Michigan mayor blasts Biden for ‘aiding Netanyahu’s war crimes’

The mayor of a Michigan city branded ‘America’s jihad capital’ has blasted Joe Biden for ‘aiding and abetting Netanyahu’s war crimes ‘. Arab-American Muslim mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud, 33, made the scathing accusation in an opinion piece he penned for the New York Times on Tuesday. He serves Dearborn, a Michigan suburb with the largest Muslim population in the US which was controversially dubbed ‘America’s jihad capital’ by a Wall Street Journal columnist earlier this month.

Hammoud, who condemned the WSJ piece as ‘irresponsible’, has revealed that despite his Democrat affiliation, he’ll be checking the box for ‘uncommitted’ in the presidential primary ballot in Michigan next Tuesday. He said he hopes that ‘Mr Biden will listen’ to the quiet protest, and ‘choose the salvation of our democracy over aiding and abetting Mr Netanyahu’s war crimes’. It comes amid mounting pressure on Biden from the left flank of the Democrat party to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

The US administration has been locked in a stalemate with Netanyahu over the war – with Biden even blasting him as an ‘[expletive]’ and the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East. ‘In my sleepless nights, I have often questioned what kind of America my daughters will grow up in: one that makes excuses for the killing of innocent men, women and children, or one that chooses to reclaim hope,’ Hammoud wrote. ‘What still lies between betrayal and hope is the power of accountability.’

‘It is my prayer — as a father, the son of immigrants, and as a public servant in the greatest city in the greatest nation in the world — that my fellow Michiganders will harness this power and lend their voice to this hope by holding the president accountable.’ Hammoud describes how Dearborn citizens have been deeply impacted by the war as fellow Muslims. ‘Our entire city is haunted by the images, videos and stories streaming out of Gaza,’ he wrote. ‘Life seems heavily veiled in a haze of shared grief, fear, helplessness and even guilt as we try to understand how our tax dollars could be used by those we elected to slaughter our relatives overseas.’

Fiery protests demanding a ceasefire erupted across Dearborn over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombardment in Gaza. The death toll in Palestine has now reached more than 29,000. Netanyahu’s offensive came as a response to the horrific Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7 which saw terrorists kill 1,200 people and take hundreds of hostages. The Israeli leader has vowed to keep bombarding Palestine until all the remaining hostages are released. Dearborn is among the towns which has issued the strongest calls for a ceasefire over the five months since the attack, owing to its demographics.

The headline of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published earlier in February honed in on this with a controversial slant. It read ‘Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital’ – a title given to the city by the publication because of its residents’ pro-Palestine stances. The contentious article was written by Steven Stalinsky, who is a commentator on terrorism and has served as executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, based in Washington DC, since 1999. He warned in the story that Dearborn’s majority Arab population ought to be paid ‘close attention’ by counterterrorism agencies following October 7.

But his words have caused the mayor of the suburb to ramp up police presence outside mosques and other major civil centers because of Islamophobic threats being hurled at its majority-Arab residents. The WSJ op-ed has allegedly caused an ‘alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric’ towards the some 110,000 locals living in Dearborn.

Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah Hammoud wrote on X: ‘Effective immediately – Dearborn police will ramp up its presence across all places of worship and major infrastructure points. ‘This is a direct result of the inflammatory WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn. Stay vigilant.’

He added in a statement: ‘This is more than irresponsible journalism. Publishing such inflammatory writing puts Dearborn residents at increased risk for harm. ‘It’s 2024 and the WSJ still pushes out this type of garbage. Reckless. Bigoted. Islamophobic. Dearborn is one of the greatest American cities in our nation.’ According to census figures, Dearborn is roughly 54 percent Arab American, making it one of the most densely populated areas for Middle Eastern people in the US. It is home to the largest Muslim population in the US per capita as well as the largest mosque in North America. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13104515/michigan-dearborn-mayor-hammoud-accuses-biden-aiding-netanyahu-war-crimes-Israel.html?ito=msngallery

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