The complaint says courts have recognized a pattern of Dearborn preferencing Islam over other religions, in violation of U.S. law.
public interest law firm filed a lawsuit today against the city of Dearborn, Michigan, for allegedly establishing Islam as a religion in violation of the U.S. Constitution and civil rights laws. The American Freedom Law Center is pursuing the suit on behalf of Dearborn resident and Federalist Senior Legal Correspondent Margot Cleveland.
“The lawsuit alleges that City officials spent public funds and used City property to promote and celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan while refusing Cleveland’s repeated requests that the City extend the same recognition to Christian and Jewish holidays — and that Mayor [Abdullah] Hammoud and other City officials retaliated against Cleveland for speaking out about the disparity,” says an AFLC press release.
The complaint filed Thursday alleges that the city of Dearborn has spent public funds for years to commemorate Islamic holidays but not the holidays of other religions such as Christianity and Judaism. It says AFLC and Cleveland have made numerous requests, by email and at city council meetings, that the city give equal treatment to religions with public funds and avoid a lawsuit. City officials not only failed to respond, the complaint says, but Hammoud directed the city attorney to tell city council members not to respond.
“I don’t have a problem with people of faith exercising their deeply held beliefs,” Cleveland said in a phone call Wednesday. “I have a problem with people supporting or excusing terrorism and antisemitism and establishing a religion and discriminating against people of other faiths.” She emphasized that she is not seeking the removal of Islamic religious expression but asking the city to comply with its constitutional obligations to treat all religious expression equally.
Michigan Senate candidate and fellow Muslim Abdul El-Sayed endorsed Hammoud’s campaign for mayor in 2021, and Hammoud in turn is an El-Sayed supporter and donor. El-Sayed has also embraced prominent supporters of Islamist terrorism.
Mahmoud and his chief of staff, Zaineb Hussein, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday morning. If the city replies, this article will be updated accordingly.