On February 3, 2024, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky titled "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital." The op-ed examined the many events in the city and its environs in open support of Hamas, Hizbullah, and Iran.
In response to reactions to the op-ed, Stalinsky wrote a statement to media, below.
The statement is followed by a new two-part MEMRI video compilation of sermons and statements by Dearborn and Detroit imams and at protests and rallies in the area, both before and after the October 7 Hamas attack. The video compilation opens with a video of Dearborn Mayor Hammoud at a pro-Palestinian rally in the city in on November 26, 2023.
To view this video of Mayor Hammoud, click here or below:
MEMRI Executive Director Stalinsky's Statement To Media
"In response to the tweet by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud asserting that my WSJ opinion piece has prompted alarming online rhetoric against Dearborn, I would ask the mayor to point out what was incorrect and to view this compilation video of protests and of speeches and sermons by extremist imams in his city – who proudly posted them on social media, and which expose what I wrote in thearticle: https://www.memri.org/tv/dearborn-and-detroit-imams-and-protests-prior-and-following-october-7-hamas-attack
"It shows shocking anti-U.S. and pro-jihad sermons and marches that are going on openly in his city. And it must be pointed out that these events took place in the direct center of Dearborn, at locations such as the Henry Ford Centennial Library and the Ford Performing Arts Center.
"I would ask him why he has allowed support inside Dearborn for U.S.-designated terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as for the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, and its leaders and its proxy militias – who are most recently responsible for killing three American service personnel this past week – to continue for so long, thinking that no one would notice.
"Also, it is deeply troubling that I have not seen a single reaction in the media to the actual content of my article, or any questions to its critics about this. The media hysteria and online frenzy have focused solely on the mayor's statement.
"It is also disturbing that most media continue to denounce the op-ed by citing statements by CAIR – whose executive director, Nihad Awad, was exposed by MEMRI on November 24 expressing his joy at the October 7 Hamas attack. As a result of this exposure, the White House disavowed the organization and removed it from the National Strategy To Counter Antisemitism.
"The main point of my article is that yes, there is support inside Dearborn – out in the open, in marches, at the Dearborn Ford Performing Arts Center, in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library, and in leading mosques – for the October 7 Hamas attack, for Hamas, for Hezbollah, for Iran and its leaders, and for other prominent jihadis, such as the most influential English-speaking figure Sheikh Ahmad Musa Jibril.
"At these rallies and others like it all around the country, that are becoming increasingly aggressive, the same kind of overt support for jihadi groups is seen. This is a moment for counterterrorism officials to be concerned about. I am not the only one to say this – this is frequently stated by the director of the FBI and other law enforcement. I also don't know why the media isn't covering more closely what is going on at these protests."
MEMRI Video Compilation: Dearborn And Detroit Imams And Protests Prior To And Following October 7 Hamas Attack
Today, MEMRI is releasing a video compilation of sermons and statements by Dearborn and Detroit imams and at protests and rallies in the area, both before and after the October 7 Hamas attack.
The compilation is available in full – Dearborn And Detroit Imams And Protests Prior To And Following October 7 Hamas Attack – and in two parts: PART I – Dearborn Imams React To October 7 Attack and PART II – Anti-Israel And Antisemitic Sermons And Protests In Dearborn And Detroit Prior To October 7 Attack.
View the full video here.
View Part I here.
View Part II here.
Click here to read the report and transcripts of the clips: MEMRI TV COMPILATION - Dearborn And Detroit Imams And Protests Prior To And Following October 7 Hamas Attack: Dearborn Is 'A City Of Resistance,' President Biden Is 'A Cancer In Our Country'; October 7 Is 'One Of The Days Of God'; 'Dismantl[e] The Terrorist Racist State Of Israel'; 'Start Normalizing Jihad'; 'Warmest Congratulations To Our Very Special Leader Imam [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei' For October 7 Attack; The Jews 'Control People's Resources Through Tricks And Deception'
