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Home Front: WoT

Michigan city [Dearborn] is on edge as Wall Street Journal article brands it 'America's jihad capital' - with cops deployed to guard mosques and locals fearing Islamophobic revenge attacks

2024-02-04

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A Michigan suburb with the largest Muslim population in the US has upped its security in fear of hate attacks after it was branded America's 'jihad capital.'

The headline of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published on Friday read 'Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital' - a title given to the city by the publication because of its residents' pro-Palestine stances. The contentious article was written by Steven Stalinsky, who is a commentator on terrorism and has served as executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, based in Washington DC, since 1999.

He warned in the story that Dearborn's majority Arab population ought to be paid 'close attention' by counterterrorism agencies following October 7.

But his words have caused the mayor of the suburb, Abdullah Hammoud to ramp up police presence outside mosques and other major civil centers because of Islamophobic threats being hurled at its majority-Arab residents.

The WSJ op-ed has allegedly caused an 'alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric' towards the some 110,000 locals living in Dearborn.

According to census figures, Dearborn is roughly 54 percent Arab American, making it one of the most densely populated areas for Middle Eastern people in the US.

It is home to the largest Muslim population in the US per capita as well as the largest mosque in North America.

In the wake of the October 7 attacks on 1,000 Israeli citizens, protests erupted in Dearborn - supporting the Palestinian side.

The opinion piece published by the WSJ read: 'Thousands march in support of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Protesters, many with kaffiyehs covering their faces, shout 'Intifada, intifada,' 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' and 'America is a terrorist state.'

'Local imams give fiery antisemitic sermons. This isn't the Middle East. It's the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Mich.'

After 9/11, he argues, Dearborn was branded a 'recruiting area and potential support base for international terror groups' according to the Department of Justice.

The writer claims that 'many current or onetime Dearborn residents have been convicted of terror-related crimes in recent years.'

Stalinsky then says what is happening in Dearborn is 'potentially a national-security issue affecting all Americans.'

He warns: 'Counterterrorism agencies at all levels should pay close attention.'

On Wednesday night, Arab Americans inside a Dearborn high school were protesting against Joe Biden's scheduled visit to the city next week. In the 2020 election, 68 percent of voters in Wayne County, where Dearborn is located, voted for Biden. It is expected to be a fierce battleground in November. Nasser Beydoun, a Dearborn candidate for Senate, told the crowd this week: 'The community has made a decision that Joe Biden is not our nominee.'

Posted by:Skidmark

#2 All the MEMRI director wrote is true. The upset is because he is over the target.

Posted by: trailing wife 2024-02-04 22:44

#1 This is evergreen.

"Muslims fear backlash after tomorrow's terrorist attack.

Posted by: Too Old To Work 2024-02-04 14:45

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