(L): ACRL Chairman Nabih Ayad, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Samia Sareini and Rev. Wendell Anthony.

DEARBORN — Dr. Michael Eric Dyson knows what it’s like to be an Arab.

That’s what the Detroit-born African American Georgetown University professor, author and political analyst told the hundreds of attendees during his keynote address at the third annual Fight for Justice Gala, hosted by the Arab-American Civil Rights League (ACRL) on Friday, Oct. 10.

“A real American, brother,” Dyson said.

As the crowd laughed, Dyson went on to say that terror has no religious affiliation and that the real terror is the bigotry, ignorance and fear. 

“Arab Americans have made extraordinary contributions to our civilization, so why should they have to explain themselves to anybody?” he asked. 

Dyson referenced Ferguson, MO— rife with tensions after a White police officer shot and killed an unarmed Black man this summer— and the targeting of young Black people for no other reason than their skin color. He said Arab Americans are being treated with the same bigotry because they are presumed to be terrorists or anti-Americans because of their names. 

“They are unfamiliar with the diversity of the Arab American community,” he said of such bigots. 

“I don’t look to Islam as an example of terror; it has deep and ancient traditions that molded great souls with intellect to give peace to the world,” he said in his speech. 

Dyson received a passionate introduction from the Rev. Wendell Anthony, a board member of the ACRL. 

Anthony also made light of problems with the PA system which plagued the beginning of the event, but were subsequently resolved.

“Mohammad and Jesus did not have a P.A. system and we remember their words today,” Anthony said. 

WXYZ reporter Nima Shaffe emceed the event, which was attended by various dignitaries, including city officials and community leaders.

Prior to Dyson’s keynote address, retiring U.S. Representative John Dingell and Rep. John Conyers each received a special tribute for their work in the community. Both thanked the ACRL and its founder, Nabih Ayad. They stressed that Arab Americans are loyal Americans who don’t have to pay special dues to anyone.

The ACRL also presented awards to Ismael Ahmed, senior advisor to the chancellor and associate provost of metropolitan impact at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Dr. Farouk El-Baz, an Egyptian American scientist who worked on NASA’s Apollo missions and helped select the landing site for Apollo 11.

El-Baz, currently a research professor and director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University, expressed his gratitude to the ACRL. 

“ACRL is doing a fantastic job protecting our people and life, and I applaud you,” he said. 

El-Baz, who initially trained as a mining engineer, related how he had to work harder than most to prove himself at NASA. He told the attendees that constantly acquiring knowledge is the only way to get the satisfaction they deserve in life.

Ahmed, former director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, received an award for “ACRL Courage in Public Service Leadership.” He thanked the ACRL and said that every meaningful action in this country started from the ground up. 

Speaking to the Arab American News after the event, Dyson reiterated that Arab Americans are just as much Americans as anyone else. “Arab Americans are citizens who deserve the utmost respect and they should be acknowledged as members of our community who shouldn’t be judged by the actions of a few,” he said.