Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said during the Nov. 25 City Council meeting that he has received death threats since becoming mayor.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS – Newly elected Mayor Mo Baydoun, who has been serving as the interim mayor since Bill Bazzi’s departure, said he’s received death threats driven by anti-Islamic hatred since he took office.
Baydoun said during the Nov. 25 City Council meeting he’s been getting “a ton of threats.”
“Threats to the city,” he said. “They are calling the Fire Department, they’ve contacted the Police Department, saying, ‘Where’s this Muslim mayor?’ and somebody called our Building Department today and said ‘What is his address – I’m going to come shoot up his home.’”
Baydoun said the Police Department taking all the proper precautions, but now that callers are asking where he lives, and police are determined to find those making the threats.
“It’s not fair, it’s not nice, but the truth is we are living in a time where Dearborn and Dearborn Heights is being hyper-focused across the media, and they are spending tons of millions of dollars, and they are putting their focus on Muslim-Americans, especially Muslim-American leaders like myself, Councilman (Hassan) Ahmad, Councilman (Hassan) Saab because they are of the Muslim faith,” Baydoun said.
“My message to those individuals is that Dearborn Heights is not going to back down from you, Dearborn Heights is not afraid of you, and the threats that are coming in won’t be tolerated and they will be prosecuted.”
Baydoun said that when a threat was made against a local mosque, Police Chief Ahmed Haidar and the Detective Bureau were able to apprehend a Chicago-based suspect.
“I can tell you that we are not going to stop ,” he said. “We are going to document these phone numbers, we are going to reach out to the FBI, and we are not going to take anything lightly, and we are going to set examples.
“What I can tell you is the threats are continuous, and I am now randomly answering the phone because we don’t want Stephanie answering the calls,” he said of executive assistant Stephanie Shockey.
Baydoun said he is going to reach out to the Police Department for potential protection because he is not willing to risk his or his family’s lives, but he will not back down.
“It’s becoming a lot worse than it was,” he said, adding that sometimes the threats are every 10 minutes.
Baydoun said the threats are often about Sharia law, the Muslims needing to leave, and even about “Democrats ruining the country.”
“It’s taking a toll and it’s time where I have to think,” he said. “I have two young children and I want to make sure my children are safe.”
Baydoun said he’s not the type of person that walks around carrying a gun, but he will not back down because of the threats.
“So, I want you to know you have a tough mayor even though I might look a bit skinny,” he said.