The Metro: After anti-Muslim protest, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on belonging in America 

, August 19, 2026

Dearborn’s last city council meeting was swarmed by anti-Islamic agitators. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud comments on how he hopes to resolve the outpouring of discriminatory sentiment towards Arab American Muslims.

Mayor Hammoud, face in profile in front of a microphone in WDET studios. He's wearing headphones, a white button up and a gray sports coat.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud on The Metro.

“Terrorist.” “Trojan horse.” “Terrorist sympathizer.”

These are the words top Republican officials have used to describe Muslim Americans in public office since Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary two weeks ago. That’s following specific instructions from President Donald Trump about what Republicans should say to win the midterms.

Ku Klux Klan supporter at Jake Lang Protest in Dearborn, Mich.

In the days after El-Sayed’s win, anti-Muslim hate targeting him online rose twenty-fold. That’s according to the Center for the Study of Organized Hate. Researchers who track this say the language itself has shifted: from calling Muslims a terror threat to calling them a threat to civilization. 

Last night, that rhetoric arrived in Dearborn. Self-described anti-Islamic activist Jake Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell came to the city with a promised pig roast, timed to the city council meeting — which had been moved to the Henry Ford Centennial Library over safety concerns. Police made 22 arrests.

Man gets arrested in Dearborn at Jake Lang protest.
Protesters outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library protesting Jake Lang.
Jake Lang speaking before crowd outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library.
Police out front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, MI.
People protesting Jake Lang in Dearborn, some showing support.
Protest in Dearborn, MI as Jake Lang attends city council meeting.
Photos by Isaiah Lopez, WDET

Jake Lang’s demonstration comes a week after an Alaska man was federally charged for threatening to kill Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.

The mayor has been answering this with something other than anger. Host Robyn Vincent spoke with Hammoud about what that message is, and how he’s working to keep Dearborn residents safe.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Authors

  • Sam Corey is a producer for 101.9 WDET, which includes finding and preparing interesting stories for the daily news, arts and culture program, The Metro. Sam joined WDET after a year and a half at The Union, a small newspaper in California, and stints at a variety of local Michigan outlets, including WUOM and the Metro Times. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.

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