Evangelic Christian activist Ted Barham (left), who criticized the Osama Siblani honorary street sign during the Sept. 9 Dearborn City Council meeting, speaks during the Sept. 23 council meeting.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud speaks during the Sept. 23 City Council meeting in response to Evangelic Christian activist Ted Barnham’s accusations.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Evangelical Christian activist Ted Barham returned for the Sept. 23 City Council meeting for a second round against Mayor Abdullah Hammoud over the Osama Siblani honorary street sign controversy.
Wayne County officials placed an honorary street sign Sept. 8 at the intersection of Warren Avenue and Schaefer Road honoring Siblani, who publishes the Arab American News.
Barham, known for his anti-Islam views and his efforts to convert Muslims to Christianity, which include preaching to children in public parks, accused Siblani, known for his pro-Palestinian position, of being a supporter of organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Siblani rejected Barham’s accusation in subsequent media responses.
During the Sept. 9 council meeting Hammoud accused Barham of being a “bigot, racist and Islamophobe” and said he would organize a parade the day Barham moved out of the city.
The Sept. 23 council meeting was packed with detractors and supporters of Hammoud, some of whom accused him of lacking political tact, while others praised his record of supporting Dearborn’s diverse ethnic and religious community.
Barham tried to connect the dispute between him and Hammoud as a religious one, claiming that Christians face the repression of free speech around the world.
A street sign honoring Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani at the corner of Warren Avenue and Schaefer Road in Dearborn was put in place Sept. 8 by Wayne County officials, who oversee Warren Avenue.
Council President Michael Sareini told those in attendance that Barham’s remarks had not been repressed, and were constitutionally protected, along with freedom of religion.
Hammoud responded after public comment, and said Dearborn’s diversity represented the best of America and the city’s strength stems from its peaceful coexistence.
“We put into practice the idea that people of all backgrounds, of all faiths and all beliefs can live peacefully and respectfully as neighbors, as classmates, as business owners and as congregants,” he said.
He said the sensationalized headlines in the previous week have been unfairly used to divide and disparage Dearborn.
Hammoud recalled how outsiders came to the city to burn Qurans in front of mosques or to harass families attending the Arab-American Festival, and said the city has been slammed for its different religious communities coexisting peacefully.
“The truth is, some people are uncomfortable and in fact are upset while seeing church steeples and mosque domes sharing the same skyline on Altar Road,” he said. “Dearborn residents from every corner of the city come together to shun hatred and make it a place all people can call home.”
Hammoud said every time someone tries to “unravel the fabric of this great city” residents have stood together, and that unity has served the city in the past and it is what gives families confidence in the future of their hometown.
“We have built a city that is not only strong, but truly an example for the rest of this nation,” he said. “And as you have heard tonight, most of us who call Dearborn home know who we are: a city that welcomes and embraces everyone.”
A street sign honoring Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani at the corner of Warren Avenue and Schaefer Road in Dearborn was put in place Sept. 8 by Wayne County officials, who oversee Warren Avenue.