In Arab-America capital, ancient hookah tradition threatened by Michigan smoking ban

Mich. hookah fanciers fume about smoking ban

DEARBORN, Mich. — The main thoroughfares of this Detroit suburb, like those of many Michigan cities, aren’t as busy as they used to be.

Thousands of jobs shed locally by the Ford Motor Co. have forced smaller businesses to shutter and left fewer customers for those that remain. Yet there is one bright spot — a bustling stretch of Warren Avenue where Mideastern-style cafes, markets and shops provide a taste of Beirut or Damascus for one of the largest Arab-American communities in the nation.

But this scene is clouded by a new state law that bans a popular feature of the local eateries — the hookah, or Arabic water pipe filled with flavored tobacco.

Come May 1, Dearborn’s cafes will have to choose between serving food or allowing smoking.