DEARBORN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The city of Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin has sparked controversy by saying that his city is better served now that there are more Arab police officers and then reciting a Muslim prayer.

Shahin’s comments were captured in an undated video.

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“When I joined the department, Dearborn’s Arab American population was nearly 50%. Yet, less than 3% of our police force reflected the community that we served,” Shahin stated. “The department was not always welcoming to people who were different. Today, the Dearborn Police Department, the department I wish I worked for when I first started my career, is now a department that reflects and embraces the community it serves with 45% of our officers being Arab American. It’s a department that respects the dignity and rights of all individuals including the right to wear hijab even when facing the justice system. It’s a department that has taken meaningful steps to address historical inequity. Together we’ve built a police department that values diversity, equity and respect. One that serves all of Dearborn with honor and integrity.”

He ended his commentary by saying, “Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah,” which translates to “All praise is due to Allah.”

According to MyIslam.org, the phrase is “an integral part” of the Muslim faith as “both the Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad teach us to say this word daily as a form of prayer and worship.”

The city of Dearborn did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The video was posted on Aug. 28 by Amy Mekelburg, who is a critic of Islam and founded the RAIR Foundation USA.

Conservative political commentator Matt Walsh did a commentary on the video on Sept. 29.

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“That’s a police chief in America giving praise to Allah during an official address to the public in uniform,” Walsh said. “That’s great. … Who could possibly have an issue with that? Of course, every person if you are not a Muslim and you see that, you find that unsettling. Every single one of us does, it’s just you are supposed to pretend you don’t.”

Walsh took issue with the police chief boasting about his work force going from 3% Arabic to 45% Arabic.

“How do you achieve that kind of demographic transformation in that short amount of time?” Walsh asked. “How do you do that? Well, you do it intentionally. That’s how you do it. You do it by driving out the white Christians and replacing them with Arabs. You do that on purpose. That’s the only way to do it. By saying, ‘This is the result we want and we are going to do whatever is necessary to make that result happen.’ And that’s what they did. They are not even hiding it.”

“This is an intentional effort to Islamicize the police force. And he admits that, proudly. It’s a great thing, he says,” Walsh said.

Walsh said that white Christians are the only group that can’t say they want to be represented by their own culture.