Saad Almasmari |
HAMTRAMCK — Here, you could have a Yemeni breakfast, south Asian lunch and eastern European dinner at different restaurants without having to walk more than a few blocks.
The city of 22,000, which is bordered by Detroit on most sides, illustrates American diversity.
But with diversity comes divisions.
Hamtramck captured the nation’s attention after its residents voted for the first-ever Muslim-majority council in the United States.
On Nov. 3, Yemeni American challenger Saad Almasmari was elected to the council, joining Bangladeshi councilmen Abu Musa, Anam Miah and Mohammed Hassan.
The headlines garnered expected xenophobic responses from right-wing activists, fueling their misconceptions about “creeping sharia” and Muslims’ demographics threats.
Even in Hamtramck, there were murmurs that the historically powerful Polish American political machine was losing its grip on the city.
Hamtramck became a destination for Polish immigrants at the turn of the last century. However, over the past 30 years, large numbers of newcomers from Bangladesh, Yemen and Bosnia started settling in the city.
Throughout its history, Hamtramck has been a welcoming home to immigrants. According to the 2010 census, 41 percent of the city’s population is foreign-born.
“Wrong words”
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s elections, the videotaped statement of a Yemeni American activist that went viral on social and local media deepened those divisions.
“Today we show the Polish and everybody else that we’re united,” Ibrahim Algahim said at the victory party for the four Muslim council members.
Although triumphant candidates rejected his statement and pledged to work for the entire city, the comment sparked outrage in Hamtramck and across southeast Michigan.
Almasmari, a 28-year-old businessman, said he does not agree with Algahim.
“I objected to what he said right after he said it,” he said. “The Polish community has been in Hamtramck for almost 100 years. They have run the city well. We should thank them.”
He said some Polish American individuals have made mistakes in the past, but nobody should criticize an entire community.
Almasmari added that Algahim is not prejudiced.
“Anyone who knows Ibrahim would tell you he is a man who likes to joke around; I don’t think he was serious when he said that,” he said.
Yemeni American organizers Anwar Baalawi and Mohamed Musleh both said Algahim chose the “wrong words.”
“His intent was not to tell the Polish people we are going to take over,” Musleh said. “He wanted to say that we are equal to the Polish people or any other culture.”
Baalawi acknowledged that the controversial statement “didn’t sound right.”
He said Algahim meant to highlight the electoral power of the Muslim community.
“He’s not a racist,” Baalawi said of Algahim. “He is friends with everybody. He socializes with everybody. His message was to us, was to tell us when we go out and vote, we can accomplish something.”
Bill Meyer, the executive director of OneHamtramck, a group that aims to promote diversity, said Algahim probably got carried away in the moment.
Meyer said Algahim should have addressed Polish Americans who are anti-Muslim, not the whole community.
Hamtramck organizer Abdulmalik Alwajeeh warned community members to choose their words wisely.
“Our statements must reflect our belief in co-existence and the importance of joint action in serving our community as a whole,” he wrote on Facebook Monday. “We value democracy, respect, open society and justice for all. Those values should be the mainstream.”
Hamtramck store displaying flags of residents’ nationalities
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Serving everyone
After the elections, Hamtramck made the headlines of leading national and international media outlets, including the Washington Post, UPI, Russia Today and the Christian Science Monitor.
Almasmari said he was surprised by the widespread attention.
He added that the Muslim-majority council is a result of the democratic process.
“They think the Muslims will change the appearance or the laws of the city,” Almasmari said. “That’s not true. We were elected by everybody and we will work for everybody regardless of their ethnicity, religion or gender.”
Almasmari was the top vote-getter last week. He printed campaign literature in English, Arabic, Bengali and Polish and said he received more than 20 percent of his votes from outside the Muslim community.
Baalawi, the activist, said media coverage of the election results was “blown out of proportion.”
“As a Muslim majority, they still have to go by the city charter; they still go by state laws, by federal laws, they can’t change anything they want,” he said. “It’s not like they’re going to go in there and turn it into a Muslim city.”
Baalawi said the council member-elect did not win because of his background, but because of his ideas and organized campaign.
“He was committed; he worked really hard and hard work paid off for him,” Baalawi said of Almasmari.
Musleh said Almasmari and fellow council members have a responsibility to answer to the needs of all residents.
He added that officials will be judged by their performances in office, not their national or religious backgrounds.
“If they do accomplish something, if they show people they are there to represent the entire city of Hamtramck, that’s going to get more Yemeni Americans involved,” he said.
Musleh added that if people are not pleased with the candidates, they can vote them out.
Meyer, of OneHamtramck, said Muslims are no different than American politicians.
He said he did not expect how “fear-mongering” anti-Muslim advocates around the country reacted to the elections.
“There were some horrible reactions,” he said. “Like ‘the people of Hamtramck voted their own death.’ Just ridiculous.”
Divisions
Hamtramck, a two-square-mile city, has an urban vibe — pedestrians in the late fall, one-way residential streets, low-rise brick buildings and mom-and-pop-stores.
Meyer said Muslim immigrants revived Hamtramck’s economy after the loss of factory jobs.
He said the city needed residents and business, which newcomers provided.
Meyer said he enjoys living in Hamtramck because of its diversity.
He also said people get along and tensions are minimal between ethnic and religious groups.
“This is a beautiful group of people most of the time,” he said. “You see some people write anonymously on Facebook and say some bad stuff. I know they’re out there. But when you’re talking face to face, no one is like that.”
Meyer added that some politicians exploit racism for personal goals. He explained that the Polish and Yemeni communities both have internal political divides.
Almasmari echoed Meyer’s comment, saying racial tensions are stronger at the leadership level than on the street.
Hamtramck’s former police chief, Max Garbarino, said there were racial tensions in the community, but they did not rise to an alarming level.
Garbarino, who resigned in March, served as chief for three years.
He said most racial confrontations happened at the schools, where children look for an excuse to fight.
Garbarino said he monitored the elections closely and was disturbed by some of the negative “Islamophobic” reactions based on the winners’ religion.
“I am glad the candidates who won did win,” he said. “This is a good thing because the demographics of the city of Hamtramck now are mostly Muslim. It’s a fair representation.”
Garbarino said he tried to diversify the police department during his time as chief to reflect the population.
He added that fears of the council enforcing Islamic laws are completely unfounded.
“I’ve seen some crazy comments that now sharia law will be instituted and they will close down all the bars,” he said. “It’s simply not the case.”
Gov. Snyder visited Hamtramck on Friday, Nov. 7, to promote BanglaTown, a Bangladeshi neighborhood and business district in the city.
Asked about Hamtramck’s Muslim-majority council, Snyder credited the democratic process.
“People elect good people,” the Detroit Free Press quoted him as saying. “I wouldn’t view any of it as a negative. I view it as a positive that the people of Hamtramck think they have a great city council and we should be proud of that.”
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