OAN Staff Blake Wolf
9:52 AM – Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Dearborn, Michigan, Muslim Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud told a Christian resident that he is “not welcome” in the city after criticizing newly placed street signs honoring Osama Siblani, a Muslim journalist who has repeatedly praised Hezbollah.
The viral moment took place at last Tuesday’s city council meeting, in which local Christian resident Ted Barham voiced his opposition to the new street sign.
The sign was erected to honor Siblani, the founder of The Arab American News, which is a bilingual weekly newspaper founded in 1984 in Dearborn, Michigan.
In the city council meeting, Barham objected to the new sign due to Siblani’s prior “provocative” comments praising Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
“It seems very provocative to have those signs up there,” Barham stated. “It’s almost like … naming a street, Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street.”
Barham went on to discuss prior remarks made by Siblani, stating, “He talks about how the blood of the martyrs irrigates the land of Palestine … whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Yemen. Believe me, everyone should fight within his means. They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others fight with planes, drones, and rockets.”
Barham also noted the 1983 Hezbollah bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 individuals, including 17 Americans.
Barham concluded by quoting Jesus Christ from Matthew 5:9, stating, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Mayor Hammoud sharply responded, accusing Barhom of being a “bigot” and an “Islamophobe.”
“The best suggestion I have for you is to not drive on Warren Avenue or to close your eyes while you’re doing it. His name is up there, and I spoke at a ceremony celebrating it because he’s done a lot for this community,” Hammoud stated.
“You are an Islamophobe, and although you live here, I want you to know, as mayor, you are not welcome here. And the day you move out of this city, will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of this city because you are not somebody who believes in coexistence,” he added.
The viral exchange followed an attempt from the Dearborn Heights Police Department to unveil a patch featuring Arabic script earlier this month, which was scrapped before it was implemented after garnering backlash online.
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