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Donald Trump’s senior adviser Alina Habba has told members of Michigan's large Chaldean community that they have the voting power to flip the battleground state in the former president's favour on November 5.
Winning Michigan is crucial for Mr Trump or his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris as they seek the White House, and the Chaldean American vote could help determine the outcome.
Chaldeans are Iraqi Catholics. The Detroit area is home to the largest Chaldean population outside of Iraq, with more than 187,000 living there, according to the Chaldean Community Foundation.
While Chaldeans skew conservative, many in the community felt duped by Mr Trump after voting for him in 2016, when he went on to order the deportations of more than 1,400 Iraqi nationals – many who had been in the US since childhood.
Ms Habba, a Chaldean-American whose parents were born and raised in Baghdad, joined Mr Trump's legal team in September 2021, after having previously worked at a small law firm in New Jersey.
“In Michigan, in particular with the Chaldean community, my community, we can flip this state and we have to do it or we will lose our country,” Ms Habba said at the Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan, during a reception that was chaired by members of the Chaldean community on Friday.
Michigan's tight-knit Chaldean community is devout and social issues, such as abortion and opposing gay marriage, are important for many during the elections.
“I want to say something to us as Chaldeans, as Christians, as people who truly believe in God, believe in our faith, believe in the importance of family values. You have no option other than president Trump in November if you care about your children and this country, that is the truth,” Ms Habba said.
Michigan also has an Arab American population of more than 200,000 people. In previous elections, these voters have favoured the Democrats, but this year many are unmotivated to back either candidate given the Biden administration's support of Israel as it attacks Gaza, and Mr Trump's past Islamophobic policies such as a travel ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority nations.
Ms Habba discussed her faith and roots with members of the community while trying to sway voters.
“We have to represent and re-elect Donald Trump for the 47th president and that is because of the journey that my family took for me to have a life here,” she said. “If we do not protect it, we will not have a country any different than the ones we have fled, the ones that we left, where your voices don't matter and voting doesn't matter.”
She discussed the Chaldean vote during the last election stating it was not strong enough.
“We have control for once in our lives, unlike where we left, we have a lot of control right now in America, and don't undervalue your vote. It is so critical … Our voices matter as Chaldeans,” she said.
The event was also attended by Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for US president before dropping out and endorsing Mr Trump.
Chaldeans in Metro Detroit are known for their strong entrepreneurial spirit and contribute more than $18 billion annually to the state's economy.
In a social media post, Mr Ramaswamy described Chaldeans as, “intensely entrepreneurial and wildly successful”.
The history of Chaldeans dates back more than 5,000 years to Mesopotamia, which many consider to be the cradle of civilisation.
Most Chaldeans do not identify as Arabs because they are indigenous people of Iraq and speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, which is dying out. Many left Iraq as they faced widespread discrimination and persecution.
From 1.5 million Christians before 2003, there are less than 250,000 Christians in Iraq today. In 2014 alone, 700,000 of the roughly million Assyrian and Chaldeans in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains fled their homes as ISIS carved a path through the country.
On Thursday, Ms Habba attended another event nearby with members of the Chaldean community in Farmington Hills, Michigan, at Steven Lelli's Inn On the Green.
Mr Trump will be campaigning in Michigan on Tuesday, where he will hold a town-hall meeting in Flint. Ms Habba promised the community she will be back in the state again. “I will be back, and I am going to drag you all to vote in November, whether you like it or not,” she said.
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
