DEARBORN, Mich. – Dearborn defended its record on religious inclusion Saturday after a lawsuit accused the city of promoting Muslim holidays while overlooking Christian and Jewish observances. In a statement, the city attributed criticism and attacks in part to its diversity and “welcoming nature.”
The statement, issued by a city spokesperson, followed a federal lawsuit filed Thursday against Dearborn and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. The suit alleges that the city spent thousands of dollars celebrating Muslim holidays but did not provide comparable recognition for Christian or Jewish holidays.
The federal case revives tensions that surfaced last year, when Hammoud told local pastor Ted Barham that he was not welcome in Dearborn and that the mayor would hold a parade when Barham left the city.
Margot Cleveland, a journalist for The Federalist, filed the lawsuit against the city and Hammoud, a Democrat. She accused them of favoring Islam over other faiths in Dearborn, a city of more than 100,000 residents with a majority Arab American population.
The complaint alleges that Dearborn “has been a hostile place for Christians and Jews” for years.
It further claims that Hammoud intensified that alleged hostility by sending the message that Christians and Jews are unwelcome in the city and are “second-class citizens.”
In Saturday’s statement, Dearborn said it “has a longstanding commitment to serving all residents fairly and equitably, regardless of faith or background.”
“Our city has increasingly come under attack precisely because of its welcoming nature and the diversity of the people who proudly call Dearborn home,” the statement said.
The city added that the criticism would not alter its identity or policies. “Dearborn will continue to uphold the rights and dignity of every resident and remain a city where everyone is treated with fairness, respect, and equal protection under the law,” it said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and asks a judge to rule that Dearborn violated the Constitution. It also asks the court to order the city to comply with the First and Fourteenth amendments.
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According to the complaint, Dearborn spent $1,500 in public funds last year on Ramadan banners and another $5,000 on a crescent-moon display in Peace Park. The lawsuit also points to Ramadan-themed shirts sold by the city’s police department featuring its official emblem.
The city did not offer similar public displays marking Easter, a Christian holiday, or Passover, a Jewish holiday, the lawsuit claims.
Cleveland also alleged that city officials repeatedly ignored her requests to recognize other religious holidays.
The complaint also cites a September 2025 confrontation between Hammoud and Barham during a Dearborn City Council meeting. According to the lawsuit, the mayor criticized the pastor after Barham objected to the city naming a street for Osama Siblani, whom the complaint said had supported organizations designated as terrorist groups by the U.S. government.
Barham called the decision “quite inappropriate,” saying it was comparable to naming a street “Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street.”
News coverage of the City Council dispute later helped fuel a November rally in Dearborn that drew conservative influencers.
In an interview with The Guardian for a story published in November, Hammoud said his comments had been misinterpreted. “People misconstrue my words and my frustration with an individual who is a bad faith actor in our community, and apply it to a whole faith, when everyone knows the city of Dearborn is a place where everyone is welcome — Christian or Jew or whatever your background,” he said.
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