Biden, Dearborn Leaders Blast ‘Islamophobic’ Wall Street Journal Op-Ed

DEARBORN, MI — President Joe Biden and multiple Dearborn leaders blasted a Wall Street Journal opinion article that called Dearborn "America's Jihad Capital."

"Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong," Biden said in a social media post. "That’s exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate, and it shouldn’t happen to the residents of Dearborn — or any American town. We must continue to condemn hate in all forms."

Biden's response comes after Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud called on the Biden administration to "recognize the rhetoric and decision-making that created the climate for it to be written in the first place."

"The unfortunate reality is Islamophobia has become an acceptable form of hate," Hammoud said in a social media post. "Those who demonize or stereotype Muslims or Arab Americans quickly find bigger platforms and greater notoriety. I’m glad President Biden @POTUS recognizes the severity and danger of the @WSJ article."

The Wall Street Journal op-ed was written by Steven Stalinsky, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Media Research Institute, criticized Dearborn's residents for recent pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Moreover, Stalinsky said Dearborn's residents have celebrated the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and openly support Hamas.

"Protesters, many with kaffiyehs covering their faces, shout 'Intifada, intifada,' 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' and 'America is a terrorist state.' Local imams give fiery antisemitic sermons. This isn’t the Middle East. It’s the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Mich," Stalinsky wrote in the op-ed.

The nonprofit research institute offers "original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends to the governments of the U.S. and its allies, and to their counterterrorism officials, law enforcement agencies, militaries, and other authorities," according to its website.

After the Wall Street Journal op-ed was published Friday, Hammoud said Dearborn police would increase patrols at places of worship and monitor social media for threats "as a direct result" of the article.

Other Michigan leaders, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, called out the op-ed as well.

"Dearborn is a vibrant community full of Michiganders who contribute day in and day out to our state," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday on social media. "Islamophobia and all forms of hate have no place in Michigan, or anywhere. Period."

Take On Hate, an organization that focuses on ending anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment, launched a petition calling on the Wall Street Journal to take down the op-ed.

"These opinion pieces lack any research or references and is based on hearsay and decades of Islamophobic rhetoric. Worse, the articles paint politically and ideologically diverse Arab and Muslim communities with the broad brush of terrorism," the organization said.

The majority of Dearborn's residents are people of Middle Eastern and North African descent, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 estimates.

Protesters in Dearborn and other major cities across the nation have been calling for a cease-fire since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The war began after the Hamas terrorist attack, which killed 1,200 people and led to the kidnappings of at least 200, according to the Israeli government

More than 27,000 Palestinians have died since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.