SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
dearborn
Tlaib and Faith Leaders Decry Anti-Muslim 'Crusade' in Dearborn, Michigan Led by Capitol Insurrectionist
"Our families do not deserve to be subjected to such hate and bigotry," said Tlaib before thousands of self-described "Christian crusaders" descended upon the majority-Muslim city.
Aug 18, 2026
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, clergy of various faiths, and state and local Democratic officials are among those condemning Tuesday's far-right rally in Dearborn, Michigan as an intimidation campaign against the city’s Muslim community, and warning that the so-called “Christian Crusader March” is part of a broader resurgence of Islamophobic bigotry during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Thousands of anti-Muslim demonstrators, many of them traveling on motorcycles, descended upon Dearborn, a majority-Muslim suburb of Detroit, for the rally organized by racist provocateur Jake Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell. Video footage showed an overwhelmingly male crowd marching aggressively on Dearborn's City Hall Complex.
Area residents also marched, with a large crowd chanting "Allahu akbar"—meaning "God is great" in Arabic—while chasing some of the outsiders down a street.
A protest to showcase the Islamic takeover of Michigan has formed outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn. Videos of Antifa armed with AR15s are circulating, with one leftist being arrested for apparently pointing his gun at a protestor.pic.twitter.com/OdNbKXQmq8
— Dennis Michael Lynch (@TrustDML) August 18, 2026
Tlaib (D-Mich.), whose district includes Dearborn and who is the only Palestinian American in Congress, warned Tuesday that the city of approximately 105,000 residents "is being targeted by Islamophobic white supremacists and Christian nationalists."
“Islamophobic racists are yet again marching in Dearborn to terrorize a whole faith community," Tlaib said in a statement. "Dearborn is a beautifully diverse place, home to a vibrant, loving Muslim community, and our families do not deserve to be subjected to such hate and bigotry."
"Families are told to stay home for their own safety, unable to go back-to-school shopping, get groceries, or even walk outside," she continued. "To all our Dearborn families and residents: I have your back. I wish I could take away this pain, but know that you are not alone."
"To our interfaith community that’s standing in solidarity with their Muslim neighbors: Thank you for speaking out against this hatred. We need more of this love and compassion," she said.
“More leaders, including local elected officials, must speak out, especially against the local instigators participating in the spread of hatred under the guise of faith," Tlaib continued. "Their silence is complacent and normalizes fearmongering and racism. We know that targeting any community doesn’t allow any of us to be safe."
"People of all faiths and of all backgrounds belong," she added, "and deserve to practice their religion and celebrate their cultures freely without fear.”
Christian leaders joined Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Police Chief Issa Shahin for a press conference earlier to denounce the rally, emphasizing that the Islamophobes' “crusader” rhetoric does not represent Christianity.
"To my residents, keep being you," Hammoud said on social media. "Pray how you’ve always prayed. Keep providing for your families and showing up for your neighbors. We won’t let hate unravel this beautiful tapestry forged throughout generations, with countless hands, in the most noble of American traditions."
Rev. Bob McCabe, pastor of the Church of the Divine Child, said during the press conference that "Dearborn is a place where people can love and draw close to each other and to worship freely. I've experienced that as a Christian, as a Catholic."
Pastor Nathan Hayes of Solid Rock Church told viewers that "I'm asking that our community would come together and say, you know what, ignore the outside voices and just pay attention to the person who lives next to you because they care about you way more than these people who are driving in from other places."
The Dearborn rally comes amid mounting renewed anti-Muslim hostility nationwide. The Associated Press reported last week that anti-Muslim rhetoric has surged alongside the historic US Senate campaign of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim nominated by a major party for one of the state's upper chamber seats. Trump and other Republican figures have portrayed Muslim public officials as national security threats, while anti-mosque campaigns have intensified in communities across the country.
The consequences are not merely rhetorical.
In May, a pair of teenagers opened fire at an Islamic center in San Diego, killing three people and further traumatizing a Muslim community already facing heightened threats.
In July, federal prosecutors charged Utah man Peter Larsen with a hate crime after alleging that he went to a shopping mall seeking Muslims to attack. Prosecutors say he asked employees whether they were Muslim before stabbing a Muslim man multiple times, including in the neck. The victim required several surgeries.
Lang served four years behind bars awaiting trial for alleged crimes, including attacking police officers with a baseball bat during the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He was one of roughly 1,500 January 6 insurrectionists later pardoned by Trump.
He doesn't only hate Muslims; despite being raised Jewish, Lang is rabidly antisemitic and also said that white people "will be replaced, and your children will be Black Muslims if you don't stand up now"—and worse.
Lang was allowed to speak during Tuesday's Dearborn City Council meeting.
"For three years straight, the number one name in the country of England for newborn babies is Muhammad," he said, beginning a nearly four-minute tirade that was equal parts Muslim hate and pure fantasy.
🚨 Jake Lang addresses the Dearborn, Michigan City Council. 🇺🇸 MIGA pic.twitter.com/WRRgQJElnt
— Chad Ledger (@TheChadLedger) August 18, 2026
"Tell me that white Christians are not being invaded," he continued. "This is an invasion!"
"These people are trying to destroy us," Lang argued without any evidence. The Muslims have not come here to assimilate. They have come here to steal the wealth of this land, to rape our women."
"The Muslims are being used by the Democrats to instill socialism in America," he asserted. "We know it."
"You're just using the Democrats, these woke liberal idiots, the women in New York, to gain power, and once the Muslims have power in this country, then they will start throwing the homosexuals off the roofs, just like they do in Palestine," he falsely claimed.
"Our founding fathers gave this country to their posterity, white Christians, and they brought along with them their Black friends," Lang said, apparently referring to the Africans they enslaved. "We will not allow these Third World mongrels to run roughshod over us without a fight. The body of Christ is one!"
"We have cruise ships, we have planes, we have trains, and we're going to pack them out with all of the Arabs. You have to go home. We don't want you here," Lang continued.
"If you stand against Islam, you are my brother. If you are willing to stand up and take this country back, you are my brother. Join the crusades and extricate this filth from our country," he concluded. "We will have our way! Come blood or sweat, we will have our way! This is a Christian land! Christ is king!"
Lang then began tearing up a Quran before being forcibly removed from the council chamber.
Some Democratic social media users—including many backing former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose complicity in Israel's Gaza genocide is part of why she was narrowly defeated by Trump in Dearborn in the 2024 presidential election just four years after former President Joe Biden won the city by 20 points—said the city's residents deserve what is happening to them.
However, elected Democrats—who have often been slow to condemn anti-Muslim bigotry—were quick to condemn the rally.
"The people of Dearborn are once again under attack from an out-of-state influencer looking for controversy," US Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said on social media. "[Mayor Hammoud], the police chief, and religious leaders of all faiths are again showing leadership and demonstrating that Michigan is united against hate and Islamophobia."
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that "Dearborn is home to one of the most vibrant communities in America."
"Its residents are our friends and our neighbors," the Democrat continued. "Today, a group of agitators is traveling to Dearborn for the sole purpose of intimidating that community and provoking a reaction. Their plan emboldens and contributes to dangerous behavior, and I am asking every person of goodwill to denounce it. Their hate has no place in Michigan."
“My top priority is keeping Michiganders safe," Whitmer added I’ve been in contact with Mayor Hammoud, and I echo Chief Shahin and local officials: Do not confront or engage with demonstrators. Together, we stand united against hate in all its forms.”
Keep ReadingShow Less
'War Criminals Are Not Welcome': Dearborn Mayor Says He Would Arrest Netanyahu
"Our president may not take action, but city leaders can ensure Netanyahu and other war criminals are not welcome to travel freely across these United States," said Major Abdullah Hammoud.
Nov 21, 2024
The Biden administration on Thursday said it "fundamentally" rejected the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israel's prime minister and ex-defense minister—but the Dearborn, Michigan mayor who has been an outspoken critic of U.S. support for Israel in recent months said he would join the majority of countries in recognizing the court's jurisdiction, and would carry out the warrants if given the chance.
"Our president may not take action, but city leaders can ensure [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and other war criminals are not welcome to travel freely across these United States," said Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on the social media platform X.
Hammoud said Dearborn authorities would arrest Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant if they set foot within city limits, and called on other cities across the United States to do the same.
The ICC said Thursday that it had found "reasonable grounds" to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant for "crimes against humanity and war crimes," more than 13 months after Israel began its bombardment and near-total blockade on Gaza. The court also issued a warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an airstrike in July. The ICC said it could not confirm Deif's death.
In May, President Joe Biden said ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan's application for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant was "outrageous."
On Thursday, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said the Biden administration was "deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants."
The U.S. is joined by powerful governments including those of China, Russia, Israel, and India in refusing to recognize the ICC's jurisdiction; 124 countries are parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC as a court that prosecutes individuals accused of war crimes.
Gaza officials say the death toll in the enclave has passed 44,000 since Israel began its assault, with Gallant saying he had "released all the restraints" on the military. Nearly 70% of deaths verified by the United Nations in Gaza have been among women and children. Israel also faces a case at the International Court of Justice in which South Africa and several other countries have accused it of genocidal acts.
The Irish Foreign Ministry on Thursday called on all governments to respect the ICC's "independence and impartiality, with no attempts made to undermine the court."
Progressive U.S. advocacy group RootsAction urged "people everywhere to perform a citizen's arrest of Netanyahu wherever he can be found, including in Washington D.C."
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a U.S.-based human rights group, noted that "Article 25(3)(c) of the Rome Statute outlines clear criminal liability for aiding and abetting war crimes, which applies to individuals in non-member states like the U.S. when their actions enable violations under ICC jurisdiction."
"By continuing to provide military assistance to Israeli officials," said DAWN advocacy director Raed Jarrar, "despite credible accusations of war crimes by the ICC, U.S. leaders—including President Biden, Secretary [Antony] Blinken, and Secretary [Lloyd] Austin—are exposing themselves to personal liability under international law."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'We Need Joe Biden to Listen': 100,000+ Michigan Primary Voters Mark Uncommitted
The results "represent a historic inflection point for creating a Democratic Party that aligns with the majority of its voters who want a cease-fire," said one organizer.
Feb 28, 2024
More than 100,900 Michigan voters marked "uncommitted" on their ballots during the swing state's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, a signal to President Joe Biden that his continued support for Israel's war on Gaza is angering key elements of his base and potentially threatening his reelection chances.
Leaders and supporters of the Listen to Michigan campaign made clear that their goal was not to harm Biden's general election prospects, but rather to convince him to change course on Gaza, where the U.S.-armed Israeli military has killed nearly 30,000 people in less than five months.
In 2020, Biden defeated former President Donald Trump—his likely general election opponent in November—by 150,000 votes in Michigan, and Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton four years earlier by roughly 11,000 votes.
"We need Joe Biden to listen to the voice of Michiganders," Layla Elabed, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan and the sister of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), told reporters late Tuesday. "Listen to the voice of his core constituents and demand a permanent cease-fire now and the ending of this unconditional, unchecked funding to Israel."
Biden handily won Michigan's primary on Tuesday with just over 81% of the vote. But "uncommitted" garnered the support of over 13% of primary voters, beating Marianne Williamson—who suspended her campaign before the contest—and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and far surpassing organizers' expectations. By comparison, fewer than 20,000 Michigan voters chose "uncommitted" in the 2020 Democratic primary.
In Hamtramck and Dearborn—cities with strong Arab American and Muslim populations—the incumbent Democratic president lost to "uncommitted" by significant margins on Tuesday. Many Michigan residents have lost family members to Israel's war on Gaza, which the Biden administration has fueled with weapons and diplomatic support.
"Tens of thousands of Michigan Democrats, many of whom voted for Biden in 2020, are uncommitted to his reelection due to the war in Gaza," the Listen to Michigan campaign wrote on social media. "President Biden has funded the bombs falling on the family members of people who live right here in Michigan. People who voted for him, who now feel completely betrayed. President Biden, listen to Michigan. Count us out, Joe."
"Count Michigan uncommitted for funding of war and genocide in Gaza," the campaign continued. "While we've noticed a small shift in language from Biden as a direct result of this campaign’s pressure, we know that his words are not enough. This isn't a messaging problem, this is a funding bombs problem."
Stressing that "we don't want a Trump presidency," the campaign said Biden "has put [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu ahead of American democracy."
"The only way to achieve freedom and justice for Palestinians surviving a genocide is through an immediate and permanent cease-fire. The only way to ensure the safe return of all hostages and prisoners is through an immediate and permanent cease-fire," Listen to Michigan continued. "Our delegation plans to hold the Democratic nominee accountable to our community's anti-war agenda at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. See you there."
"Quite frankly, none of us want Trump to win, which is exactly why we're doing this."
Organizers said late Tuesday that they expect "uncommitted" to receive at least one delegate to the Democratic convention. The New York Times noted that "under Michigan's Democratic primary rules, candidates can receive delegates by earning at least 15% of the vote in a specific congressional district."
In a statement on the primary results, Biden thanked "every Michigander who made their voice heard today" but did not specifically acknowledge the "uncommitted" campaign, which faced last-minute attacks from a billionaire-funded AIPAC ally that is also working to unseat progressive Democratic lawmakers who have backed a cease-fire in Gaza.
A survey released Tuesday by Data for Progress found that 57% of likely U.S. voters disapprove of Biden's handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict and 67%—including 77% of Democrats—support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Elabed said Tuesday that the primary results "represent a historic inflection point for creating a Democratic Party that aligns with the majority of its voters who want a cease-fire and end to unrestricted weapons funding for Israel's war and occupation against the Palestinian people."
Gaby Santiago-Romero, a member of the Detroit City Council and supporter of the Listen to Michigan campaign, told the Times that "we are no longer in a position to beg Democrats to listen to us."
"Quite frankly, none of us want Trump to win, which is exactly why we're doing this," said Santiago-Romero. "This is the only way we can raise a flag to Democrats that you are going to lose unless you call for an ultimate cease-fire."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Tlaib Urges Michigan to Send Biden a Message on Gaza by Voting Uncommitted
A critic of U.S. support for Israel's war on the besieged enclave, the only Palestinian American in Congress stressed the importance of creating "a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough."
Feb 18, 2024
Speaking outside an early voting site on Saturday, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib urged fellow Michigan Democrats to vote uncommitted in the February 27 primary to send President Joe Biden a message about U.S. support for Israel as it wages a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
According to The Detroit News, Tlaib "is the first member of Congress in Michigan and the highest-profile official to date to get behind the Listen to Michigan campaign," which launched earlier this month and is led by her sister, Dearborn community organizer Layla Elabed.
The only Palestinian American in Congress, Tlaib recorded a 70-second video—shared on social media by the campaign—outside the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, which is open for early voting February 17-25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
"It is important, as you all know, to not only march against the genocide, not only make sure that we're calling our members of Congress and local electeds and passing city resolutions all throughout our country," Tlaib said. "It is also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. We want to support life. We want to stand up for every single life killed in Gaza."
Since declaring war in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, Israel has been widely accused of genocide, including in a South Africa-led case before the International Court of Justice. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed nearly 29,000 Palestinians in Gaza and destroyed homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, and other civilian infrastructure.
Though Biden said Friday that he has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "I feel very strongly... there has to be a temporary cease-fire... to get the hostages out," the president has also rejected growing global demands for a permanent cease-fire, publicly cast doubt on the death toll from officials in Hamas-governed Gaza, bypassed Congress to arm the IDF, and sought a $14 billion package on top of the almost $4 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel.
"I want you to think of all of the amazing young children and the people—again, lives were lost in Gaza," Tlaib said in the video for Listen to Michigan. "This is the way you can raise our voices. Don't make us even more invisible. Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted."
As NBC News reported Saturday:
Asked about Tlaib's message urging voters to vote uncommitted in the Democratic primary, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes reiterated support for Biden.
"President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were elected because they promised to deliver for Michigan's families, workers, and communities—and they kept their promises," he told NBC News.
However, there has been mounting frustration with the president in Michigan, a swing state that Biden narrowly won in 2020 and which is home to significant numbers of Arab and Muslim Americans, including many with relatives impacted by the war.
Dozens of city council members, mayors, state representatives, and other current and former elected officials have endorsed the campaign urging Michiganders to vote uncommitted in the Democratic primary, as has Our Revolution, which has plans for phone and text banking as well as events on college campuses.
Biden "has lost the people," Abbas Alawieh, a Dearborn activist involved in Listen to Michigan, told USA Today. "People feel not a vague sense of betrayal. People feel a deep sense of betrayal, a bone-deep sense of betrayal."
"It's time for him to take action, and he's failing to do so," Alawieh said of Biden. "And that's going to have political consequences."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Arab, Muslim Leaders in Michigan Refuse to Meet Biden Campaign
"I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a livestreamed genocide backed by our government," said Dearborn's mayor.
Jan 26, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden narrowly won Michigan in 2020, but his reelection campaign's trip to the key swing state on Friday made clear that his support for Israel's war on the Gaza Strip is angering Arab American and Muslim voters.
Assad Turfe, a deputy Wayne County executive, was coordinating a Friday afternoon meeting with Biden's delegation, led by campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez. He reached out to over 10 Arab and Muslim leaders in the Dearborn area.
"As the community got to learn about the meeting, there was definitely a lot of outrage and, ultimately, the decision was made to cancel the meeting," he told The Detroit News, adding that the cancellation was "in the best interest of the community."
Turfe also publicly warned the Democrat's campaign that "unless something drastic happens, you have lost the Arab American and Muslim community."
"At this point, from what I can see, there's no winning them over. That was the idea of the meeting," he said. "Until there's a cease-fire, the overall consensus in the community is they're not welcome here, essentially."
Democratic Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud was among the local leaders who declined an invitation to the scrapped meeting.
"The lives of Palestinians are not measured in poll numbers. Their humanity demands action, not lip service. When elected officials view the atrocities in Gaza only as an electoral problem, they reduce our indescribable pain into a political calculation," Hammoud said on social media Friday, noting that Israel's U.S.-backed war has now killed over 26,000 Palestinians.
"Our immediate demand is crystal clear: The Biden administration must call for a permanent cease-fire to a genocide it is defending and funding with our tax dollars," he continued. "Dearborn residents have tirelessly protested and organized in demand of a cease-fire. As their mayor, I follow their lead."
Hammoud added that "community engagement is powerful when it is used to shape policies that save lives—these conversations must be had with policymakers, not campaign staff. I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a livestreamed genocide backed by our government."
The canceled meeting was set to be held on the same day that the International Court of Justice issued its initial ruling in the South African-led case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza—to which the U.S. government responded by making clear it would not push Israel to end the devastating military assault.
Others who were invited to the meeting include state Reps. Alabas Farhat (D-3) and Abraham Aiyash (D-4), Michigan's House majority floor leader, who said on social media that "we will not allow our communities to be utilized for political expediency."
Farhat said that he agreed with the decision to cancel the meeting.
"This pushback is not just about failed policy—it's about humanity," he explained. "It's unrealistic to expect that political conversations will re-secure our support for the president when only a cease-fire can truly reopen that door."
Citing an unnamed source familiar with Rodríguez's schedule, The Associated Press reported that she still "held multiple meetings across Detroit and Dearborn that have been in the works for weeks, and that included talking with many Michigan leaders, such as local elected officials and leaders from the state's Arab and Palestinian American, Hispanic, and Black communities."
According to the AP:
"People in the community, like community leaders, don't want to meet with Mr. Biden," said Dawud Walid, the executive director of Michigan's chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "I don't know who he's planning on meeting with, but the major organizations are not interested in meeting with him."
Hundreds gathered Friday for an "Abandon Biden" rally movement at the Islamic Center of Detroit that included prominent civil rights activist Imam Omar Suleiman. The event was timed for when organizers heard Rodríguez would be visiting to urge otherwise sympathetic voters not to support Biden in November.
The frosty reception to the president's team came just two days after the United Auto Workers formally backed his reelection—after which Reuters reported that "a Biden campaign official said this endorsement will mean more in November in Michigan than the anger among Muslim voters in the state over the administration's support for Israel."
Turfe suggested Friday that the Biden administration is misreading voters and clearly does not "understand how big of a problem this is and how upset and angry the community is."
With recent wins in the GOP's Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, former President Donald Trump is expected to face Biden in November, despite his ongoing legal trouble.
In response to how the president's campaign handled Michigan on Friday, Nina Turner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy, warned that "Biden is throwing away electoral support to back a right-wing Israeli government that would prefer Trump wins in 2024."
Keep ReadingShow Less
See More
Most Popular
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy