The Serpent is in the Nest: The Islamification of Dearborn, Michigan

Community News


Arab Americans seek apology from McCain campaign

Monday, 05.05.2008, 04:02pm

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Osama Siblani
313-582-4888

DEARBORN — The McCain presidential campaign made a major strategic error this week insulting the Arab American community when it cut a community leader and politically active Arab American Republican from its Michigan finance committee. The decision to remove Mr. Ali Jawad from the campaign effort came after protestations from a discredited blogger known for her hate language and ignorant rants against Arab Americans, American Muslims, the religion of Islam and American officals and public figures with whom she disagrees.
On Monday at 2:30 p.m., the leadership of the Arab American community held a press conference at the Lebanese American Heritage Club, 4337 Maple Road, in Dearborn to call on the McCain campaign for an apology for their hasty and insulting decision.

"The Michigan Republican Party and the McCain campaign need to be reminded that the blood of Arabs is red and the color of their money is green," said Osama Siblani, president of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC). "Mr. Jawad came to this country to live the American dream. He has been highly successful and has given much back to the community. This very week, 70 high school seniors will each be awarded $1000 scholarships by an organization begun by Jawad in the 1980s.

Ali Jawad, president of Armada Oil & Gas Company and founder of the Lebanese American Heritage Club, was cut from the campaign because of rumors begun by the discredited blogger that he has ties to Hizbullah. Jawad was one of six finance committee members listed in an invitation for a $2,300-per-ticket McCain fund-raising event next week at the Orchard Lake home of Compuware Corp. founder and Chief Executive Officer Peter Karmanos.

http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=1006

A note from Radarsite: A portion of this article was removed at the request of its author.

More Community News

New Wal-Mart caters to Arabs

By Delia Habhab - The Arab American News
Saturday, 03.08.2008, 01:06am

http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Community&article=751

Arabic-speaking employees, ethnic food and products highlight innovative store; local businesses concerned


DEARBORN — Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has opened an innovative new supercenter here. The 200,000 square foot store will offer a special line of products geared toward the Arab American and American Muslim communities in the Metro Detroit area.

The store offers a variety of fresh, frozen and prepackaged Middle Eastern food, as well as halal meat, which is located in a closed- off area of the meat section. A special aisle dedicated to international foods features items like hummus, tahini, jarred pickles and olives, and spices used in traditional Middle Eastern dishes.

The new store has given a much-needed boost to the area by providing employment opportunities for hundreds of individuals. Over the past several months, more than 600 positions were filled as the store prepared to open. The store, which is still in the process of hiring, currently employs around thirty five Arab Americans.

Wal-Mart store manager, Bill Bartell, is optimistic about the store's presence in Dearborn.

"There is a great sense of excitement surrounding this store's opening," he stated. "So many of the organizations in Dearborn really contributed to the construction of this store, so we really feel as though this is a store for the community."

Wal-Mart's Professional Development Training Coordinator, Suehaila Amen, was hired to provide diversity training to the store's employees. She said that Wal-Mart has been a source of support to the Arab American community for years, by providing scholarships and sponsoring local community events.

"Wal-Mart is making a concerted effort to reach out to the Arab American and American Muslim communities," stated Amen. "They have had a strong presence in the local community for years, and have always supported our local organizations. Their presence in Dearborn provides us with a great opportunity to build bridges with one of the largest corporations in the world."

Wal-Mart began its process of researching the local market two years ago. They held numerous focus groups with local imams and potential customers, in order to gain a better understanding of the community and its needs.

"What we ended up with is a collaboration of different ideas from the local community," Bartell stated. "We really did our research and listened to the needs of the community, and we are excited to have these products in our store."

Amen said that the Dearborn Wal-Mart is committed to enhancing the shopping experience of its customers. As part of the store's efforts, Arabic-speaking sales associates will wear badges that read "I speak Arabic."

And More Community News

Hizbollah High School?

From Radarsite: Cross posted from an original article at The Midnight Sun
http://www.themidnightsun.org/?p=2481
May 17th, 2008 by Aurora

Horrified by the idea of Hizbollah taking over Lebanon? What if they had taken over an American high school. Impossible. You think so?

Back in 2006, Fordson High School, Dearborn Michigan had already become the first Muslim majority high school in America. From Debbie Schlussel:

The principal of Fordson Hezbollah High, Imad Fadlallah, is a cousin of Hezbollah spiritual leader, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah –who is on the State Department Terrorist List and who issued the fatwa to Hezbollah terrorists to murder over 300 U.S. Marines and U.S. Embassy officials (among countless other terrorist acts he’s okayed). Hezbollah High: Violent, Bigoted Fordson Principal Imad Fadlallah is Hezbollah Spiritual Leader/Terrorist Mohammed Fadlallah’s Cousin.

Imad Fadlallah’s wife, Susan, is the daughter of Hezbollah-backed Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who was Hezbollah’s negotiator during the 1985 TWA flight 847 hijacking during which Hezbollah tortured to death Navy Diver Robert Dean Stethem. Before that, he was the head of the Shi’ite Amal Militia, which has been absorbed into Hezbollah.

As I also noted, Fadlallah–a supporter of Hezbollah, like many in his student body–gave students the day off in 2005 and “extra credit” if they campaigned at the polls on election day for candidates endorsed by the extremist Muslim group, Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC). AAPAC is headed by Hezbollah agent Osama Siblani, whose brother works for Al-Manara (Hezbollah TV) in Lebanon. Students from Fordson who took the deal were seen campaigning against Christian candidates at the polls, including Christian Arabs.

Read the entire article:
http://radarsite.blogspot.com/2008/05/from-other-sites-on-line-17-may-08.html

And the Community Responds

Community backs Fordson Principal Fadlallah: Hundreds attend school board meeting

By Delia Habhab - The Arab American News
Friday, 05.30.2008, 02:35pm

DEARBORN — Several hundred concerned students, parents, educators and community members gathered during the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 28, in a show of solidarity and support for Fordson High School Principal Imad Fadlallah. Fadlallah, who had been facing an allegation of slapping a student at the school, was declared innocent of the charge during the meeting.



The allegation stemmed from an email complaint made by Trey Hancock, an evangelical pastor and former assistant wrestling coach. While Hancock was not present at the time of the alleged events, he said that a teacher in the building reported to him that she "heard" a slap, but did not actually see any action. The events surrounding the allegation came to a head at the previous board meeting when a student stood before the board and gave a cryptic speech about wanting the harassment at Fordson to stop. Dr. John Artis, the superintendent, met with the student at length and the student provided a sworn affidavit that stated that he did not have an altercation with his principal. That was also the testimony of the four adults who were present in the office when the alleged incident took place. The student later admitted that he was pressured by a few staff members at the school to go along with the fabricated story that Fadlallah had assaulted him.

Fadlallah decided not to renew the contract of Jerry Marszalek, a wrestling coach at the school, because he did not follow a directive from the principal to keep Hancock away from the students. Hancock's son is on the team and community members allege that Hancock uses the opportunities he has to assist the coach to proselytize the students. Hancock openly admitted trying to convert students and Marszalek was quoted in The Detroit News saying he has known for ten years that Hancock's activity "might be a problem," although he said he had never personally witnessed the activity.

After patiently waiting for almost four hours, community members had an opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions during the audience participation portion of the agenda. Dozens of parents and students spoke emphatically about the improvements that Fadlallah has made to the school and the positive changes he has made in the lives of the students.

So, in other words, there's nothing to worry about. The community of Dearborn is in good hands. To fear the Islamification of Dearborn is just another sign of American Islamophobia. The Muslims of Dearborn are good hard-working people just like you and I. And their school system is a credit to their community, turning out young patriotic Americans just like any other school system in the country...

Students protest on war anniversary

By M. Kay Siblani - The Arab American News
Friday, 03.21.2008, 04:49pm

DEARBORN — Students United for Peace and Justice (SUPJ) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus here, held a week-long series of events called "Iraq Awareness Week" to highlight the death and destruction of the Iraq war. "Five years ago, the United States of America began its war on Iraq without the permission of the United Nations in search for weapons of mass destruction," said SUPJ President Rashid Baydoun. "Since then, the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians and American soldiers have been lost. $500 billion later, the war is still an on-going issue which the current administration plans to put no stop to.

The serpent is in the nest. Now what do we do?

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