The Muslim mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, told a Christian resident that he is “not welcome” in the city.
The comments came after the man publicly questioned why Dearborn was honoring a journalist with a long history of praising Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated Islamic terrorist group.
The confrontation occurred at a Dearborn city council meeting when local Christian Ted Barham voiced his opposition to renaming Warren Avenue after Arab American journalist Osama Siblani.
Siblani is the publisher of The Arab American News.
Barham cited Siblani’s documented history of glorifying Hezbollah.
He has also called for the destruction of Israel.
Rather than addressing the substance of the concerns, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud delivered a blunt rebuke:
“Although you live here, I want you to know as mayor, you are not welcome here,” Hammoud told Barham.
The mayor added that the day Barham leaves Dearborn will be celebrated with a “parade.”
WATCH:
Hezbollah Ties And Anti-Israel Rhetoric
Siblani, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1976, has a decades-long record of anti-Israel statements.
According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Siblani has repeatedly glorified Hezbollah.
In 2024, Siblani told a rally filled with chants of “death to Israel” that Hezbollah would “take care of the