... ANNAPOLIS - Maryland's first Muslim lawmaker took office this week, saying he was proud to make history but not interested in being known only for his religion. Nevertheless, the milestone was sweet for Democrat Saqib Ali of Gaithersburg, who was targeted by an anti-Muslim protester ...
Community leaders condemns vandalism on Warren Ave, calls for investigation and calm
Jan 13, 2007; ... DETROIT - After a number of Shi'a Muslim-owned businesses and religious centers were vandalized last weekend in the Warrendale area of Detroit, various Muslim and Arab leaders have met to try to prevent escalation of possible tensions between Shi'i and Sunni Muslims in the Detroit ...
Young Arab Americans react to Bush speech
Jan 13, 2007; ... DEARBORN - If Bush's speech was supposed to convince young Arab Americans that he's got a plan for bringing peace to Iraq, it failed. Two local activists with their finger on the pulse of the community, Zeinab Chami and Bilal Dabaja, spoke to "The Arab American News." Chami is an office ...
Hammoud withdraws from Dearborn mayoral race, leaves O'Reilly with no serious challenger
Jan 13, 2007; ... DEARBORN - At 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12, the deadline for withdrawal from candidacy in Dearborn's special mayoral election, Abed Hammoud chose not to run. An Arab American who had garnered much support and excitement throughout the community in previous weeks, Hammoud, who ...
ADC to celebrate MLK legacy
Jan 13, 2007; ... DEARBORN - The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated beyond the January 15 national holiday when the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) holds its 8th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Awards Reception on January 26. Students from throughout ...
George Darany sworn in as newest member of Dearborn City Council
Jan 13, 2007; ... DEARBORN - George Darany, an Arab American businessman and community volunteer, was sworn in on Tuesday this week as the newest member of the Dearborn City Council. As the eighth highest vote-getter in the 2005 election for the seven-member city council, Darany was next in line for the ...
Dearborn Rocks festival features great music and benefits Dearborn Historical Museum
Jan 13, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Dearborn may be best known as the hometown of Henry Ford, but an all-day rock 'n' roll festival on Saturday, January 20, will celebrate the city as the home of vintage bands like the Woolies, the Royaltones and Jamie Coe and the Gigolos. The festival, called Dearborn Rocks, is ...
Arabic computer classes offered at Henry Ford Centennial Library
Jan 13, 2007; ... DEARBORN - A variety of computer classes, including two presented specifically in the Arabic language, are being offered at the Henry Ford Centennial Library. All classes are free, except for the class on Microsoft Word, which has a fee of $10 per student. Registration for all ...
Dillon sworn in as new speaker of the house
Jan 13, 2007; ... LANSING - Rep. Andy Dillon (D-Redford Township) this week was sworn in as the 70th Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, pledging a new era of bipartisanship and a House that will be fully committed to giving Michigan's working families every opportunity to succeed in today's global ...
Law School announces new clinic
Jan 13, 2007; ... DETROIT - Wayne State University Law School announces an expanded transactional clinic that will be known as the Small Business Enterprises and Nonprofit Corporations Clinic. The clinic is housed in the Law School which is located at 471 W. Palmer Street, Detroit, on the main WSU campus ....
ACC names Yono VP of community relations
Jan 13, 2007; ... LATHRUP VILLAGE - The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC ) has announced that Nabby Yono is its new Vice President of Community Relations & Advocacy. Yono has been involved in many social, political and civic organizations, including serving ...
Local art expert gets Fulbright grant
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Farmington Hills resident Hashim Al-Tawil, an art history instructor at Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) here, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct art history research in Palermo, Italy. Pre-Norman Palermo was a center of distinct Arabic culture and ...
Dearborn man hits the bigtime as screenwriter
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Lance K. R. Kawas, an Arab American screenwriter who struggled for years to get his award-winning scripts made into movies, now has a film available in every Blockbuster and Hollywood Video in the world. Kawas wrote and co-directed "Silent Scream," a new horror film being ...
Saddam execution gets mixed community reaction
Jan 06, 2007; ... Iraqi Shi'i community celebrates hanging DETROIT - Dearborn wasn't the only place people were partying this week. Canada's Iraqi-Shi'i community also celebrated the execution of Saddam Hussein. The Ontario community isn't concentrated in a particular area. That put a damper on ...
Turfe sworn in as city's first Arab American judge
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Dearborn Heights swore in its first Arab American district court judge Thursday. New 20th District Court Judge David Turfe was sworn in at Crestwood High School in front of a crowd of over 500. Many local judges, attorneys and well-wishers from both the Arab American ...
Comprehensive Arabic language program will cover K-16 in Dearborn
Jan 06, 2007; ... A comprehensive Arabic language program intended to span from kindergarten through college is being developed by Dearborn Public Schools (DPS) and Michigan State University (MSU). The program is being funded federally as part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI). The NSLI ...
Fourth annual Detroit MLK Day
Jan 06, 2007; ... DETROIT - The Fourth annual Detroit Martin Luther King Day event is being billed as the biggest and best one ever. Renowned author and peace activist Marianne Williamson will be special guest keynote speaker. Bishop Thomas Gumbleton will be presented with the 2007 MLK Spirit of Detroit award ....
Attorney joins Miller Canfield firm
Jan 06, 2007; ... DETROIT - The law firm of Miller Canfield has announced that Tim A. Attalla has joined the firm as senior counsel in the Detroit office. He will focus his practice on commercial and international matters. Prior to joining Miller Canfield, Attalla was in private practice in Dearborn, for ...
The Henry Ford commemorates Martin Luther King Day
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN - The Henry Ford announces the second annual "With Liberty and Justice for All" public symposium on Monday, January 15, Martin Luther King Day. Keynote speakers for this year's event are Dr. Marc Kruman and Dr. J. Mills Thornton, distinguished history professors and authors from Wayne ...
Town Hall meeting addresses mayoral race in Dearborn
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Arab American community leaders and activists met at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on Friday, January 5 to discuss Dearborn's February 27 special election to replace Michael A. Guido, who died last December of cancer, and whose term will last through December 2009. Three ...
Love needs Chantal Chamandy
Jan 06, 2007; ... The olive skinned beauty stares back intently from the CD cover with a come-hither look rife with erotic intentions, but not in the whorish, "Girls Gone Wild" way that many female artists are marketed these days. There's something classy about Arab-Canadian singer Chantal Chamandy - maybe it's ...
'9 Parts of Desire' does Midwest premiere in Dearborn
Jan 06, 2007; ... DEARBORN - The Arab Theatrical Arts Guild (www.arabtheater.org) and Water Works Theatre Company (www.waterworkstheatre.com)have announced the Midwest premiere of the smash hit play, Heather Raffo's "9 Parts of Desire," for a limited engagement, January 31 through February 11, 2007, in Studio A ...
Does Carter deserve the attacks?
Jan 20, 2007; ... Former President Jimmy Carter's recent book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," is very helpful in alerting Israel, U.S. policy makers and the whole world that Palestine should have a viable state if Israel is to have a lasting peace. The book documents the human rights violations of the ...
Cheney rejected Iran's offer of concessions
Jan 20, 2007; ... A former senior U.S. official says the offer was very close to what the U.S. currently wants. A package of concessions offered to the U.S. by Iran in 2003 was very close to what the U.S. is now asking from Tehran. The BBC reports that Iran offered, among other things, to end support for ...
Attorneys try to help Gitmo detainees
Jan 20, 2007; ... Mark Denbeaux is a veteran of the civil rights struggles. He was there at Selma during that historic voter registration campaign. He was there when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream" speech. Now, somewhat longer in the tooth, he is a professor at Seton Hall Law School in ...
Israel looking for an 'Extreme Makeover'
Jan 20, 2007; ... OAKLAND, California - It hasn't been the easiest year for Israel. There was this past summer's widely condemned attack on Lebanon and the recent disclosure by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that his country has a nuclear arsenal, not to mention the ongoing death and destruction ...
Beat-boxing a knockout at Geer Park
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Seven time World Champion boxer Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns paid a visit to Geer Park Elementary School on Friday. And he brought a friend. Steven "Stevie Soul" Ansara, a rising Detroit-based vocal percussionist, left students, parents and faculty wide-eyed after performing and ...
DHS to launch Traveler Redress Inquiry Program
Jan 20, 2007; ... WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week it will launch the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP), an easy to use, single point of inquiry for travel-related issues. DHS TRIP was developed to provide a central gateway to address watch list ...
Winners of scholarship contest announced
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - ADC Michigan has announced the winners of its 8th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Contest, which was open to all Arab and Chaldean American high school seniors in Michigan. This year, entries reached record numbers and were received from all parts of the state, a sign of ...
Alliance to push comprehensive immigration reform
Jan 20, 2007; ... As the 110th Congress kicks off its first session with calls in both chambers to overhaul the immigration system, advocates for change have launched a new alliance to ensure that those promises become legislative reality. The Alliance for Immigration Reform 2007 is a new working group of ...
Macomb churches share burden of homeless
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - At last count, there were 947 homeless people in Macomb County, according to a census for the homeless taken every two years. To help shoulder the burden of providing them shelter, St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Warren along with 80 other Macomb churches work together ...
Michigan pilgrims offered apology, compensation from Northwest Airlines
Jan 20, 2007; ... SOUTHFIELD - The Michigan office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) announced this week that Northwest Airlines is offering an apology and limited financial compensation to a group of 40 American Muslim pilgrims who were allegedly denied passage on a January 7th flight ...
Wayne County gets toll free number to receive child abuse reports
Jan 20, 2007; ... DETROIT - Wayne County has implemented a dedicated, toll-free 1-800 telephone number to better handle reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. The number, 1-800-716-2234, is intended for the exclusive use of reporting incidents of suspected child abuse or neglect for all of Wayne ...
This is the only year you can retrieve past telephone taxes
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Since the Spanish-American War in 1898, the federal government has been collecting a three percent excise tax on telephone usage. Initially intended as a luxury tax to help fund the war, which lasted only four months, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) continued to collect the ...
In this housing market, it might pay to challenge your property taxes
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - You may not have to pay as much in property taxes as the government says you do. Home owners will soon be getting their annual property assessments in the mail to determine what they will pay in taxes. Assessments increase each year, even though actual market values are ...
Interim director named at Arab Studies Center
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Moulouk Berry, assistant professor of humanities at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, has been named interim director of the campus's Center for Arab American Studies. "We are confident that Professor Berry will build on our campus' strong dedication to the Center for Arab ...
Ahmed appointed to EMU Board of Regents
Jan 20, 2007; ... DEARBORN - Ismael Ahmed, Executive Director of ACCESS, has been appointed by Governor Granholm to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents, making him the first ever Arab American to serve on EMU's Board of Regents and the only Arab American currently serving on any of ...
AAI scholarship for Arab American journalism students
Jan 20, 2007; ... WASHINGTON - The Arab American Institute Foundation has announced the second year of the Al Muammar Scholarships for Journalism, the most generous scholarship program of its kind offered to Arab American students. Up to four scholarship grants, valued at $5,000 each, will be awarded to ...