A US city mayor refused to apologise at his first city council meeting since telling local minister Ted Barham he was a racist and “not welcome here”.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn, Michigan, did, however, read a prepared statement at the packed meeting and blamed the media for “sensationalising” his previous clash with local minister Ted Barham, Fox 2 Detroit reports.
“We put into practice the ideal that people of all backgrounds, of all faiths, and of all beliefs can live peacefully and respectfully as neighbours, as classmates, as business owners, and as congregants,” Hammoud said.
He went on: “That is why we have long been mislabelled and targeted, long before the sensationalised headlines of this past week. For decades, people have been intent on dividing and disparaging our city.”
The controversy between Hammoud and Barham began with the honorary renaming of a street sign intended as a tribute to Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News and a member of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
At the 9 September council meeting, Barham raised past comments made by Siblani about Hezbollah and Hamas, in which he praised them as freedom fighters and described Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a hero.
“I feel like having that up there is almost like naming a street Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street. Hezbollah bombed the embassy in Beirut, killing many Americans. I just feel it’s quite inappropriate.”
Barham, who said he has previously lived in Lebanon, Pakistan and Israel, objected to the renaming, which prompted Hammoud’s fiery response.
“You’re an Islamophobe. And although you live here, I want you to know as mayor you are not welcome here,” Hammoud said at the time. “The day you move out of the city will be the day I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city.”
Barham attended Tuesday’s meeting and addressed both Hammoud and the council about the 9 September incident.
“The mayor, in a way, cursed me, as was seen around the world,” he said. “I would like to repeat what I said that day to you, Mr Mayor: ‘God bless you.’”