DEARBORN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In 1997, the United States government designated both Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.
Nearly 30 years later, the consistent support of those organizations by people within the city of Dearborn has been a constant source of controversy.
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Amer Zahr is a Muslim comedian who serves on the board of education for Dearborn’s public school district. He made news recently when he said he was detained by Israel police while in Nazareth performing a show.
Pro-Israel websites have been tracking a series of controversial comments Zahr has made in the last few years, specifically that he supports Hamas and Hezbollah.
“We say very proudly, that we stand with every resistance against Israel and every resistance against the occupation, whether … it’s called Hamas, whether it’s called Hezbollah, we stand with everybody who stands against Israel …” Zahr said in one video.
Hamas is blamed for leading the Oct. 7, 2023 assault against Israel that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
The support of Hezbollah and Hamas has been a common criticism of Dearborn politics.
The city renamed a portion of a street after Osama Siblani, a newspaper publisher who lives in Dearborn.
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The Washington Free Beacon reported that Siblani had praised Hezbollah leaders as “heroes.”
Numerous pro-Israel websites have reported on ArabCon, a four-day event held in Deaborn this fall. The speakers had a record of defending the Oct. 7 attack and portrayed Hamas in a sympathetic light, according to The Daily Caller.
Pro-Israel websites have captured Muslims attending Dearborn events supporting Hezbollah and Hamas on video and posts on social media.
But that’s not aligned with the views of the majority of Americans.
A Pew Research Center poll released in October found 84% of Americans held an unfavorable view of Hamas.
