SOURCE: ALBAWABA Published November 1st, 2017 Dogs at the Habiba and Friends Animal Shelter in Cairo (Facebook) Almost a week after a group of Swiss tourists rescued a donkey from the Giza district and flew it to Switzerland for $930, an American woman reportedly airlifted 14 dogs and a cat out of Egypt on Sunday, … Continued
Birzeit University in Palestine is running a campaign to keep our 25 most-deserving female student leaders enrolled. This campaign aims to eliminate the financial burdens faced by these bright young women who are doing amazing work on and off-campus, despite the obstacles they face. This campaign was born out of a conversation with Aseel Harb, … Continued
Palestinian star singer Dalal Abu Amneh will be the featured artist at an upcoming concert in Southern California – see PalestineFoundation.org. Dalal has gained significant attention and raving reviews by audiences and critics in many appearance outside of her native Nazareth, especially through her wider exposure to the rest of the Arab World via many concerts … Continued
For Immediate Release Arab America Launches “Hattas & Hats for the Homeless” this Christmas (WASHINGTON, DC) November 16, 2016 – As we approach the holiday season and brace for an impending winter, Arab America is proud to launch its newest initiative: “Hattas & Hats for the Homeless”. We will be working in conjunction with Catholic Charities of … Continued
ACCESS, the nation’s largest Arab American community non-profit, will host its 2016 Autumn Job Fair on Wednesday, October 12, 2016. WHAT: The event will be open to the public, and more than 100 employers and 2,500 job seekers are expected to attend. Representatives from Lowe’s, Home Depot, Citizens Bank, Little Caesars, and Beaumont Health Services, among … Continued
Press Release: ACCESS Dearborn, Mich. – Tonight, Wednesday, September 28, ACCESS will host its 10th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness and Treatment Program Dinner. WHAT: The event will raise awareness about, and honor survivors of, domestic violence. Justice Richard Bernstein of the Michigan Supreme Court will serve as the keynote speaker during the evening’s program. WHO: Michigan Supreme Court … Continued
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Press release: The National Center for Community Rehabilitation (NCCR) The National Center for Community Rehabilitation’s (NCCR) children’s choir in Gaza wins the Global Peace Song Award Music Video category. During the military invasion of Gaza during the summer of 2014 one of many stories stood out for Steve Robertson, Founder and CEO of Project Peace on … Continued
Press Association
The Guardian
Celtic fans have raised more than £100,000 for Palestinian charities in an attempt to match an impending Uefa fine for displaying Palestinian flags at a match against an Israeli team.
European football’s governing body began disciplinary proceedings against the Glasgow club last week after a number of fans displayed the flags during their 5-2 home victory against Hapoel Be’er Sheva in a Champions League qualifier.
The return leg is due to be played in Israel on Tuesday night.
The Green Brigade group of supporters set up an appeal on the gofundme website on Sunday to match the anticipated fine, and donations passed £80,000 on Tuesday morning.
The fans are raising money for Medical Aid Palestine, which delivers health and medical care to those “worst affected by conflict, occupation and displacement”, and the Lajee Centre, a cultural and sports project for children in Aida refugee camp, in Bethlehem.
The appeal read: “At the Champions League match with Hapoel Be’er Sheva on 17 August 2016, the Green Brigade and fans throughout Celtic Park flew the flag for Palestine. This act of solidarity has earned Celtic respect and acclaim throughout the world. It has also attracted a disciplinary charge from Uefa, which deems the Palestinian flag to be an ‘illicit banner’.
“In response to this petty and politically partisan act by European football’s governing body, we are determined to make a positive contribution to the game and today launch a campaign to #matchthefineforpalestine.”
The statement said the money raised would help buy football kit and equipment to enable the refugee camp to have a team, which would be called Aida Celtic, in the Bethlehem youth league.
Celtic face their ninth Uefa punishment for supporter behaviour in five years when the case is heard on 22 September. Two years ago the club was fined more than £15,000 after a Palestinian flag was displayed at a Champions League qualifier against KR Reykjavik.
Uefa rules forbid the use of “gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature”.
Source: www.theguardian.com
Niraj Warikoo,
Detroit Free Press
The case was closely watched by Arab-American advocates and civil rights leaders
A federal jury sided yesterday with Bank of America, which was sued by an Arab-American charity in Southfield that had accused it of discriminating against them when it closed the charity’s bank accounts.
In 2012, Life for Relief and Development in Southfield filed a lawsuit in Detroit against Bank of America after it had closed its accounts. Bank of America officials have said their decision was not because of the Arab ethnicity of Life’s leaders.
A six-member jury in U.S. District Court in Detroit decided in favor of Bank of America after a trial that took place in front of Chief Judge Denise Page Hood. Closing arguments were held yesterday and a verdict was returned in less than an hour.
“We respect the jurors’ decision, but we’re obviously disappointed with the results,” Shereef Akeel, attorney for Life for Relief and Development, told the Free Press.
A spokesman for Bank of America declined comment on the verdict.
The case was closely watched by civil rights advocates concerned about the bank closures of Arab Americans and Muslims that they say are increasing.
During the case, Life officials and Akeel pointed to testimony by an expert witness for Bank of America who appeared to indicate in a 2014 deposition that Arab ethnicity or an Arabic-sounding name may lead to an account being seen as risky. Founded by Iraqi Americans, the charity often does relief work in the Middle East and Muslim-majority regions, among other places.
During the trial, Bank of America rebutted claims that prejudice motivated their decision. Their attorneys displayed a memo that said Life for Relief and Development had “unknown sources of cash deposits and unusual activity for a business account.” They also alleged that the charity engaged in structuring, which refers to when people deposit smaller amounts of money to avoid reporting them to authorities. Life officials said those accusations were baseless and that they had normal transactions for a charity. They added that Bank of America originally didn’t bring up the accusations of structuring.
Federal laws enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have put greater pressure on banks to not have any money tied to terrorism, or else they could face potential liability and criminal claims. Arab-Americans advocates have said this has led to unfair closing of Arab-American accounts that have no ties to extremist activity. Similar lawsuits by Arab-Americans against various banks have been filed in recent years.
“The Arab-American community has been experiencing arbitrary closures of their bank accounts,” said Akeel.
Earlier this month, Arab-Americans raised the issue in a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was visiting Dearborn.
In 2006, Life had filed a lawsuit against Comerica Bank because the bank had closed it accounts after Life saw its office raided by the FBI. The case was later dismissed. In 2007, Life was federally charged with violating Iraqi sanctions laws and money laundering, but the case was dismissed in 2014 after an agreement was reached.
Bank of America officials and attorneys have said the bank’s investigation into Life that led to the closure started with an investigation into another, separate Arab charity, Syria Relief, that they said was in communication with Life. Life says their communication with Syria Relief was regular communication similar to what they have had with other charities and groups.
An American Civil Liberties Union report in 2009 said that Life for Relief and Development was one of several Muslim charities in the U.S. that had been unfairly targeted by authorities.
During the trial, Life employees and civil rights advocates such as Fatina Abdrabboh of the Michigan chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Imad Hamad of the American Human Rights Council in Dearborn attended on some days to show their support.
The CEO for Life for Relief and Development, Khalid Turaani, told the Free Press that “many of Life’s employees were … disappointed” with today’s verdict, but the charity will continues its mission. The charity says it has distributed $300 million in aid in 23 countries and helped with Flint water relief this year.
This week, Life for Relief and Development is focusing on helping flood victims in Louisiana, Turaani said.
“Life goes on,” he said.
Source: www.freep.com
Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press
(Photo: Niraj Warikoo)
Closing arguments are expected Tuesday in the case of an Arab-American charity in Southfield that sued Bank of America after it had closed its accounts.
On Monday in court, attorneys for both sides made their final remarks before closing arguments. An attorney for Bank of America said that the FBI had contacted it about a charity that was in communication with Life for Relief and Development in Southfield, whose accounts the bank later closed.
Representing Bank of America, attorney Jon Harmon made the remarks in court in trying to explain why Bank of America had moved to investigate Life for Relief and Development.
After its accounts were closed, Life for Relief and Development officials filed a federal lawsuit against Bank of America, alleging they were discriminated against because of the Arab ethnicity of the charity’s leaders. Founded by Iraqi Americans, the group distributes aid in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and other places.
The jury trial is being held before Chief Judge Denise Page Hood in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The case is being closely watched by Arab-Americans advocates and civil rights leaders, who say there’s a pattern of Arab Americans being targeted for bank closures.
“This whole thing started because we got a call from the government, the FBI” about a separate charity, said Harmon, the attorney for Bank of America. That charity was Syria Relief, a charity that Bank of America officials said was in communication with Life for Relief and Development. Life officials said the fact they were in touch with Syria Relief or other organizations doesn’t mean their accounts should be closed.
Shereef Akeel, attorney for Life for Relief and Development, said that Bank of America closed the accounts because of anti-Arab bias.
In a news release, charity officials pointed to a deposition from 2014, when an expert witness for Bank of America, Dennis Lormel, indicated that ethnicity may play a role in the bank closures. Lormel was asked why many Arab-Americans are having their accounts closed.
Lormel replied: “I would attribute it to risk,” according to a transcript of the deposition.
Lormel also said he’s seen “on a company basis” how a person’s Arabic name could affect a bank’s decision to label an account as a risk.
The passage of new anti-terrorism laws after the Sept. 11 attacks put added pressure on banks to make sure their accounts are not tied to terrorism, or else they could be held liable. But Arab-American leaders say some banks have been overzealous, resulting in accounts being closed that have nothing to do with terrorism or extremism.
Founded in 1992 as International Relief Association, Life for Relief and Development says it has distributed $300 million in aid in 23 countries and helped with Flint water relief.
The FBI raided the charity’s offices in 2006. The following year, the charity and its then CEO were charged by a grand jury in a sealed indictment with violating Iraqi sanctions laws and with money laundering. But the government dropped the case in 2014 after an agreement was reached between the charity and the government, according to court records.
Life for Relief and Development filed a similar lawsuit against Comerica Bank in 2006 after it closed the charity’s accounts. The case was later dismissed.
Source: www.freep.com
By Angie Laginess
The Press & Guide
The sounds of laughter, camaraderie, and clinking glasses permeated the hall of the Arab American National Museum on July 12 when members of ACCESS — the nation’s largest Arab American nonprofit organization — hosted a celebration to honor the life and legacy of local philanthropist and glass industry tycoon Russell Ebeid.
Space quickly became limited during the walking dinner and reception as people of every age and nationality came to celebrate Ebeid’s illustrious achievements.
“He is a generous man who has done a lot for the community,” said Bill Freij, a longtime friend of the honoree. citing the many scholarships Ebeid grants to students, as well as his involvement in the museum as just a few of the examples of Ebeid’s charitableness. “He’s a generous, humble, and honorable man,” Freij said.
That sentiment was repeated many times throughout the night.
The walking dinner was immediately followed by a special screening of “Russ,” a documentary of Ebeid’s life, as well as a personal question-and-answer session with the guest of honor.
“People are people everywhere in the world,” Ebeid said. “It’s just how you understand them. Everyone wants a better life, so you have to ask yourself: ‘How are you going to get it to them?’“
Growing up in southwest Detroit, Ebeid said his parents were “knapsack immigrants” who left everything behind for the chance at a better life. With only an elementary school education themselves, Ebeid’s parents were not deterred from watching over their son’s shoulder as he successfully worked his way through the American education system.
Ebeid began his career as a senior mechanical engineer at General Motors in 1963 and transitioned to Guardian Industries in the early 1970s — eventually becoming president and chairman of the board of Guardian Glass.
He spent more than 40 years in the glass industry before retiring in 2011, but retirement didn’t mean Ebeid stopped giving back; in fact, philanthropic work played such a substantial role in his life that it quickly became a part of his legacy.
Ebeid’s generosity has led him to be knighted three times with the Order of Merit; to be awarded Ellis Island’s Medal of Honor, and to be granted audiences with kings and queens around the world. But despite his fame and legendary accomplishments, Ebeid has never let his success go to his head.
Fawwaz Ulaby, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as former ACCESS Board of Directors member and former founding provost and vice president of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, spoke highly of the guest of honor, saying, “He is a very generous and humble person. His story is very inspiring because nothing was given to him. He worked very hard for everything he has.”
Ulaby also pointed out that Ebeid, “is always very active in ACCESS events and scholarships,” and that he has a magnetic personality that people naturally want to be around.
Attendance at the event included not only Ebeid’s friends and family, but also past and present
scholarship recipients, community members, fellow philanthropists, members of the board of directors of ACCESS, local businessmen and women, and a multitude of people who have been impacted by his generosity.
ACCESS Program Officer Katy Hanway couldn’t help but become emotional when talking about Ebeid and his work, “He just does so much for others and the community,” she said as she held back tears. “He’s just a great man and is so hands-on in the programs and in working with the scholarship recipients. He makes them a part of his life and stays in contact with them throughout the years. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Hanway pointed out several scholarship recipients around the room, and introduced two standing nearby. The first was Eric Salem, who was one of Ebeid’s first scholarship recipients. Salem was poised and happy to applaud his mentor and friend, Ebeid, whom he just refers to as “Russ.”
“I went to Kettering for Electrical Engineering,” he said, “but it was meeting Russ and Maha, and seeing how much they believed in me that gave me the strength to accomplish all that I did.”
And it’s that strength, he said, that has helped him become confident and successful. “Russ’s generosity helped me to move forward rather than be held back by debt and worry,” he said. “Russ believed in me and was a constant help.”
Salem also said that being accepted into the Arab American community was transformative, but that it was resoundingly Ebeid’s interest in him as a person and professional that really shaped who he became. “He gave me personal tours of Guardian Glass and introduced me to people to help me get a job there if that is what I wanted,” he said. “I really can’t say enough about him.”
Standing next to Salem was Montserrat “Monty” Daiz, another scholarship recipient. Daiz, a chemical engineering student of Wayne State University, said, “I am grateful to Ebeid and the work he does for students. The money I received allowed me to live on campus and become more active in organizations that would help me be successful in my future.”
Both Salem and Daiz, along with the other scholarship recipients, acknowledged the life-changing assistance given to them by Ebeid, who has helped countless people and organizations through his philanthropic work.
Always looking for ways to give back, his generosity serves as an inspiration for all, according to ACCESS Deputy Director and CFO Maha Freij, who praised Ebeid and the work he has done. “We came together tonight because this is a man to learn from.” she said. “He is an example to be followed and his life lessons can be a learning experience for others as well.
“Coming from immigrant parents, nothing was handed to him. He worked very hard for everything he has and everything he has accomplished. Unlike many people, he has not taken any shortcuts to get to his level of success. He gives back in many ways and has been impactful everywhere in the world.”
In addition, she said “he knows what he stands for and has great morals.”
When asked if they thought Ebeid would ever stop working or giving back, the crowd’s answer was a resounding “no.”
“This is a man who is true to himself and a proud Arab American,” Freij said. “He has never lost track of what success means and how to empower others. This is a man of integrity and everyone should know him.”
Ebeid is currently a Trustee of the Arab American National Museum, ProMedica Health Systems and Lourdes University, as well as owner of the Fairlane Club. Through his scholarship programs, Ebeid supports underserved students attending Kettering University, Lourdes University and Wayne State University.
“After 9/11, there was a lot of discussion about the Arab American community,” Ebeid said. “The issue from my viewpoint is that the Arab American community is quiet, and we should be loud and proud during these stressful times.”
And Ebeid is doing just that. Through his dedication to philanthropic pursuits, he continues to be a loud and proud force of benevolence both here and abroad.
Source: www.pressandguide.com
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