Calls for peace and mourning in metro Detroit as Israel-Hamas war rages on

On a rainy night, congregants gathered inside the main sanctuary of a mosque in Dearborn Heights to reflect and pray in a vigil for Palestinians.

"Allah (God) ... sees the tyranny and oppression that is happening for the last few days in Palestine," Sayed Ahmed Al-Qazwini told the crowd seated in pews Thursday evening at the Islamic Institute of America, speaking about the theology of why God allows suffering. "The Palestinian people have been suffering now for 75 years."

A few days earlier inside Temple Israel, the largest synagogue in Michigan, Rabbi Harold Loss led a crowd in a prayer for Israel and its military, the Israeli Defense Forces, the words projected on a screen behind him.

"May the One who blessed our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless the soldiers of Israel's Defense Forces, and all who stand guard in order to protect our people," they recited together. "May the Holy One blessed by God, protect them and save them from all troubles and afflictions, from all sickness and injury, and send blessing to all their endeavors."

The messages from two prominent houses of worship in metro Detroit came from different perspectives, but both illustrated the intense impact the Israel-Hamas war has had for many in Michigan.

As the conflict enters its third week and the death toll rises, Jewish, Arab American and other communities are rallying to defend their sides, while some also prayed for an eventual peace. Over the past week, several protests and vigils were held across the region, ranging from a loud demonstration Wednesday night in the heart of downtown Detroit that included police reform activists with Detroit Will Breathe to a silent march the same day on Greenfield Road in Dearborn led by Arab American groups flying large Palestinian flags with no chants or speeches.

The politics and ideologies of the various pro-Palestinian events varied, ranging from left-wing to pan-Arab to religious, but generally had a similar message.

On Friday afternoon, former U.S. House Rep. Justin Amash, whose father is a Palestinian immigrant, said in a post on X that he lost relatives in Gaza who were sheltering at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius amid airstrikes.

In West Bloomfield on Thursday afternoon near the corner of 14 Mile and Orchard Lake, Palestinian flags few and car horns blared in support of a robust crowd gathered in rally organized by the Michigan Task Force for Palestine. The protest included men, women and children of all ages carrying signs that read "End the Occupation" and "Stop the Genocide."

Khalid Turaani, 57, founder of the Michigan Task Force, said Palestinians have lived with violence, or the threat of violence, dating to 1948, describing what is happening in Gaza as ethnic cleansing. Supporters of Israel maintain it's Hamas that promotes genocide and wants to ethnically cleanse, saying the Oct. 7 attack that led to retaliatory airstrikes was the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust, a view shared by President Joe Biden.

Raising money for Israelis and Palestinians

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit said it has raised $22.65 million so far from more than 2,230 donors to help Israelis as part of its Israel Emergency Campaign, launched after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. About $1 million of that has already been distributed in Israel, with $100,000 for victims of terrorism, the federation said.

The money raised by metro Detroit's Jewish community is helping fund hotel stays for 80 families uprooted from southern Israel due to Hamas' attack; 100 backpacks and 400 sets of thermal pants and shirts for Israeli troops; youth counselors; programming in bomb shelters; and day care for children of hospital staff, among other programs. The federation said it is creating an allocation committee to help determine how the rest of the money will be spent.

The Palestinian American community is also raising funds. The American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine, a national group based in Westland of Palestinians with roots in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said Tuesday it has raised almost $34,000 from more than 100 donors. Their goal is to raise $250,000 over the next month for medical care in Gaza and the West Bank.

Some Muslim charities in metro Detroit, such as Life for Relief and Development in Southfield, are also raising money to help.

"With the winter season around the corner, the people of Gaza are in need of winter blankets and jackets, food, hygiene kits, medical supplies," Life said in a fundraising appeal.

Protests and vigils

The passion of some youths could seen when about 1,450 students walked out of the three high schools in Dearborn Public Schools: 400 at Fordson High on Thursday, 350 at Edsel Ford High on Friday and 700 students the same day at Dearborn High, where most of the students walked out, said David Mustonen, spokesman for the district.

"All of these events were organized and initiated by the students," Mustonen said. "The school staff, along with a few Dearborn Police, were there to ensure student safety. The events were without incident and students did a nice job of organizing and returning to school."

In addition to the Dearborn Heights event Thursday, there were quiet vigils at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn and the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, the mood more somber than in the first week after Hamas' attack on Oct 7. A speaker at the Islamic Institute vigil urged Muslims to portray themselves positively when talking about the Palestinian cause.

"We're all gathered here today to show our support and our love for our Palestinian brothers and sisters," Sam Abbas, of Dearborn, told the congregation. "It's important that we do so in a respectful manner, a calm manner, but also showing the passion that we have towards the cause. It's very important that we show them what it means to be a true Muslim. ... We don't want to be portrayed as barbaric. We don't want to be portrayed as violent. That's why I urge you guys that in all of these protests, we stay calm."

The previous week, some conservatives criticized Dearborn demonstrators by posting videos of a boisterous protest Oct. 10 in the city's civic center, where many chanted and cried out, at times to the beat of a drum. A promoted paid ad on X from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared on some timelines Saturday that featured a photo of a pro-Palestinian protest on Oct. 14 in Dearborn with a headline that read: "No Tax Dollars to Hamas" that linked to a petition accusing Biden of funding Hamas.

The mood in Dearborn has been mournful. Two Arab American groups in Dearborn, the Arab American National Museum and American Human Rights Council, canceled their annual fundraising dinners scheduled for later this month.

"It is impossible for us to celebrate human rights and honor our distinguished guests while a most tragic and catastrophic industrial-scale violation of human rights is ongoing in Gaza," the council said in a statement announcing the cancellation.

There is also activity and worries in local Jewish communities.

"I’m heartbroken, angry and scared," said Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.

On Oct. 30, his synagogue plans to host a concert with the Michigan Board of Cantons to stand in solidarity with the people of Israel. In lieu of tickets, donations collected will go toward the Jewish federation's Israel Emergency Campaign.

An explosion Tuesday at Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital sparked another round of debate. A post on X by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, blaming Israel for the attack drew 35.8 million views. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud also issued a statement after the hospital blast that ripped into the Israeli military and the Biden administration, calling upon state and federal officials to call for a cease-fire and justice for Palestinians.

"Failure to do so will never be forgotten," Hammoud said.

An Associated Press report Saturday said its analysis shows the blast was likely caused by a rocket from a militant group, not Israel, an assessment shared by Biden.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has come out strongly in support of Israel, but the mayor of Michigan's largest city, Mike Duggan, has not released any statement or made any public remarks on the war.

Correction: Duggan in fact commented Oct. 10 during a WJR interview with Mitch Albom: "I think our community stands strongly with Israel. And the images we've seen of the massacres, the violence from Hamas is something the world should just be against… This is America, whatever you're perspective is, you're entitled to protest and we'll defend your right to protest."

The mayors of other large cities, such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Columbus, have released statements supporting Israel and blasting Hamas. Jewish leaders in metro Detroit have been looking for Muslim leaders to condemn the initial Hamas' attack.

On Thursday, Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute and a Dearborn native, sent an email to the group's members condemning both Hamas' attack and Israel's attacks in Gaza as war crimes.

"We unequivocally condemn the targeting of Israeli civilians, including the brutal killings and the taking of hostages," Berry wrote. "What is happening appears to meet the definition of war crimes. We unequivocally condemn the targeting of Palestinian civilians, including the collective punishment of halting water and electricity supplies, the merciless bombings of Gaza and the violent attacks occurring in the West Bank. What is happening appears to meet the definition of war crimes. We recognize the context of this latest violence."

Lexis Zeidan, of Dearborn, spoke at the Islamic Institute of America about trying to unite communities.

"As a Palestinian, Christian, Arab American, I see it as my duty to fight the war on information against our people of Palestine," Zeidan said. "We must not shy away from the humanity that brings us together as a community."

In an address Thursday night to the nation, Biden compared Hamas to Russia, saying both are threats and reasons the U.S. needs to support Israel and Ukraine. During his remarks, he spoke out against antisemitism and Islamophobia, mentioning the murder of Wadea Al Fayoume, a 6-year-old boy of Palestinian descent stabbed 26 times in what authorities said was a hate crime in a Chicago suburb by a suspect angry over the Middle East conflict.

"His name was Wadea — Wadea — a proud American, a proud Palestinian American family," Biden said. "We can’t stand by and stand silent when this happens. We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia."

Emma Howland-Bolton, an elementary school teacher at Detroit Public Schools, attended the downtown rally that featured cries of "free, free Palestine," a chant often heard at demonstrations.

"I feel like we're losing the propaganda war, but I think that the truth will come out and I hope it comes out in time to save folks in Gaza and in the West Bank," she said.

A small group within the Jewish community held a rally against Israel's airstrikes Monday in Detroit, but some Jewish leaders said they're not representative of the broader Jewish population in metro Detroit, which, surveys have shown, espouses a strong connection to Israel.

"While everyone in the Jewish community cares about every single innocent life lost, Jewish or Palestinian, the vast majority of Jews are standing with Israel," said Rabbi Asher Lopatin of the Jewish Community Relations Council of metro Detroit/American Jewish Committee.

Free Press staff and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, Facebook.com/nwarikoo or X @nwarikoo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Calls for peace and protests in metro Detroit over Israel Hamas war