Arab Americans in southeastern Mich. celebrate Saddam's capture

ap ^ | 12-14-03

[Dan from Michigan]

Arab Americans in southeastern Mich. celebrate Saddam's capture

The Associated Press
12/14/2003, 9:42 a.m. ET

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Alaa Alkhafaji dashed out from behind the counter and turned up the sound on the television.

A reporter on Al Jazeera then confirmed what Alkhafaji was just told: Saddam Hussein had been captured in Iraq.

Alkhafaji, his eyes still wide with amazement, began dialing the telephone at the Alzawraa Cafe in Dearborn. He wanted to break the news to everybody he knew.

Elsewhere in this heavily Arab Detroit suburb, residents took to the streets in celebration as they did eight months earlier when a statue of Saddam was toppled in Baghdad.

As snow fell around them Sunday morning, dozens jumped around, banged drums and waved Iraqi and American flags.

In Dearborn, a city of about 100,000, one-third identify themselves as Arab or Arab-American. Southeastern Michigan has about 300,000 Arab-Americans.

[RobbyS]

Go home and help rebuild your country.

[Vigilanteman]

About 70% of the so-called Arab-Americans are Christians who came here because they couldn't practice their religion freely in their own country. Some, like John Sununu, Seantor of New Hampshire, are generations away from the old country.

[doodad]

They get Al-jerkzeera in Michigan?

[PokeyJoe]

I'll substitute "centuries" for "generations"

[TheEditor]

As a matter of fact I believe most cable systems in SE Mich carry an obscure local channel that broadcasts in Arabic. I think its called something like "TV Orient" or some such thing.

Now that I think of it some more, I believe the Arabic broadcasts on this channel are only at night.

[Dan from Michigan]

I don't have it(my cable's from Brighton), but they might closer to Detroit.

[Lessismore]

I thought the Dearborn ones were mostly "Chaldeans".

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Sister in Riverview says they are playing footage from Dearborn of hundreds of Iraqi people in the snow celebrating and waving American flags. It has been on all morning he says.

[Vigilanteman]

Chaldeans are mostly very traditional Christians. I've heard that most do not like to even be referred to as Arab-Americans.

[RobbyS]

The advise still goes. Iraqi Christians hace allowed themselves to be chased out of the country. Now is the perfect time to make their mark. Now Iraqi Jew, they might as well forget it.

[No Spin]

Chaldean's are not Arabic they do not speak Farsi and are Christian. Most of them live in the north east part of the Detroit Area. Dearborn has an east,a south, and a west side.
West is all white, South is mostly Yemini, and east is mostly Lebanese. However I suspect a lot of the so called Lebanese are really Iraqis. Any way they picked up a dying Warren avenue and totally brought it to life with stores, resturants, night clubs and bakerys. It's wonderful to shop there, you can actually go to the Cedars restaurant and get in line for the drive in window and get shish ka bob, or Fatuch(salad) like McDonald's.When you go to the shops they treat you with the up most respect. I have never had a problem with them in any way.

[Vigilanteman]

Thank you for the enlightment. However, doesn't our race baiting divide and conquereors tend to lump people of Middle-Eastern origin (other than Jews who have carved out their own distinct identity) all into the same mold for convenience-- much like the misnomer Hispanic?

[MetalHeadConservative35]

West is all white, South is mostly Yemini, and east is mostly Lebanese

trying too think here and im probably wrong but i think this sounds right

NORTH AREA: Van Born Rd to about warren road that area has alot of arabs WEST: Gulley to about Telegraph cause once you cross telegraph youre in dearborn heights after about 6-7 blocks i dont know if its all white..probably a mix on the basis that its bordering both inkster and taylor

EAST: This area runs from southfield hwy till about shaffer (im not sure if jefferson runs east-west or north-south i dun remember) thats the bulk of most of the arab population

Regards,and as ive said im probably wrong about most of this but im doing this from memory (spent 5-7 years in dearborn-dearborn heights area) i now live in westland