Tag: history
Beyond the Duopoly: Why Professor Butch Ware is the Radical Voice Dearborn Needs
By The Dearborn Greens / Dearborn Blog Staff For decades, the people of Dearborn have been told that our political safety lies in playing the "lesser of two evils" game. We’ve been told that if we just knock on enough doors for the "Fox" (the smiling liberal), we might avoid the teeth of the "Wolf" ...
Coleen Rowley: When Wars Come Home
How a former FBI whistleblower connects U.S. “forever wars” to rising violence at home — and why Dearborn should be part of this conversation. For many Americans, Coleen Rowley is a name from a different political era: the post-9/11 years, when a quiet FBI lawyer from Minneapolis broke ranks to expose how the Bureau mishandled ...
Young U-M Leader to Oxford: Yumna Dagher Named 33rd Rhodes Scholar
Yumna Dagher, a recent graduate of University of Michigan (U-M), has been named a 2025 Rhodes Scholarship recipient — becoming the 33rd Rhodes Scholar from U-M. Her journey from campus-gardens and Detroit urban farms to Oxford speaks to a vision that blends environmental justice, community food sovereignty, and cultural expression — a vision that resonates ...
Make the Greens Unignorable
Emanuel Pastreich’s three-part essay, A Green Party That Will Win, argues that Greens should stop chasing legitimacy from a corrupted duopoly and instead practice truth-first politics, radical democracy inside the party, and tangible community service that builds power from the ground up. Below, we present his full argument reformatted into three chapters—followed by Dearborn Blog’s ...
Introducing a Journey Through the Foundations of Universal Human Values: Article 5: Sexual Freedom — A Conservative Case for Liberty With Guardrails
Everyone has the right of freedom of choice and expression in their sexual orientation, and the only limitation of law should be related to securing the consent of adults within the sexual relationship and preventing rationally considerable harm related to it. Let me start where many of my friends in Livonia start: with a healthy ...
Introducing a Journey Through the Foundations of Universal Human Values: Article 4 Freedom of Religion: Defending not only the dignity of the believer—but the humanity of the doubter
.FridayMusings is pleased to provide our readers with Article 4 – Freedom of Religion from the Universal Declaration of Human Values by Wissam Charafeddine, a Livonia author and lecturer. This article is particularly important with its discussion of defending the dignity of the believer–but the humanity of the doubter.Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience ...
Introducing a Journey Through the Foundations of Universal Human Values: Article 3 – Freedom of Expression and Assembly
“Every human being has the right for freedom of expression without transgression on the rights of others. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.”From the Universal Declaration of Human Values by Wissam Charafeddine These freedoms have deep historical roots. From Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Voltaire to the American ...
Article 2 – The Principle of Equality
From the Universal Declaration of Human Values by Wissam CharafeddineThroughout history, humanity’s understanding of equality has been shaped by both struggle and revelation. While ancient societies often accepted hierarchy as natural, the idea that all human beings are equal began to take root during the Axial Age, around 800–200 BCE, when spiritual and philosophical traditions ...
Reopening “Hass Cash”: Politics, Justice & Community Tensions
In October 2025, authorities reopened a 2019 cocaine and weapons case against “Hass Cash” (Hassan Aoun), sparking fierce reactions across Dearborn and beyond. Was this a legitimate legal revival or a politically motivated effort to silence a vocal critic? We examine all sides, dig into court records and social media, and place this case in the ...
Young Dearborners Moving to Livonia
As Dearborn swells with new generations, many younger Arab Americans are redefining what “home” means — staying in the city, moving outward, or building communities differently. This shift reflects growth, tension, and hope in metro Detroit’s evolving Arab American identity. The skyline of influence in metro Detroit is changing. No longer is the Arab American ...
A Marriage of Conscience: Imam Talib Sanjari’s Bold Ruling
In Dearborn’s living rooms and lecture halls, a quiet revolution is underway: Imam Talib Sanjari—a classically trained Iraqi cleric who settled among us—has argued that a Muslim woman may marry a non-Muslim man when justice, dignity, and today’s plural civic realities are honored. His stance challenges a centuries-long consensus, ignites serious debate, and calls us back to a Qur’anic ethic rooted in reason and public good. This essay maps the terrain—what Sanjari actually says, what mainstream institutions still hold, how law and lived life have shifted, and why Dearborn’s conversation matters for human rights and Green values. [1]
Divided Voices or United Future? Wards Debate in Dearborn
Excerpt:Dearborn stands at a crossroads as voters consider whether to adopt a ward (district-based) system for city council elections. Proponents say it’s a matter of fair representation for east and south residents; opponents warn it may tear at the sense of “one city.” Here are the arguments — historical, social, and political — for creating ...
The Divided Politics at the Ann Arbor Michigan Art Fair, July 20th 2024 by Clyde Shabazz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPur_g4EE8s The annual Ann Arbor Art Fair, held on July 20th, 2024, served as more than just a showcase for artistic expression; it became a microcosm of America's current political landscape. Amidst the vibrant displays and creative works, several interviews conducted by In The Green TV revealed a public grappling with a deeply divided political ...
Arab World Postcolonialism by Wissam Charafeddine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yofEoSiSxGk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Uiofcrgr8
Introducing a Journey Through the Foundations of Universal Human Values: Article 1: Freedom
Written and shared with Musings readers by Livonia resident and author Wissam CharafeddineAs an Arab American activist, author, and educator dedicated to the values of human dignity, justice, and enlightenment, I have long been fascinated by the evolution of human rights across civilizations. Our modern understanding of freedom, equality, and human dignity did not arise ...
تاريخ العلم الفلسطيني
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOuSz_369-w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PBXJSuHIJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAxeyNWncvw
EXCLUSIVE: Photo Archive of Colonial Massacres to Palestinians from 1921 to 1938
أرشيف صور لفظائع الاستعمار الانجليزي والصهيوني في فلسطين من عام 1921 إلى 1938م
Dearborn Open Mic – Trans Revolution -Syria in the Hearts of the Diaspora by Prof. Hani Bawardi
Hani Bawardi is Associate Professor of History in the Department of Social Sciences, and principal member of the Center of Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He is the author of The Making of Arab Americans: From Syrian Nationalism to U.S. Citizenship. Bawardi has amassed a sizable private collection of manuscripts, and established ...
Dearborn Open Mic – History of Arab Flags by Wissam Charafeddine
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMU0emfRPSY Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdVyKNJ8HPg Sign up for Dearborn Open Mic: bit.ly/DearbornOpenMic Sponsor Dearborn Blog: dearbornblog.com/sponsors Thank you for our sponsors:
The Documentary That Every Arab Should Watch … The Great Arab Revolt
Part 1: 1908 - 1916 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQM2qmogA3k Part 2: 1916 - 1917 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5v1q3DZ8wI Part 3: 1917-1920 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj4YLjHBdpw For more information on the Ottoman Empire: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/ottoman-empire
أوراق من التاريخ 2: اللاجئون الفلسطينيون يصلون إلى مينا صور إبان النكبة 17 أيار\مايو 1948م
ميناء صور، جنوب لبنان ـ ١٧ أيار/مايو ١٩٤٨ اللاجئون واللاجئات من فلسطين يصلون إلى المينا. والدي محمد عيسى أستاذ الحساب في الكلية الجعفرية آنذاك قبل زواجه من الوالدة، المعلمة في المدرسة الجعفرية للبنات، بسنة ومعه الأستاذ ميكائيل قواص الذي علمني الرياضيات في الجعفرية خلال سيتينيات القرن الماضي يستقبلان الاجئون واللاجئات بالنزول من الزوارق في 1948/5/17 ...
أوراق من التاريخ 1: كلمة القاها الدكتور علي عجمي في اجتماع لعدد من المنتديات الثقافية في بيروت سنة 1984 إبان الاجتياح الإسرائيلي
"ألقيت هذه الكلمة في اجتماع لعدد من المنتديات الثقافية في بيروت سنة 1984 إبان الإحتلال الإسرائيلي للجنوب. عُقد الإجتماع في الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت، تحت إشراف السيد محمد حسن الأمين، وبحضور العديد من الفعاليات الأدبية والثقافية ومن المفكرين والشعراء." السفير الدكتور علي عجمي
Dearborn Open Mic – Dr. Sally Howell: A History of the Arabs in Dearborn
Title of Lecture From Laborers to Culture Makers: A History of the Arabs in Dearborn Sally Howell (Ph.D.) Associate Professor of History; Director, Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Sally Howell is director of the Center for Arab American Studies and associate professor of history at UM-Dearborn. She received her Ph.D. from the ...
Oh Please, It Is Not Just a Logo!
When some clients tell me, "No I don't need a logo. I can make one on Word in 5 minutes. It's just a logo," I try to keep calm. I am a calm person after all. But I've studied art and design. The sketchbook has been my best friend since I was five years old. ...
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