Dearborn, MI – In response to a controversial opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah Hammoud announced an increase in police presence around places of worship and critical infrastructure. The article, titled “Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital,” was criticized by Hammoud as “reckless,” “bigoted,” and “Islamophobic.”
Authored by Steven Stalinsky, executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, the piece was condemned for perpetuating anti-Arab and racist sentiments by alleging the city’s support for Hamas and extremism.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee joined in denouncing the publication.
As a precaution, Mayor Hammoud declared an immediate enhancement of security measures to safeguard the community against the backdrop of increased online hate speech triggered by the article.
This incident occurs amid a noted rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias, and antisemitism in the U.S., following conflict escalations in the Middle East since October.
Highlighted incidents include a November shooting in Vermont, targeting students of Palestinian descent, and the October stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American in Illinois. The conflict in the Middle East intensified on October 7, leading to significant casualties and displacement, particularly in the Hamas-governed Gaza, exacerbating humanitarian concerns in the region. Neither the Wall Street Journal nor the Middle East Media Research Institute has commented on the controversy.