After a contentious past few months in Dearborn amid debates over faith, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud joined other elected officials and religious leaders in calling for unity and declaring that the city is open to all.
On Friday, Nov. 21, in front of one of Michigan’s largest mosques, Hammoud spoke at an event organized by the city about Dearborn’s history of immigrant communities and promised to continue welcoming diversity. Hammoud’s address came three days after contentious protests and a Quran-burning attempt in Dearborn stoked divisions, and two weeks after he was reelected with 71% of the vote. During the intense campaign, Hammoud faced criticism for berating a Christian minister speaking at a City Council meeting.
“Let me say it clearly, without hesitation or qualification: Dearborn’s doors are open to everyone,” Hammoud said Friday afternoon in the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America, which he attends and where one of his uncles is an imam. “Whether you are Muslim, whether you are Christian, whether you are Jewish, people of all faiths or no faith at all, you are welcome here. We will not seek to burn your holy books, but rather we will create a safe place for you to worship.”
Hammoud’s remarks came the day after Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, in charge of civil rights at the U..S. Justice Department, asked a right-wing activist who appeared to have been punched during one of the rallies Tuesday in Dearborn to reach out to her office with “the information needed to start an investigation” into alleged hate crimes against him.
Hammoud said the city will protect the rights of everyone, regardless of their faith and background. Some Christian residents have expressed concern over the past couple of years about some mosques playing the Islamic call to prayer at high volumes they said infringes on their peace and rights.
“So today, we reaffirm something simple and powerful: Dearborn belongs to everyone, every faith, every background, every life journey,” Hammoud said as the crowd applauded. “You have a home here. You have a place here. You have rights here. And we will protect that, proudly and without exception.”
Hammoud was joined at the event by Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox Christian, Shia Muslim and Sunni Muslim leaders who stood alongside him. Also speaking were Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist; Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, whose district includes Dearborn; City Council President Michael Sareini; state Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, state Rep. and House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, and Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun, D-Dearborn, among others. The Islamic Center of America, where the event was held, sits next to two churches off of Altar Road, a name that reflects its history of being home to churches. City officials invited media outlets for the event. Speeches were given at a podium with the seal of Dearborn, which reads: “Hometown of Henry Ford.”
The protesters who rallied Tuesday, Nov. 18, in Dearborn alleged the city is under sharia, Islamic law, a claim debunked by Baydoun. The commissioner noted that Dearborn has strip clubs, liquor stores, and Christian nativity scenes.
“On Tuesday, a group of right wing extremists claiming to fight against sharia law in Dearborn descended upon this great, diverse American city, with some of them in military style, here ready for a war that exists only within … their narrow minds,” Baydoun said. “They walked past a nativity scene on Michigan Avenue, which has been part of Dearborn’s Christmas traditions for decades. They walked by … one of Dearborn’s two gentlemen’s club to protest a law that does not exist.”
Baydoun also noted the contributions of Arab Americans, who have been part of the city’s history for several generations, stretching back 100 years, noting their military service and contributions in medicine and law enforcement.
“Dearborn produces talents, not extremists,” Baydoun said.
The recent tensions started on Sept. 9 after Hammoud’s outburst against Ted Barham, a Protestant minister. Hammoud then sought to clarify his views, saying two weeks later that Dearborn is welcome to all. There have also been tensions recently over the outdoors broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer that started in 2023 at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge and has been playing at some other mosques. Forty residents are asking the city to lower the volume.
Anthony Hudson, of Grand Blanc, a Republican candidate for governor, then called for a rally in Dearborn on Nov. 18 to stop sharia and protect the rights of Christians. But after spending four days in Dearborn and visiting mosques, his views changed. He still rallied on Nov. 18, but with a more respectful tone. But some of his followers defected to another group of right-wing activists led by Jake Lang, of Florida, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump of charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riots at the nation’s Capitol.
Lang spewed hateful remarks about Muslims, minorities and immigrants during his Nov. 18 rally, and at a council meeting that night, describing America as a land only meant for white Christians. About 55% of Dearborn’s residents are of Arab descent, the highest percentage of Arab Americans among all cities in the U.S.
Lang and other right-wing influencers have accused Hammoud, who is Muslim, and Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin, the first Muslim police chief in Dearborn history, of not tolerating the freedom of speech rights of anti-Muslim activists. But under Hammoud’s administration, the city has not restricted anti-Islam speech and Quran-burnings. Last year, Dearborn police allowed a woman from Oregon to burn a Quran in front of a mosque in the city. Under the previous administration, when the mayor and police chief were Christian, the city often cracked down on conservative Christians who were anti-Muslim, resulting in lawsuits and legal settlements. On Nov. 18, Dearborn police did not block Lang or intervene when he tried to burn and desecrate the Quran.
Some right-wing influencers and journalists who covered Tuesday’s protests allege they were attacked during the rallies. But Dearborn police said constitutional rights were protected.
On Tuesday, “officers made three arrests from different groups after observing disorderly behavior throughout the evening,” Cpl. Dan Bartok told the Free Press in a statement. Bartok did not say who was arrested or what specific crimes they may have committed.
In addition to the two rallies held by conservatives, there was a rally led by liberal groups in support of Muslims.
“On Tuesday, November 18, demonstrators from several organized groups converged in the area of Michigan Ave and Schaefer Rd,” Bartok said in a statement. “Although splintering of the groups was unplanned, officers responded quickly and managed the situation effectively while safeguarding participants, residents, motorists, property, and everyone’s constitutional rights.”
Shahin said of his police department: “I am proud of the disciplined and measured response our officers demonstrated during the Nov. 18 demonstrations. Their actions reflected our department’s core values and our dedication to safeguarding everyone in our city.”
Bartok urged residents not to engage with protesters.
“We urge the community to never directly engage with such demonstrations to ensure safety of all involved,” he said.
After Tuesday’s protests, several Democratic politicians in Michigan, including U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, put out statements condemning the right-wing protests. In previous years when anti-Islam activists came to Dearborn, interfaith rallies and statements were put out before the event, but this time, there wasn’t any gathering until afterwards.
Community advocates note that another example of Dearborn’s respect for Christians was seen Thursday evening during the annual Christmas tree lighting that featured a visit by Santa and reindeer. Under the previous mayor, the late John O’Reilly Jr., who was Catholic, there were complaints from residents about a smaller tree and reduced festivities. After Hammoud was elected, the city reinvigorated the tree ceremony by bringing in a much larger tree and an expanded event.
“We will build bridges,” Hammoud said Friday. “That is the best of our tradition and our promise. And as mayor, I will defend that promise with everything I have. … Dearborn’s future will not be written by outsiders with torches of fear. It will be written by the people of this city, by all of us, standing here collectively, working together, living together and moving forward together.”
Lang said on social media he now plans to hold a similar anti-Islam rally at a planned Muslim development in Texas called EPIC City.
Also this past week, the Imams Council of Michigan released a statement asking people “to seek knowledge rather than accept politically motivated narratives rooted in fear.” The council’s two co-chairs, Imam Mohammed Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights and Imam Mustapha Elturk of the Islamic Organization of North America, a Warren mosque, attended Friday’s event with Hammoud.
“Some people with political ambitions are brainwashing the public, exploiting ignorance about Islam for their own interests,” Elahi said. “They are dangerous to the safety and security of our communities.”
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mayor Abdullah Hammoud after protests: ‘Dearborn belongs to everyone’
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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