Dearborn is a small city near Detroit, Michigan. In February 2024, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed calling it the “Jihad Capital” of the United States of America. Dearborn has the largest Arab American Community.
Though the security was increased in the area by the local administration following the op-ed, the region has been facing conflicts consistently. At the moment, it is fiercely divided over the Israel-Hamas war as residents have decided not to vote for either of the candidates in the presidential elections. Reportedly, the people of Dearborn believe that the political leaders of the US are playing a major role in the suffering of the people of Gaza.
In February this year, almost 6,500 voters in Dearborn chose “uncommitted” during the Democratic primaries. The number jumped to 1,00,000 in March. On 19th July, days before Biden stepped down from the Presidential Election, he held a campaign rally at a school near Dearborn but was rejected by Arab Americans. According to artist Jenin Yaseen from Dearborn, the Arab community is made up of people from Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere in Dearborn. All these countries are in direct conflict with Israel, which these people believe is enabled by the US to attack Gaza.
Dearborn’s mayor is also from the Arab community. Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor, said in February that they do not want a return to the status quo and want to establish a just Palestinian state. In other words, the people of Dearborn want Israel to be wiped out from the map. In April this year, Muslim protesters in Dearborn had chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel” during a protest.
Hammoud has been vocal against the US government consistently. In January this year, he wrote, “Little bit of advice – if you’re planning on sending campaign officials to convince the Arab American community on why they should vote for your candidate, don’t do it on the same day you announce selling fighter jets to the tyrants murdering our family members.” He statement came after it was reported that Israel was planning to buy 50 fighter jets and 12 Apache attack helicopters from the US.
Little bit of advice – if you’re planning on sending campaign officials to convince the Arab American community on why they should vote for your candidate, don’t do it on the same day you announce selling fighter jets to the tyrants murdering our family members. https://t.co/p6nuEQ7aot
— Abdullah H. Hammoud (@AHammoudMI) January 26, 2024
Ironically, Hammoud, who favours Hamas, posted on X after Trump was attacked saying ‘violence is never the answer’. He wrote, “Praying for the health and safety of former President Trump, and the attendees at the rally impacted by today’s shooting. Violence is never the answer.”
When Israel was attacked by Hamas on 7th October, he blamed Israel for the attack and claimed it was because of decades of “illegal military occupation and imprisonment of Gaza” which made peace impossible and the attack inevitable. He added, “Israel has trapped millions of Palestinians in Gaza in what is recognized by the international community as the world’s largest open-air prison. Failure to recognize this context is the inability to comprehend what is unfolding overseas.” Though he did not say it openly, but the tone made it clear he sided with Hamas and justified the terrorist attack that killed over 1,300 people.
Israel’s decades of illegal military occupation and imprisonment of Gaza make peace impossible and tragic violence inevitable. Israel has trapped millions of Palestinians in Gaza in what is recognized by the international community as the world’s largest open-air prison. Failure…
— Abdullah H. Hammoud (@AHammoudMI) October 8, 2023
No Biden, No Harris
The Arab community in Dearborn is not just against Biden. They are also not willing to go ahead and vote for Kamala Harris, who has been named by Joe Biden as a possible Democrat candidate for the presidential elections. Samraa Luqman, who was co-chair for the Abandon Biden campaign, said, “There is not an automatic endorsement by the community of Harris just because Biden stepped down. She was part of the Biden administration, so she’s going to be associated with all of his policies and all of his rhetoric. She might come with a $100 million war chest, but she comes with his baggage as well.”
Luqman believes that instead of choosing Harris, the people of Dearborn may choose a third-party candidate or even Donald Trump. She said, “They may go with a Republican out of spite”.
Dearborn is a curious case of one-sided and undivided support for “Palestine” without giving a thought to the two-state solution to the problem. The people of Dearborn, specifically the Arab Community wants one-state solution via establishment of only Palestine.
‘America’s Jihad Capital’ tag and protest rallies after Hamas terrorist attack on Israel
In February 2024, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed written by Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute in which he called Dearborn “America’s Jihad Capital”. The assertion was based on the fact that the region became a focal point of intense scrutiny following a series of rallies and protests supporting Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Slogans such as ‘Intifada’, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ and ‘America is a terrorist state’ were heard consistently during these protests. The protesters, interestingly were seen wearing Kaffiyahs covering their faces.
The protests started in Dearborn soon after the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas on 7th October 2023. On 10th October, a rally was organised at the Ford Performing Arts Centre cheering Hamas terror attack. During the event, Imam Imran Salha of Dearborn’s Islamic Centre of Detroit asserted that Israel’s past actions have ignited a “fire in our hearts that will burn that state” until its destruction.
On 14th October, another rally was organised at the Henry Ford Centennial Library where Imam Usama Abdulghani, an American-born, Iranian-educated Shiite scholar, cheered the attacks as a “miracle come true” and praised the terrorists as “honourable lions defending the entire nation of Muhammad.”
On 30th December, the Islamic Centre of America held a memorial for a Hezbollah terrorist who was killed in an Israeli strike. Furthermore, Hadi Institute hosted a “Commemoration of the Martyrs” on 5th January to honour Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. These two were designated terrorists killed in a 2020 airstrike.
The US counterterrorism officials have been raising alarms over the activities in Dearborn. In 2001, Michigan State Police highlighted Dearborn as a major support centre for international terror groups. The report suggested that several residents of the area have been convicted of terror-related crimes in recent years, including Ahmad Musa Jibril who is a prominent English-speaking Jihadi Sheikh popular for promoting “holy war” on social media.
Soon after the op-ed got published, the Mayor upped his game to clear the name of Dearborn as “Jihad Capital”. He called the op-ed “bigoted and Islamophobic”. Police presence was increased in the city and Hammoud said on X, “Effective immediately – Dearborn police will ramp up its presence across all places of worship and major infrastructure points. This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn. Stay vigilant.” In short, instead of controlling the terror supporters in the region, Hammoud decided to attack the messenger, in this case, WSJ.
Effective immediately – Dearborn police will ramp up its presence across all places of worship and major infrastructure points.
— Abdullah H. Hammoud (@AHammoudMI) February 3, 2024
This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online…
Even Biden himself came out to support the Arab community of Dearborn and opposed the term “Jihad Capital”. He wrote, “Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong. That’s exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, and it shouldn’t happen to the residents of Dearborn – or any American town. We must continue to condemn hate in all forms.” Of course, the aim was political for him as he did not want to lose his voter base. But that did not help in the end.
Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 4, 2024
That’s exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, and it shouldn’t happen to the residents of Dearborn – or any American town.
We must continue to condemn hate in all forms.
Dearborn is a classic example of what happens when population of the particular community crosses the threshhold of becoming majority in a region. It can be a city, a state, or a country. In all the cases, the rules of the republic cease to exist.
