The mayor of a Michigan city, home to a significant Muslim population, has faced criticism for telling a Christian resident he was ‘not welcome’ following a heated discussion about a road sign that honors a local individual who showed support for Hamas.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud made this comment after Edward ‘Ted’ Barham expressed his objection at a City Council meeting to a road sign at an intersection dedicated to Lebanese-American journalist Osama Siblani.

Siblani is the founder of the Arab American News, the first bilingual Arab weekly in Dearborn. He has previously attracted criticism for remarks that were sympathetic to Hamas, referring to the Palestinian organization as ‘freedom fighters’.

Barham labeled the sign as ‘provocative’ and accused Siblani of supporting Hezbollah and Hamas, both of which are labeled as terrorist groups by the US. 

‘I feel like having that sign up there is almost like naming a street Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street,’ Barham argued. 

‘Hezbollah bombed the embassy in Beirut, including many Americans. I just feel it’s quite inappropriate’.

‘He discusses how the blood of martyrs nurtures the land of Palestine,’ Barham continued. He then cited Siblani, who said: ‘Whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Yemen.

‘Believe me, everyone should engage in battle with what they have. Some will use stones, others firearms, and still others planes, drones, and rockets’.

Siblani had made the remarks during a Nakba Day rally in 2022, although it’s unclear what he was advocating for in his speech.  

Barham argued that the quote incited violence, to which the council disagreed, declaring that Siblani was not a violent person. 

Council President Michael T. Sareini informed Barham that the Wayne County Commission had approved the road sign, which wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the Dearborn City Council.

Barham responded that he understood, but wanted to raise his concerns as a Dearborn resident.

Siblani told Daily Mail that he had never heard of Barham before his appearance at the meeting and that he was the only person making those allegations. 

‘He is entitled to his opinion, but it does not reflect the truth about me,’ Siblani added.

‘I stand firm on my opinion of peoples right to fight oppression and occupation by all means as they seek their freedom and sovereignty including the Palestinian people.

‘Thousands of residents in Dearborn, across Michigan, and throughout the country have praised the sign recognizing my more than four decades of service,’ he continued.

‘I never ask or seek recognition for the work that I dedicated my life in pursuing justice for the oppressed, defending our causes and telling our stories’. 

Barham also said that he appreciated Siblani’s work in the Arab-American community, but disagreed with the sign. 

‘As a Christian, I would like to encourage peace,’ Barham said, adding that Jewish people killed Jesus and he wanted to ‘open the door to peace between Jewish and non-Jewish people’.

Mayor Hammoud responded: ‘I think it’s quite hypocritical to know that you’re approaching this podium when you yourself have videos on YouTube standing in front of my mosque saying the cruelest of things about Muslims.’ 

He accused Barham of being a ‘bigot,’ a ‘racist,’ and an ‘Islamaphobe,’ adding, ‘Although you live here, I want you to know that as mayor, you are not welcome here’.

‘And the day you move out of this city, will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of this city, because you are not somebody who believes in coexistence,’ he continued. 

‘You are somebody that tries to preach it, but in fact, you do everything but that. So I just want to put that on the record,’ Hammoud concluded. 

Barham launched a response about his alleged racist videos, but it was inaudible on the town council recording. 

The council also recommended that if Barham had a problem with the sign, he should avoid driving in the area or close his eyes at the intersection. 

‘I am a proud American citizen and equally proud of my culture and heritage as an Arab American from Lebanon,’ Siblani told Daily Mail.

‘Only in America can someone arrive with a one-way ticket and a few dollars in his pocket and, fifty years later, have his name placed on a city street he dedicated most of his life to serving and advancing’.

‘That is the greatness of America — that a single opinion based on false information and bias cannot diminish’. 

Earlier this month, the Wayne County government, which includes Dearborn, erected the honorary sign at an intersection. 

County officials held a ceremony to unveil the sign, honoring Siblani’s commitment to journalism and his work in the community. 

The ceremony was held on the 41st anniversary of the establishment of the Arab American News, which is headquartered in Dearborn. 

Council President Sareini spoke at the ceremony, praising Siblani: ‘Growing up in public service alongside my mother, former Councilwoman Suzanne Sareini, I saw what Osama did for decades. 

‘He was like my grandmother from Baalbek – hitting first, asking questions later. Even when we didn’t always agree, we knew he was taking the right stand for our community’.

Hammoud also spoke at the ceremony, calling Siblani the ‘voice of this community’ for 41 years.  

‘He created “good trouble,” pushing narratives about Arab Americans into mainstream media when they were too often forgotten,’ Hammoud continued.

‘There are reporters who distort stories, and there are reporters like Osama who insist on the truth. 

‘This is the kind of media we need. Naming this part of Warren Avenue after him is a symbolic step that will endure through time’. 

Siblani has been praised for his contributions to journalism and the Arab-American community, but has also been accused of sympathizing with and supporting Hezbollah and Hamas. 

The American Defamation League, an NGO founded to combat anti-Semitism and which advocates for Israel, previously cited a series of quotes Siblani made that were referred to as ‘problematic’.

‘The paper also offers a voice to critics of Israel that frequently write in support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah,’ the ADL argued. 

Siblani met with officials with the Biden administration last year to discuss Israel’s occupation of Gaza. 

In 2023, he spoke at a rally at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center to denounce Israel. 

‘We are not going to be intimidated. Hamas is not a terrorist organization, and we have to say to them the terrorist is Benjamin Netanyahu and his government,’ he said at the time. 

‘Before you end the occupation of Palestine, you have to end the occupation in Congress’.

Daily Mail reached out to Siblani and the mayor’s office for further comment.