Dearborn has a long history of "Christians" harassing the Muslim population. Frequent
Qur'an burnings,
terrorist attacks and
threats, and even "Christian" missionaries showing up with
a pig's head on a stake and calling Muslim children wicked, heathens, and dirtbags, among other things, during an Arab festival. So, while it was wrong for the mayor to tell someone they were not welcome in the city, it's understandable how that could happen when someone starts talking about a member of the community supporting terrorism. If you watch the video of the exchange, you will notice that it was a Christian member of the city council, Robert Abraham, that first interrupted Mr. Barham and told him that Osama Siblani didn't support violence and that they were not going to allow attacks on people in the community during the meeting.
Osama Siblani isn't a known terrorist, and the street in question wasn't renamed. There were honorary signs erected at a couple of street corners; that’s it. It was also Wayne County, and not the city of Dearborn, that approved the signs. Wayne County has less than a
20% Muslim population.
Here's the response from the man who was told to leave the city:
Dearborn resident told he wasn't welcome hopes to see something positive come out of exchange
Addressing the mayor's remarks that he was unwelcome in the city, Barham called Dearborn the 'most hospitable, kind city' he's ever been in, drawing from his experiences living in the diverse, majority-Arab American community and his global travels, including a year in Lebanon and visits to Israel and Palestinian territories.
He also disagreed that Christian people are at risk of facing oppression in the U.S., pushing back against narratives amplified by some conservative commentators who framed the incident as evidence of anti-Christian sentiment in Dearborn...
He said the mayor has 'done a terrific job in many ways', specifically praising Hammoud’s leadership on community initiatives like funding playgrounds, despite their disagreement. Barham added that he wants to encourage love for Muslim people, consistent with his missionary work...
He expressed no intention of leaving Dearborn, stating he hoped the controversy would lead to positive outcomes, such as greater religious freedom and understanding between Christians and Muslims.