AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A broad conference was held in Dearborn amid a wave of hate speech and religious provocations targeting the Muslim community, with the participation of senior Michigan officials, including Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. During the meeting, officials emphasized that the anti-Islam protesters had come from outside the state and that their views had no roots in Dearborn’s safe and multicultural community.
Following months of online attacks portraying Dearborn as an “Islamic colony”, a Republican candidate even called for a campaign against “Sharia implementation”, but after meeting with local Muslims, he was forced to retreat and apologize. Nevertheless, a group of anti-Islam activists, led by an extremist figure from Florida, held a gathering titled “Americans Against Islamization”, during which an attempt to burn the Quran resulted in a brief confrontation with residents and required police intervention.
Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, said at a press conference that the protesters’ aim was to sow division in a city that takes pride in its religious diversity. He stressed, “Dearborn will not allow itself to become a tool for external political conflicts.” Rashida Tlaib also described these actions as “a wave of hate speech” against a community, stating that the people of Dearborn do not deserve such attacks.
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