DEARBORN – Anti-American chants from some participants in the International Day of Al-Quds or “International Jerusalem Day” march held in Dearborn last Friday sparked wide condemnation by local Arab and Muslim Americans. Several local officials and leaders in the Dearborn area were quick to condemn the chants, while the right-wing media exploited them to launch a smear campaign targeting Dearborn and its residents, describing it as a “hotbed of hatred for America and support for terrorism.”
The annual march was held in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Michigan Avenue. The march is held the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as a tradition established by the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1979, as a rejection of the Israeli occupation of Al-Quds, which harbors Masjid Al Aqsa, the third Holiest site for Muslims.
Tarek Bazzi, a Dearborn activist, speaks at Friday’s Al-Quds rally in Dearborn. – Videograb
The march, which was attended by hundreds, included several speeches focused on supporting the Palestinian people and condemning the ongoing brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza, including testimonies provided by two Arab American doctors who had just returned from a humanitarian and medical mission to the besieged Strip. Demonstrators held Palestinian flags and yellow signs that read “Money for jobs and education, not for Israel’s occupation.” They chanted, “Free, Free Palestine” and “End the occupation now.”
While the right-wing media completely ignored the tragedies narrated by Drs. Muhammad Ali Hussein and Adam Fahs about the circumstances and the harsh conditions that Palestinians live under during continuous bombardment, hunger and siege, pro-Israeli and right wing media reports focused on the “Death to America” chant by a few demonstrators.
The doctors discussed how basic necessities don’t exist and children are malnourished, fearful without their families. They also described operating on young ones with wounds filled with maggots.
Dr. Adam Fahd, an Ascension orthopedic trauma surgeon, speaks at the International Day of Al-Quds on Friday, April 5 outside of the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Michigan Ave, in Dearborn. Videograb.
“I witnessed a genocide, yes, a genocide,” said Fahs, an Ascension orthopedic trauma surgeon. “I witnessed the absolute destruction of a society. I saw an entire city of people degraded to tents and makeshift shelters. I saw droves of bodies being rushed into the hospital after days and nights of ruthless bombings. I saw mangled limbs, children suffering from life changing injuries forever maimed, forever disabled. I witnessed pure evil at the hands of Israel, and I saw families lose literally everything.”
More than 20 hospitals in Gaza have been bombed beyond function, Fahs said.
The Israeli war on Gaza is one of the most destructive, deadly and intractable conflicts of the 21st century, according to the Associated Press.
Humanitarian groups have warned the Gaza Strip is on the brink of famine after six months of Israel’s war on Gaza. Food and other supplies are blocked from entering the Strip. The war has also intensified with tit-for-tat fighting in southern Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
Local activist Tarek Bazzi organized the International Day of Al-Quds and spoke out against what he called Israel’s “satanic actions” and “the United States government providing funds that allow the atrocities.” He quoted the Black Panther movement and Malcolm X talking about oppressive U.S. actions in other countries.
During Bazzi’s brief pause, a White man in the crowd shouted three times in Arabic, “Death to America.” Few in the crowd echoed his chant while others asked him to cease and desist, witnesses told The Arab American News.
The man who started shouting “Death to America” during the International Day of Al-Quds on Friday, April 5. – Videograb
The Arab American News has learned that the one who shouted the “Death to America” slogan recently converted to Islam and assumed an Arabic name.
According to the Detroit News, on Sunday, the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) circulated on X (formerly Twitter) transcribed video clips of Bazzi’s speech from a video by Dearborn.org. One clip was viewed 2.6 million times by late Monday, the platform reported. The video came just two months after MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky declared Dearborn “America’s Jihad Capital” in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, a column that drew condemnation, both locally and from President Biden and other elected officials.
Over the past two months, Dearborn has gained local, national and international media attention after becoming a center for the movement to defeat President Biden’s re-election due to his policy that supports and finances the Israeli aggression on Gaza. The majority of the voters in Dearborn who gave their votes to Biden in 2020 declared themselves “uncommitted” in the Feb. 27 Michigan presidential primary election.
The feeling in the community is that the pro-Israeli MEMRI Institute’s focus on the anti-American chants during the Jerusalem Day march, Friday, is a blatant attempt by the Israeli supporters to demonize the city of Dearborn and the Arab American and Muslim community, which are expected to play a decisive role in the election of the next president of the United States.
Arab Americans denounced the chants: It has no place in our community
On Monday, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud denounced the chants as unacceptable.
“The hateful rhetoric heard on Friday does not reflect the opinion of the members of this community,” he said
Over the weekend, video emerged of a rally in Dearborn where some attendees were chanting statements that were unacceptable and contrary to the heart of this city. We reject all inflammatory and violent statements made at the gathering.
Dearborn is a city of proud Americans; the…
— Abdullah H. Hammoud (@AHammoudMI) April 8, 2024
“We reject all inflammatory and violent statements made at the gathering,” Hammoud wrote on X. “The Dearborn community stands for peace and justice for all people. We are proud to call this city and this country home.”
Other prominent Dearborn community leaders, including The Arab American News founder and Publisher Osama Siblani, issued a joint statement to the speakers responsible for, “inciting such discord, know this: Your messages of extremism do not resonate with us.”
Siblani wrote on his personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/osama.siblani
“As we address the recent events at the Al-Quds rally in Dearborn last Friday, it’s important to make our stance clear. We, as a community, unequivocally denounce the inflammatory speeches and chants that emerged from that gathering. These expressions do not reflect the values of Arab Americans and Muslims in Dearborn or anywhere else.
“America, our cherished home, has provided us with unparalleled opportunities to pursue our dreams and nurture our families across generations. It’s a place where we’ve been able to live out those dreams, contributing to its rich tapestry of cultures and beliefs.
“To the speakers responsible for inciting such discord, know this: Your messages of extremism do not resonate with us. Critiques of our nation’s foreign policies should not translate into blanket condemnations. Your perspectives do not represent our aspirations, our community, or the values we uphold.
“As proud Americans, we embody the spirit of the American dream, free from the shadows of your divisive rhetoric.
“In condemning these actions, we reaffirm our commitment to Dearborn as a city that embodies diversity and inclusivity. A city that opens its arms to all, irrespective of their background. Your views have no place in the fabric of our community.
“In unity, we stand firm in our belief that America remains a land of endless possibilities, a place where all are welcome to build, dream, and thrive. Let us not be swayed by voices of division but instead come together to celebrate the strength in our diversity.”
See in this issue a partial list of endorsers of this statement.
Demonizing Dearborn for the action of an individual while looking the other way when a Republican member of the U.S. Congress suggested nuking Gaza
In late March, Michigan U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R- Jackson) faced criticism for suggesting that nuclear weapons should be dropped on Gaza, which his office said was a metaphor to “support Israel’s swift elimination of Hamas.”
“It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick,” Walberg said in a video circulating on social media, referencing the Japanese cities that the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on at the end of World War II.
Walberg, a Republican from Lenawee County, also is heard in the video saying, “We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid.”
Leave a Reply