Dearborn Muslim Mayor Mocked for ‘Damage Control’ Attempt After ‘Death to America’ Rally

Abdullah Hammoud, Mayor of Dearborn speaks during a press conference held by Listen to Mic
Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Joshua Klein

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, the city’s first Muslim and Arab American mayor, is being mocked online over attempts to engage in “damage control” after the city’s residents were seen at a rally chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

On Sunday, a video of anti-Israel protesters in Dearborn, Michigan, closing out Ramadan by chanting, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” during an International Al-Quds Day rally, went viral on social media.

People demonstrate in support of Palestinians, in Dearborn, Michigan, on October 14, 2023. (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

The clip showed activists condemning both Israel and America in the harshest of terms, with activist Tarek Bazzi of the Hadi Institute saying chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” were only logical.

“Why are our protests on the International Day of Al-Quds, why are they so anti-America?” he asked. “Why don’t we just focus more on Israel and not talk so much about America? Gaza has shown the entire world why these protests are so anti-America, because it’s the United States government that provides the funds for all the atrocities that we just heard about.”

“Imam Khomeini, who declared the International Al-Quds Day, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shouts upon the head of America,” he later added.

Bazzi then quoted black nationalist Malcolm X, who said the United States is “one of the rottenest countries that has ever existed on this Earth,” and called for the elimination of the entire American system, referring to President Joe Biden as “Genocide Joe.”

“It’s not just Genocide Joe that has to go,” Bazzi said. “It is the entire system that has to go. Any system that would allow such atrocities and such devilry to happen and would support it – such a system does not deserve to exist on God’s Earth.”

Regarding those who might say that Israel has a right to exist, Bazzi told the crowd to always respond with “Death to Israel,” referring to it as “the most logical chant shouted across the world today.”

The Associated Press

Amana Ali joins about three dozen people protesting Israel’s attacks in Gaza on February 8, 2024, in Dearborn, Michigan. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Subsequently, the Dearborn mayor attempted to distance his city’s residents from the rhetoric expressed at the rally.

“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,” he wrote, claiming that Dearborn “is a city of proud Americans” and that the “hateful rhetoric heard on Friday does not reflect the opinion of the members of this community.”

“The Dearborn community stands for peace and justice for all people,” he added. “We are proud to call this city and this country home.”

However, many were not buying into the mayor’s attempt at “damage control.”

“Your history and your city’s constant explicit hatred for America/Western society, support for terrorism, and calls for violence against those who don’t conform to your radical and immoralistic views says otherwise,” wrote the LeftismForU X account.

“Dearborn is the jihad center of America,” the user added.

“The mayor of Dearborn is doing some damage control after his constituents engaged in a ‘Death To America’ chant at a pro-Hamas rally the other day,” wrote GOP Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino. “I was ready to possibly give him the benefit of the doubt, until I read his timeline. He’s basically a 24/7 propaganda outlet for Hamas. And he’s the mayor of a formerly-great American city.”

“Something has gone deeply wrong in this country, and it’s going to take some very hard work and some ever harder decisions to fix it,” she added.

“Show us one, JUST ONE, Arab rally in America that uttered the word peace, or held a banner reading peace,” wrote Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). “If you don’t know, Global Intifada that many Arab-Americans chant means violence.”

“Translation: ‘Oh bother! We were caught!’” wrote author Uri Kurlianchik.

“Your constituents are trash,” wrote conservative columnist and lawyer Kurt Schlichter.

“Are calls to Globalize the Intifada, considered standing for peace?” asked media contributor Joel M. Petlin. “Is From the River to the Sea a peaceful position?”

“There’s no justice or peace in Dearborn. Just hate for Israel & America,” he added.

“Weird I’ve never been to a rally for Israel that spontaneously broke out with chants calling for the death of America,” wrote educator and podcaster David Bashevkin.

“They chanted what they really think. Sorry but we don’t want them in America,” wrote one X user.

“When your city can’t beat the allegations,” wrote another.

Following the October 7 massacre, Hammoud called for “context” while blasting Israel’s “decades of illegal military occupation and imprisonment of Gaza,” which he blamed for making peace “impossible” and tragic violence “inevitable.” 

Previously, he warned that “Trumpism is alive and well,” even though the former president was “off Twitter” at the time.

Earlier this week, Steven Stalinsky, director of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), told Fox News that the Dearborn rallies have been happening for over 20 years and have become a “hotbed of hate,” where rallies and sermons can be seen “in support for Hamas, Hezbollah, [and] Iran.”

“I am not saying that everyone in Dearborn is a terrorist, but there is a large amount of support for jihadi groups there,” he added.

Last month, Michigan Islamic cleric Abdou Zindani warned that Muslims will yet “slaughter” the Jews “like sheep” when the opportunity arises, in a sermon at the Islamic Center of Warren, Michigan.

As Breitbart News reported, President Biden’s support in Michigan has been steadily declining due to his stance on Israel, as Arab American voters in various states have expressed intent to “punish” the president in elections due to his stance on Israel and the Gaza conflict.

In Michigan, where the president’s loss would likely doom his reelection campaign, more than 100,000 Democrats chose “uncommitted” over Biden in the primary, indicating significant dissatisfaction within his own party. 

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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