The Arab American News back issues from October 2008:
Financial crisis impacts shish kabob stand
Oct 04, 2008; ... NEW YORK - It has not been an easy few weeks for Ahmed Fouda, the owner of Fouda Food, a shish kebab cart permanently parked at the comer of 49th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, outside of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers and epicenter of the current economic crisis. Business was down 75 ...
Final hours find newly conciliatory Olmert
Oct 04, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - In an interview with a newspaper on the eve of the Jewish holidays, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave a frank assessment of the concessions that Israel would have to give to achieve a lasting peace with its neighbors. Olmert told the Israeli daily ...
Palestinian economy: From bad to wretched
Oct 04, 2008; ... The numbers are grim, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian economy is in one of its most wretched states, and the disaster is mostly, if not entirely, manmade, thus reversible. The World Bank made no secret of the fact that Israeli restrictions are largely to ...
Iran resolution shelved in rare defeat for "Israel lobby"
Oct 04, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - In a significant and highly unusual defeat for the so-called "Israel Lobby," the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has decided to shelve a long-pending, albeit non-binding, resolution that called for President George W. Bush to launch what critics called a ...
At the Palestinian camp, bombing is a way of life
Oct 04, 2008; ... BEIRUT (IPS) - A bomb blast at the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp as this IPS correspondent was visiting, comes as yet another reminder of the precarious peace in these places. Leading into Ain el-Helweh, on the outskirts of the southern city Sidon, this correspondent saw a large ...
Sunni-Shi'a row develops over scholar's interview
Oct 04, 2008; ... Editor calls battle "a ball of sectarian and political fire" Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi is no stranger to public scrutiny. The Sunni Muslim preacher is the star of his own highly popular show on al-Jazeera TV, which is watched by millions for his advice on sharia law. But he may have ...
Russia eyes new Mideast role
Oct 04, 2008; ... Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is heading to Russia for a two-day visit. He was invited by President Dmitry Medvedev. They will discuss Russia's support for a peace process and Russian-Israeli relations, which were strained by Israel's close relations to Georgia. This visit ...
Bush had no plan to catch Bin Laden after 9/11
Oct 04, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - New evidence from former U.S. officials reveals that the George W. Bush administration failed to adopt any plan to block the retreat of Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders from Afghanistan to Pakistan in the first weeks after 9/11. That failure was directly ...
Brief talks with Syria spur speculation
Oct 04, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - A series of meetings between U.S. and Syrian diplomats, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterpart, Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, at the United Nations over the past week is stirring speculation that Washington may at last be moving toward engaging ...
Lebanese-Canadian singer hosts on CBC
Oct 04, 2008; ... The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) has just gone through a major shift in its focus. Its English language Radio Two has switched away from a classical music format to a more diverse approach, aiming at a wider audience. This is not the first switch I've lived through, as back in the '60s ...
Torture by proxy
Oct 04, 2008; ... Torture by proxy Kerry Pither. Dark Days. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2008. This is a book that should make you angry, depressed, and ashamed. Ashamed to be Canadian, ashamed to be American. It tells in graphic and gruesome detail of the tortures inflicted on innocent Muslim ...
Why America should listen to Ahmadinejad
Oct 04, 2008; ... Although our Founding Fathers would have comprehended and endorsed Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations, present-day Americans would find it strange should they happen to hear about it. Unlike their forbears, Americans today live a material life, not a spiritual one. Americans are ...
Come to the polls Nov. 4 with knowledge - and confidence
Oct 04, 2008; ... While the results of the Nov. 4 election won't be known until the polls close, one thing already is certain: All eligible Michigan voters have the opportunity to cast ballots and can do so with confidence that their votes will count. My assurance is based not only on Michigan's ...
Dolce Gift Shop offers pure decadence
Oct 04, 2008; ... DEARBORN - When customers come in and browse the selection of chocolates at Dearborn's Dolce Gift Shop, the firsf thing tiiey notice is how good they look. With decorations, themes, and colors to match any special event, the chocolates at Dolce are as elegant as it gets. But ...
Hathaway aims for state Supreme Court
Oct 04, 2008; ... When people go in to fill out their ballots on November 4th, most of the attention will be on the presidential election. But a race that some feel is just as important locally is the one for a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court, which can be found further down the ...
November ballots will be loaded
Oct 04, 2008; ... All the attention right now is on the monumental upcoming presidential race, but when the moment of truth finally comes and voters are presented with the ballots they've been waiting for, they'll be looking at dozens of names to choose from in a whole lot of races. State and national ...
McCain gives up on Michigan in major retreat
Oct 04, 2008; ... John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play. McCain wdl go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his ...
ACC to host important cancer detection, treatment forum
Oct 04, 2008; ... TROY - The Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) will host its fourth annual Arab American and Chaldean Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Forum on Thursday, October 9, 2008. The event will take place at St. Joseph Catholic Church at 2442 E. Big Beaver Road in Troy from ...
Christian peace group concludes conference
Oct 04, 2008; ... BIRMINGHAM - Under the title "Peace, Palestine and US Policy - 1948-2008," Friends of Sabeel-North America held a three-day informative conference about the Israeli occupation of Palestine at the First Presbyterian Church from Sept. 25-27. Over 500 attendees were treated to presentations ...
Dearborn Mayor holds Iftar dinner
Oct 04, 2008; ... DEARBORN - Mayor Jack O'Reilly and a group of local business owners hosted an Iftar dinner Sept. 28 at Byblos Banquet Hall. Chaker Aoun, owner of Garden Foods Beverage Distributor, was one of the sponsors of the dinner. "The mayor knows that the month of Ramadan means a lot the ...
Dearborn man gets prison for threats against extremist blogger
Oct 04, 2008; ... The Detroit Free Press reported on Thursday that a federal judge sentenced a Dearborn restaurant cook to 8 months in prison for emailing death threats to right-wing blogger Debbie Schlussel. Mohamad Fouad Abdallah, 40, pleaded guilty in June to sending two e-mails to Schlussel in August ...
Finkelstein inspires Dearborn Heights crowd
Oct 04, 2008; ... Political science scholar Norman Finkelstein, an academic known for rattling off monotoned lists of facts, stadstics and thorough analyses of footnotes, was a rockstar in Dearborn Heights on Sept. 26 at the Islamic House of Wisdom after speaking on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The ...
Henry Ford Hospital names new chair of Women's Health
Oct 04, 2008; ... DETROIT - Adnan Munkarah, M.D., a specialist in gynecologic cancer including ovarian and uterine cancer, has been named chair of the Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Women's Health for the Henry Ford Medical Group and the Hospital and Health Network. Dr. Munkarah is clinical ...
Arab American teen has shot at Olympics
Oct 04, 2008; ... In the world of sports, injuries can end careers in the blink of an eye. But in the case of Zain Shaito, a broken arm suffered in a hockey game opened his eyes to a whole new world of athletic competition. Now, the 17-year old kid who grew up in Michigan dreaming of playing in the NHL is ...
Hummus war looms between Lebanon and Israel
Oct 11, 2008; ... BEIRUT - The latest conflict cooking between Lebanon and Israel is all about food: Lebanese businessmen are accusing Israel of stealing traditionally Middle Eastern dishes like hummus. Fadi Abboud, president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, said Tuesday his group was planning ...
America's right-wing zealots will not fade away
Oct 11, 2008; ... In 1964, Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona ran for president as a rock-ribbed conservative who yearned to roll back both the Soviet Empire and FDR's New Deal. He carried only six states with 52 electoral votes, and Lyndon Johnson remained the commander-inchief that an entire generation loved to ...
Breaking the silence
Oct 11, 2008; ... RAMALLAH (IPS) - An Israeli police commander has called them "provocateurs," "militants," and, "lawbreakers." Earlier in the year the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) decided that their presence in the city of Hebron, 30km south of Jerusalem in the Palestinian West Bank, constituted a security ...
U.S. urged to share more of refugee burden
Oct 11, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - Despite a marked increase in the number of Iraqi refugees admitted into the United States, experts on Iraq and human rights and refugee organizations are calling on Washington to open the door wider amid fears that returning home remains dangerous for many displaced ...
Where water leaves a bitter taste
Oct 11, 2008; ... BARCELONA (IPS) - Palestinian villagers drink unsafe agricultural water rather than trusting water provided by an Israeli company, says Buthaina Mizyed, who has worked in Arraneh village near the conflict-laden West Bank city of Jenin. The reason the Palestinians avoid the water from a ...
Torture 'routine' in Jordanian prisons
Oct 11, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - A new report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses the Jordanian authorities of routine and widespread torture of prisoners throughout the country, and calls for an end to the abuses. According to the 95-page report, based on interviews with 110 random ...
Lebanon in an uneasy alliance with Syria
Oct 11, 2008; ... BEIRUT (IPS) - Small countries right next to one another, Syria and Lebanon seem light years apart. The two countries have shared a rocky relationship for decades, characterized mainly by Syrian dominance. Once again this relationship appears to be put to the test as reports of Syrian deployment ...
Two American journalists held in Syria released
Oct 11, 2008; ... Two American journalists who were missing for more than a week were released by Syrian authorities and reportedly on their way home Thursday, after being detained while trying to sneak into the country with smugglers, Syrian and embassy officials said. Holli Chmela, 27, and Taylor Luck, ...
Israel: Wedded to war?
Oct 11, 2008; ... Far from learning the lessons of past conflict, the country's military seem ever more willing to resort to brute force For Israel; the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon war was all about questions. What mistakes were made, and who made them? What could be done to restore the Israeli ...
As violence drops, Iraqi tribes begin to make amends
Oct 11, 2008; ... Tribal elders are reviving a traditional process to heal the deep animosities resulting from sectarian bloodshed between Shi'a and Sunni BAGHDAD- Tears rarely roll down Iraqi farmer Hassan Mohammed Hamoud's proud, sun-creased face. But as this Shi'a father describes his losses to ...
Anger approaches boiling point
Oct 11, 2008; ... CAIRO (IPS) - Public disaffection with the government appears to have reached an all-time high. "There's no denying that popular anger towards the government is rising across the board," Nabil Abdel-Fattah, assistant director at the semi-official Al-Ahram Centre for Political and ...
Afghan peace talks widen U.S.-U.K. rift on war policy
Oct 11, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - The beginning of political talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban revealed by press accounts this week is likely to deepen the rift that has just erupted in public between the United States and its British ally over the U.S. commitment to an escalation of the war ...
Arabs among candidates for parliament
Oct 11, 2008; ... While they are not likely to win a seat in the current Canadian federal election campaign, there are two Arabs and a man of Hindu background running for office in the Ottawa South electoral district. Currently, the seat is held by David McGuinty, the Liberal and brother of Ontario Premier Dalton ...
Religious freedom ultimate protector
Oct 11, 2008; ... During a press conference held this week at the Interfaith Alliance in Washington, DC, prominent religious Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders condemned the recent distribution of an anti-Muslim DVD to more than 28 million households in key election swing states. Rabbi Jack Moline, Chair of the ...
Sheriff says cyber bullying is a real concern
Oct 11, 2008; ... With school just getting back into session most parents will, at some level, worry a bit about their child's well being as it relates to his or her new classmates. No matter what school district your child is in, there always seems to be at least one troublemaker who causes them great anxiety ...
Islamophobia, the new anti-Semitism
Oct 11, 2008; ... Last year, when the notorious Daniel Pipes came to speak at the University of Michigan, there seemed to be a flurry of anti-Islamic activity occurring all over the place. The incidents below are just a random sampling of far right activities that have the perceived "Islamic threat" in common; ...
Group warns of domestic "October surprise"
Oct 11, 2008; ... DEARBORN - The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is warning communities of what it is calling a potential "October surprise," in the form of surges in targeted law enforcement activities toward Arab Americans. ADC Regional Director Imad Hamad said the group has received a ...
CORRECTION NOTICE
Oct 11, 2008; ... An article headlined "Charter school offers Arabic classes, diverse atmosphere,". published in issue 1181 of The Arab American News on Sept. 27, stated incorrectly that The Dearborn Academy's daily 45-minute Arabic-language program is funded by a federal grant through the Foreign Language ...
State House passes Eid resolution
Oct 11, 2008; ... A resolution honoring the Muslim holiday Bid alFitr was adopted in the Michigan House of Representatives on Sept. 18. Representatives sent out copies of the resolution last week. It was offered by 34 different representatives led by Rep. Gino Polidori, of Dearborn. The ...
Judicial candidates face off in forum
Oct 11, 2008; ... DEARBORN - The candidates for 19th District Court Judge in Dearborn made their way to Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn last Wednesday night for a forum discussing key issues of importance to voters. The forum guests were candidates Mark Somers, the current 19th District Court ...
Amid crisis, National City says it's stable
Oct 11, 2008; ... Many banks have taken a hit as a result of the current economic crisis in the United States, but the popular consumer bank National City remains stable and open for business despite media reports of potential trouble. Media relations representative Bill Eiler set the record straight on ...
AAPAC release endorsement slate
Oct 11, 2008; ... DEARBORN - The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) released its official local endorsements Thursday for the upcoming election, but did not endorse a presidential candidate. "We cant," said AAPAC Endorsement Chair Abed Hammoud. "No request was received from either ...
"Allah Made Me Funny" good entertainment
Oct 11, 2008; ... It takes courage, intense sacrifice and endless hard work and perseverance to lead a movement against bigotry, intolerance and injustice ... unless you're a comedian. Then it's'fun. When three Muslims from three different backgrounds get together with fimny material on their ...
Rare Islamic artifact sells for $5.5 million
Oct 11, 2008; ... A rare Islamic crystal jug that was mistaken earlier this year for a cheap French claret pitcher has sold at auction for almost $5.6 million. The jug was mistaken earlier this year for a French wine pitcher. Christie's said it has now been identified as "one of the rarest and most ...
Suicide claims more Israeli soldiers than all other causes combined
Oct 11, 2008; ... Alice Rothchild is the latest peace activist to visit the Detroit area in the Jewish Voice for Peace-Detroit fall activities directed at edueating the Jewish community and the public on the continuous genocide being practiced against Palestinians under Israeli occupation. The reception, ...
Long-time employee sues utility company
Oct 11, 2008; ... A former champion boxer and U.S. Army veteran is suing his employer, Consumers Energy - Michigan's second largest utility company - for $15 million, alleging years of discrimination and harassment that came to a head on Sept. 29 when he was suspended from his position as a gas ...
Workshop seeks to dispel Arab stereotypes and promote Arab culture
Oct 11, 2008; ... DEARBORN - Arab Detroit hosts the sixth annual educational workshop, "Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans: Arabphobia in America, Myth or Realty, " Thursday, October 23rd, from 8:30am2:00pm, at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Fairlane Center, 1900 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, Michigan ....
Dearborn rivalry heats up gridiron
Oct 11, 2008; ... DEARBORN - The long-standing athletic rivalry between Dearborn High School and Fordson resumes on Friday at 7 p.m. at Fordson, and this year, the Mega Red Divisional Championship could be on the line. But another championship is also on the line that might be even more important to the ...
Arab or Decent?
Oct 18, 2008; ... Arab Americans criticize McCain remarks, disappointed with Obama campaign DEARBORN - The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) released scathing criticisms of both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain on Thursday in a statement that focused on comments made by McCain in response ...
Going out with a whimper, not a bang
Oct 18, 2008; ... WASHINGTON (IPS) - With only three months left in office, U.S. President George W. Bush appears increasingly determined to calm the international waters he so vigorously churned up, especially during his first term. In just the last several days, he has effectively rehabilitated a ...
Weighing the candidates: McCain vs Obama
Oct 18, 2008; ... ELECTION 2008 With only two weeks left before the election, and after the two major US presidential candidates have debated for the third and final tine. The Arab American News takes a fablook at both major candidates. John McCain's campaign has done little to engage Arab ...
Assad issues decree to establish full diplomatic relations with Lebanon
Oct 18, 2008; ... BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a presidential decree on Tuesday ordering the establishment of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon and announcing the opening of an embassy-level diplomatic mission in Beirut, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency. Presidential ...
Extremist West Bank settlers help stir Acre violence
Oct 18, 2008; ... Acre, a mixed city of approximately 52,000 people in northern Israel, recently witnessed four days of violent clashes between Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli Jewish residents. Israeli national leaders, including caretaker prime minister Ehud Olmert, prime minister designate ...
U.S. journalists and war-crime guilt
Oct 18, 2008; ... October 16 is an anniversary that should hold considerable interest for American journalists who have written in support of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" - the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Sixty-two years ago, on Oct. 16, 1946, Julius Streicher was hanged. Streicher was one of a ...
Defections hit Afghan forces
Oct 18, 2008; ... KABUL (Al Jazeera) - After fighting the Taliban for the past seven years, many working for the Afghan security forces are now switching sides. Sulieman Ameri and his 16 men were until a month ago serving the Afghan government as police patrolling the border with Iran. Now they ...
Islamic Congress loses again
Oct 18, 2008; ... On October 10, the British Columbia Human Rights Commission handed down a decision dismissing charges brought by the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) against Maclean's magazine. The Congress complained to the Commission that an article in the magazine by Mark Steyn entitled "The Future Belongs to ...
Candidates cut from the same cloth
Oct 18, 2008; ... McCain, Obama both disappoint members of our community Senator and presidential candidate John McCain betrayed more than a passing ignorance of all things Middle Eastern when he reassured a woman at one of his rallies last week that his opponent, Senator Barack Obama, is not an Arab ....
Arabs are decent family men too
Oct 18, 2008; ... I like to think I'm a decent African-American family man just like Barak Obama. So what I saw on October 10 was as stunning to me as two blows to the stomach. The first blow took my breath away: a supporter of Republican presidential candidate John McCain at a McCain rally in Lakeville, ...
ADC combats immigration fraud
Oct 18, 2008; ... The American-Arab Anti- Discrimination Commit- tee (ADC) has received a generous grant from the Ameri- can Bar Association (ABA) Fund for Justice and Education through a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, to combat the increasing problem of notario fraud within the Arab American ...
There's only one answer to the money crisis
Oct 18, 2008; ... The democratic system is the best governing system in the world, because it gives you a choice. The only problem is that the choice is between two negatives. It is like telling you: "You are getting ready to get slapped. Which hand do you want to get slapped with? The left hand or the right?" ...
Kurdish Jews recall a paradise lost
Oct 18, 2008; ... Kurdish Jews recall a paradise lost SAN FRANCISCO (IPS) - Its become popular, when talking about ongoing violence in U.S.occupied Iraq, for officials in Washington and the media to paint the Iraqi people as savages who can't help but keep killing each other. In the vice ...