When a Michigan street was recently renamed to honor Lebanese-American, Osama Siblani, most of the Muslim population celebrated in America’s first Arab-majority city of Dearborn. However, not all of the city’s residents viewed the occasion as being in America’s best interest. The event and ensuing controversy highlights the divergence between a predominantly unified Muslim identity that often has strong ties to homelands in the Middle East and a disjointed one among Americans, who have been culturally primed to uphold a pillar of "tolerance", even toward their own destruction. 

Osama Siblani's name was selected for the renaming of the street because of his dedication to journalism, publishing The Arab American News since 1984 and his long standing community service.  Critics have pointed to controversial statements Siblani has made praising Hezbollah and Hamas, defending their leaders as “heroes”.

For example, on May 15, 2022, at the Nakba Day Rally, with U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in attendance, Siblani spoke about global Arab unity in supporting Palestinian resistance against Israel.  He said, "Blessed [be] the blood of jihadi martyrs that irrigates the land of Palestine.”

And, at the same occasion:

”We are the Arabs that are going to lift Palestinians all the way to victory. Whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Jenin... Believe me, everyone should fight within his means. They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others will fight with planes, drones, and rockets, others will fight with their voices…" -Osama Siblani (memri.org)

Christian minister and resident of Dearborn, MI, Ted Barham, calmly spoke his opposition to the street renaming at a city council meeting on September 9, 2025.  Mr Barham recited the controversial quotes by Siblani, expressed that he had personal experience of the Middle East, having lived in Lebanon and Israel, and found it objectionable that a street in America would be named after someone who praised a group of people that America identifies as a terrorist organization. He was concerned that Siblani's words could incite domestic violence. 

Barham reminded council members that Hezbollah bombed the U.S. embassy in Beirut, killing Americans in 1983.

Dearborn Council Member, Robert A. Abraham interrupted Barham while he was quoting the controversial rhetoric from Siblani, saying that he shouldn’t try to interpret the words as attempting to incite violence:

“We’re not going to allow personal attacks in our community” — Dearborn City Council Member, Robert A. Abraham to Ted Barham, City Council Meeting, September 9, 2025….(1:05 minute mark in video linked above)

Barham went on to say: “As a Christian, I would like to encourage peace …and not violence.  He [Jesus Christ] said, ‘The one who lives by the sword will die by the sword.’ And what I would like to encourage on the other side, is peace. He is called the Prince of Peace and said ‘Blessed’ to the peacemakers… ”   -Ted Barham

Dearborn’s Mayor, Abdullah H. Hammoud, Democrat and University of Michigan graduate, replied to Mr. Barham after he had finished his statement:

“You are a bigot. You are a racist. You are an Islamaphobe. And although you live here, I want you to know, as mayor, you’re not welcome here. And the day you move out of the city will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city because you are not somebody who believes in coexistence. You’re somebody who tries to preach it , but in fact you do everything but that.  So, I just want to put that on the record.” -Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud

Council Member Abraham apparently is ok with personal attacks in the city, as long as it comes from the mayor.

The sharp rebuke by Dearborn’s mayor went viral and at a subsequent city council meeting, other residents expressed concern about his condemnation of a fellow citizen, but the mayor only read a prepared statement and did not issue an apology.  Mayor Hammoud just won a second term by a landslide victory on November fourth.

How is it that American citizens can be lectured about ‘coexistence’ by Muslims who rally in support of erasing Israel from the map? When they hold events to pray outside their mosques, blocking traffic or waking the community at 5am with a call to prayer over community loudspeakers?  Is ‘coexistence’ just a nice platitude for western Muslims to buy time while the country tilts in favor of Islamic authority?

Certainly, there are many peaceful Muslims in the world, but at the time of this writing, the “religion of peace” has committed 48,475 terror attacks since 9/11. (thereligionofpeace.org) There are extremists in every religion, but the questions to ask are: which ones are following the commandments of their source texts? Which ones are working toward reform and embracing western values?

In order to evaluate the reality of a peaceful coexistence with interfaith communities, we can study current events, world history and evaluate the claims of religious texts such as the Holy Bible and the Quran.  Of the top 10 countries in the world persecuting Christians, eight are governed by Islam and two by Communist dictators:  Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea and Eritrea, respectively. 

We would benefit greatly by listening to those who are critiquing Islam from the inside.   Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali-born Dutch-American, Ridvan Aydemir, more popularly known as Apostate Prophet and Nikki Kingsley (pen name), author of Thirst for Truth: From Mohammad to Jesus, all three are well spoken individuals that provide an inside look at Islam. Their stories are valuable to every American, as they share a lived experience of subjugation contrasted with freedom in America that most US citizens have never experienced. 


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According to the U.S. Religion Census, the projected number of Muslims living in the United States is estimated at 4.5 million. With a growing population and mosques present in every state, it would behoove American students to study the tenets of world religions alongside differing types of government.  

In addition, the Hindu population is growing; forty-seven states now have Hindu temples to serve that demographic diaspora. An objective school curriculum that serves to educate and facilitate critical thinking would go a long way to encourage intelligent and productive communication among the melting pot of America.   

The ability to understand and dialogue well with those of different belief systems is essential for a harmonious and well educated society; most especially to West Virginia students who, embarrassingly and unjustly remain at the bottom of the nation in terms of educational outcomes. 

Prager U  academic resources may be ideal for this purpose; perhaps West Virginia educators will consider joining ten other states whose education department is using their materials.  Prager U has served for the past fourteen years to accurately inform viewers about Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Fascism, Islam, Judeo-Christian values, the Founders of America, as well as many other topics of social concern.

Understanding the authentic history of America is essential to protecting western values and recognizing the great contribution of our nation to the world at large. Being well versed on the U.S. Constitution and our heritage encourages future citizens to love and respect America as well as recognizing the unique rights and freedoms available here. 

We can no longer afford to uphold a hollow pillar of tolerance --without any regard for the ideologies and behaviors being tolerated-- in the name of societal harmony and political correctness. Laying claim to our national identity and shared values is key for our survival. A litmus test to gauge how well American youth, or any American citizen, understands their nation might be to ask them to explain the phrase, E Pluribus Unum, and identify its most common location. 

Professor and author, Gad Saad (@GadSaad on X), recently summed up the problem of tolerance when he wrote: 

"A civilization is built on a set of internalized values.  Numerous civilizations have developed radically different visions of how to organize societies, and these have competed in process akin to Darwinian selection in establishing which civilizational ethos permits for maximal flourishing.  American exceptionalism is one such system and it has yielded the greatest society that the world has ever known.  Suicidal empathy is going to destroy is because Western tolerance is its fatal Achilles tendon.  Remember my words." -Gad Saad, posted on his X account on Nov. 5, 2025

As we near the Thanksgiving holiday, let us be mindful of all that we hold dear in America by listening to those who have escaped hostile nations and repressive forms of government.  Survivors such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Yeonmi Park, Fr. George Calciu or Franklin Camargo provide perspectives that can awaken and inspire weary and apathetic American hearts toward defending our exceptional values.