Dearborn mayor calls for increased police in response to Wall Street Journal opinion piece

An increased number of police patrols began monitoring the streets of Dearborn on Saturday after an opinion article posted by the Wall Street Journal dubbed the city "America's Jihad Capital."

Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said Dearborn police would ramp up their presence in places of worship and major infrastructure points in response to swarms of online hate targeting Dearborn.

"This is more than irresponsible journalism. Publishing such inflammatory writing puts Dearborn residents at increased risk for harm," Hammoud told the Free Press on Saturday evening.

Hammoud, the city's first Muslim and Arab American mayor, alerted the community to the inflammatory article Saturday afternoon via social media.

"This is a direct result of the garbage the Wall Street Journal opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the City of Dearborn," Hammoud posted. "Stay vigilant."

Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi took to social media Saturday to notify members that the neighboring community is also on watch.

"As Mayor of the Dearborn Heights, which neighbors the City of Dearborn, I am both perplexed and appalled by the Wall Street Journal’s false derogatory term used to describe the City of Dearborn as the “Jihad Capital.” The people of the City of Dearborn, along with the City of Dearborn Heights, and all its neighboring cities are placed in peril when hateful misinformation is disseminated in mainstream media.

Michigan Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow said she refused to amplify the hateful rhetoric used in the article.

Other state leaders including Wayne County Commissioner David Knezek posted in support of Hammoud, touting his leadership in bringing the community together.

"Rather than uplift the WSJ's divisive and dangerous language, I wanted to remind people of the beautiful and wonderful city that I and countless others know the City of Dearborn to be. I am grateful for Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud, his leadership and the leadership of all the city's elected officials — I will always stand strong in support of our neighbors," Knezek wrote on social media Saturday afternoon.

The WSJ Opinion article titled, "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital" is written by Steven Stalinsky, Ph.D., an American commenter on Middle Eastern terrorism who has served as the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to international media analysis, since 1999.

Stalinsky's article goes on to compare Dearborn's pro-Palestinian protests over Israel's response in Gaza to Hamas' attack on Israel to celebrations of the Oct. 7 massacre in the West Bank.

"Support for terrorism in southern Michigan has long been a concern for U.S. counterterrorism officials," he writes. "What’s happening in Dearborn isn’t simply a political problem for Democrats. It’s potentially a national security issue affecting all Americans. Counterterrorism agencies at all levels should pay close attention."

"Reckless. Bigoted. Islamophobic," Hammoud responded on social media. "Dearborn is one of the greatest American cities in our nation."

Former MSNBC journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan retweeted Hammoud's posts, calling on a double standard of Muslims in the U.S.

The WSJ Op-ed comes just one day after Dearborn residents hosted a protest of President Joe Biden's visit to the area on Thursday.

More: Dearborn protesters say Biden not welcome ahead of campaign visit

Stalinsky's Wikipedia page was changed Saturday afternoon, removing all of his professional and biographical information, listing him only as a "domestic terrorist for threats against Dearborn."

On social media community members argue Dearborn's strong community values and high graduation rates, fighting against the streams of conservative users in support of Stalinsky's take.

"Garbage like this brings psychos into our community I can’t stand that people can get away with writing trash which is completely false and hate speech... How do “journalists” like this have jobs??? Just spouting off incoherent trash that ignorant people will believe and possibly enter our community with ill intent," wrote user Brady Krizanic on TDN Dearborn's post.

Dearborn Police increased patrols throughout the day and monitored social media potential threats.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn mayor calls for increased police after WSJ opinion piece