Kerry campaign visits Detroit-area churches, mosques

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Presidential candidate John Kerry's New Hampshire state chairman met Sunday with members of the area's Arab-American community and congregants at St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Livonia. Billy Shaheen, whose parents are Lebanese-American, listened to community concerns and tried to sway voters to Sen. Kerry, saying the candidate is the best option Democrats have to defeat President Bush. "The Arab-American population in Michigan is very astute," Shaheen said. "They know what's going on and they haven't bought George Bush's program."

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What strikes me is the overwhelming feeling that George Bush needs to go," Shaheen said after leaving St. Mary's. "That makes my job easy."

Southeast Michigan is home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of people with roots in the Middle East, with an estimated 300,000 living in the area. Most are concentrated in Detroit and the suburb of Dearborn.

Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, also stopped Sunday at area churches

http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw92181_20040201.htm