DEARBORN — In the last few years, Arab Americans have become noticeably more visible in politics and prominent leadership positions. This success is part of a vision many leaders and activists in the community first developed decades ago that is finally beginning to manifest, and it serves as a reflection of what we can expect from the next generation of Arab Americans.

The community celebrated a historic victory last year when Susan Dabaja became the first Arab and Muslim American to be elected Dearborn City Council president, and in 2012 Sam Salamey managed to beat incumbent Richard Wygonik in the race to serve as a judge on Dearborn’s 19th District Court. Ronald Haddad, an Arab American  is currently Dearborn’s  police chief. In January Arab American Hussein Berry was selected as president of the Dearborn Board of Education.

Arab Americans make up more than 40 percent of Dearborn’s population, which, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 98,153 people.

“The community is starting to realize its true potential,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News.

Jumana Judeh, founder of the Arab American Women’s Business Council, says in the 1980s, getting Arab Americans elected into public office seemed like an impossible task.  

The face of America is changing and minority groups are expected to account for 49.9 percent of the population by 2050, according to Census Bureau projections. As that happens, individuals from diverse backgrounds will hold more public office and prominent leadership positions. In November, a Latina was elected onto the Detroit City Council for the first time.

“The Arab American community has made some impressive progress in the past 10 years in the local political spectrum. I always expected that in the future, Arab American candidates would win elections and be able to represent an Arab constituency, I just never imagined it would happen so quickly. Growing up, I never imagined that I would be represented by someone who looks, speaks, and thinks about my issues and concerns. Dearborn has been known by people around the country as a diverse city, now our elected officials confirm that,” said Ali Hammoud, vice president of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC). The group was formed in 1998 to organize and encourage the political activities of Arab Americans.

Dearborn City Council President Susan Dabaja.

Judeh says 30 years ago the community was thinking about how to get active, and the 1990s is when things finally started to  progress.

Judeh managed longtime Dearborn City Councilwoman Suzanne Sareini’s campaign in the early 1980s and worked aggressively to overcome negative stereotypes about Arab Americans.

Ismael Ahmed, co-founder of the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services, says decades ago there were very few Arabs in leadership roles. 

Siblani is proud of the success the community has built over the years, but noted that what it has accomplished is less than what he expected it would have by now. 

“Actually I expected more. That is why I started the paper. I mean why would you start a newspaper if you don’t have a hope or at least you’re looking forward for the community to advance. The objective of the paper when we started was to promote the Arab American in public life,” he said.

Dearborn Board of Education President Hussein Berry.

According to Siblani, things have changed since the paper was established in 1984. At that time, it was searching for people and things to write about, but now it is hard to keep up with all the success going on in the community. He expects Arab Americans to begin rising even more in future elections. 

Last year, Yemeni American candidate Dr. Abdul Algazali managed to beat incumbent Karen Majewski in Hamtramck’s primary mayoral race, but he lost by 98 votes in the general election. Algazali came close to becoming the city’s first Yemeni American mayor.

While the Arab American community has experienced a lot of success over the years, many argue there is still more progress to be made. 

Judeh and Ahmed both say they would like to see more Arab Americans occupying positions in Dearborn as department heads, including deputy mayor. They also hope others consider running for office at the federal level and become U.S. senators and congressmen. 

Ahmed says running for office at the federal level is more difficult because of the widespread hate and discrimination directed at Arab and Muslim Americans. “You almost have to keep a low profile as an Arab American for those positions. It is rare they run as Arabs,” he said.

Many Republican candidates have used anti-Muslim and Arab sentiment in their campaigns as a tactic to influence voters. 

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad.

It wasn’t too long ago that politicians were refusing to accept financial contributions from Arab Americans because they didn’t want to affiliate themselves with the community. 

“Although Arab Americans may think that we are well represented after our recent local elections, we are still underrepresented across the State of Michigan in Congressional seats and the Governor’s office. We need Arab Americans in the House and Senate as well as the Cabinet of the Governor to voice our issues, concerns, and stop the discrimination that still persists in communities with large Arab American populations. Even in the City of Dearborn, we are underrepresented in the Police and Fire departments. As a community, we should not be satisfied or complacent with the successes that we have achieved and should always seek more,” Hammoud said.

Young Arabs who were born in the United States are a lot different than their parents who came to the country as immigrants with little opportunity or money to pursue college careers. 

A lot of Arab immigrants opened businesses and worked as entrepreneurs with a tough work ethic aspiring to earn a good living, hoping that their children could have better lives and attend college. 

Fay Beydoun, executive director  of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, is enthusiastic about what the next generation of Arab Americans will do. She says it is more politically active than the older generation. 

“I am very proud and honored about what is taking place in Dearborn. This is a very important step for the Arab American community. We as a community need to be very supportive of the people pursuing such positions,” said Beydoun.

Dearborn Chief Judge Sam Salamey.

In 2013, Arab youth made their presence felt at the Michigan Democratic Convention, and many have become very politically active through groups such as the Arab Student Union and AAPAC.

“The youth movement in our community is powerful and refreshing, but we need them to materialize into heads of organizations and government officials. This community has extremely successful lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, and entrepreneurs that excel in their fields. We need to take the next step to plan and execute their innovative ideas to programs or initiatives that can help the community.  We need to get organized and help one another to form contacts and use those contacts for the betterment of the community. I look forward to seeing some of our youth in powerful positions such as Attorney General or Governor,” Hammoud said.

The older generation has worked hard over the years to build bridges and form coalitions with other communities. Siblani says it is important for Arab Americans to step outside of their own community and reach out to other groups in order to be successful. 

Judeh says the efforts of the older generation played a critical role in getting the community where it is today.  “The objective is to push people forward. We have to really appreciate what the older generation has done for this generation to be successful,” Siblani said.

He says it will also be the new generation’s responsibility to exceed the older generation’s accomplishments, as well as to help prepare others younger than them for leadership roles. 

Last year’s election season was also very noteworthy because for the first time four Arab Americans were elected onto the Dearborn City Council. After the election, questions were raised in the media about whether Arab Americans were trying to take over the city.

“Ignorant people out there will continue to think like that. Each city should be reflective of the people in the city. You have four Arab Americans on the city council, and almost half the city is comprised of Arab Americans,” said Beydoun.

Judeh says Arabs are no different than other Americans and simply want to take part in fulfilling their civic duty. “I don’t think for a second that Arab Americans are trying to take over the city. They care so much, so they want to give back. I think that people are afraid of change and something different,” she said.

Many Arab Americans ran for political office in Dearborn last year, and didn’t win or sway in votes from the community because they weren’t qualified enough.  

Both Beydoun and Judeh say they were proud and honored to witness Dabaja’s election because she is a woman and so well-qualified for the position.

Judeh says in the 1980s women were not as active socially and politically, and she remembers being the only woman in a room with all men when she was active in the community then.

Siblani says the community’s intention has never been to get people selected for leadership positions or elected into public office simply because they are Arabs. 

He says what is most important is to have people in public office who are friends of the community and have the tolerance to work with it and address its needs and concerns. 

Several barriers have stood in the community’s way over the years and prevented it from moving forward. The attacks on 9/11 in many ways undid a lot of the work it had done to earn the respect and trust of others.  

Before 9/11, politicians were beginning to reach out to the community, but afterwards they started distancing themselves from it.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush earned the endorsement of AAPAC when running for office in his first term before 9/11, and even addressed the community at one of the group’s annual banquets by phone. 

“When the president of the United States comes not intimidated seeking an Arab American endorsement and support, that means you are involved and you are involved at the highest level, and that means you have crossed a major, major bridge,” Siblani said. 

Even before 9/11, the community had a major hurdle to overcome, namely the discrimination and stereotypical depictions of Muslims in Hollywood.

Siblani says today’s community leaders aren’t going to just hand the torch down to the next generation and step aside. 

“We will be there for advice, and here to answer their questions and act as a support system for them,” he said.