Last month, Ted Barham, a Christian pastor and longtime resident of Dearborn, Michigan — the city with the largest Arab population in the U.S. — bravely spoke out at a city council meeting about the ceremonial naming of two intersections after Osama Siblani.
Siblani is the publisher of Dearborn’s Arab American News and a prominent community leader.
Barham took issue with the city’s honoring of Siblani given his past remarks praising Hezbollah and Hamas as "freedom fighters.” At the meeting, he calmly but pointedly made his case, arguing that the city might as well have named the streets “Hamas Street” and “Hezbollah Street.”
Dearborn's Muslim mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, however, was enraged. He called Barham an "Islamophobe" unfit for the city, declaring him "not welcome here" and quipping that he would personally throw a city parade upon his departure.
On a recent episode of “LevinTV,” Mark Levin played the clip of the heated interaction.
“This is sick,” says Levin, condemning the lack of media coverage on this story.
The Arab takeover of Dearborn, he argues, mirrors the swell of Palestinians in places like Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and Hebron, the burial site of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“It wasn't that long ago that Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, was 80% Christian. Today ... less than 15% of the population of Bethlehem is Christian. It's Palestinian,” says Levin.
“Some time ago, many [in Hebron] were slaughtered by the Palestinians. The Palestinians took over the area, so the IDF has a significant force there to protect the 85 Jewish families who are still there,” he adds.
Levin recalls traveling to Hebron with his family: “We had to go there in a vehicle with a driver. The vehicle was armored, the driver was armed, and we had to stay close.”
He then connects Dearborn’s controversy to broader historical shifts, arguing that the biblical regions of Judea and Samaria, named in the Bible for their significance to the ancient Israelites, are improperly called the West Bank of Palestine today. He rejects this modern term, asserting it erases Jewish historical ties, much like the street naming in Dearborn overlooks problematic associations.
The “Islamists” in Dearborn stand with Hezbollah and Qatar, says Levin.
That means “they want the annihilation of Israel and the Jews and the annihilation of the United States.”
To hear more of Levin’s analysis, watch the video above.
To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Whether you celebrate Christmas and Easter or Rosh Hashanah and Passover, read the Bible or the Torah, go to church or to the synagogue, these traditions trace their origins to the ancient Middle East, a region Mark Levin passionately defends as central to our shared faith and heritage.
If we cherish these time-honored traditions and want to continue practicing them freely, then we need to understand that a very real enemy lives and breathes to see them crushed.
“They are people who want to destroy [our traditions], and they want to destroy us ... and if they get their way, that's the plan," Levin warns.
The enemy he speaks of is primarily Iran, whose nuclear ambitions and network of terrorist proxies, like Hamas, along with Qatar’s financial influence, threaten everything the West values.
And yet, we have Democrats, RINOs, and grifters in this country who are aiding and abetting the enemy.
Whether it's Dearborn, Michigan, attempts to establish a Sharia-governed city in Texas, growing anti-American sentiment in parts of New Jersey, a New York City mayoral candidate or Virginia’s lieutenant governor candidate sympathetic to radical causes, CAIR and Students for Justice in Palestine acting as Hamas front groups, or Qatar’s billions buying off American institutions, Levin warns these are vivid threats to our cherished traditions enabled by complicit leadership.
“The only thing that can stop it is you and me,” he says.
“That's why when ... grifters out there, podcasters, and others, use a platform like mine to lie about the president, to lie about the prime minister of Israel, to give aid and comfort to this enemy, I speak out.”
The amount of “crap” he gets for this is sometimes overwhelming, but Levin’s resolve is iron. “So be it,” he shrugs.
“And I will continue to speak out because [we’re] red-blooded Americans. We're not the French; we're not the British ... and we will stand up to this. We're people of faith, not fundamentalists.”
“We don't seek to destroy people who disagree with us. We don't seek to destroy anybody, but we will defend ourselves — just as the Israelis do, just as our president, our historic iconic leader, defends us today,” he encourages.
To hear more, watch the video above.
To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
A resident in Dearborn, Michigan, which became the country’s first Arab-majority city in 2023, was told he was “not welcome” in the community after he expressed concerns that officials named two intersections after a terrorist sympathizer.
'They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others will fight with planes, drones, and rockets.'
During a September 9 city council meeting, Ted Barham, a publicly active Christian resident, told members that he disapproved of signs placed on Warren Avenue named after Osama Siblani, the publisher of Arab American News.
Barham, who repeatedly called for peace during his speech, stated that he understands Siblani has “done a lot of good things for the community,” but contended that he is “a promoter of Hezbollah and Hamas.”
Barham was quickly interrupted by council members who explained that Wayne County installed the signs and that the issue was “not under control of the city.”
Despite being encouraged to take his concerns to the county, Barham, who acknowledged that he understood this, noted that some “people in this room” attended the ceremony to put up the signs.
Barham read several quotes from Siblani that he argued encouraged violence against Israel.
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“He talks about how the blood of the martyrs … irrigates the land of Palestine,” Barham said. “He talks about how the terrorists should strike them with knives and with their bare hands … and he also encourages the use of rockets over there.”
A council member again stopped Barham, claiming that Siblani “is not intending to incite violence anywhere in the world.” He accused Barham of sharing his own interpretation and opinions of Siblani’s comments.
Barham read another quote from Siblani, stating, “Whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Jenin, believe me, everyone should fight within his means. They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others will fight with planes, drones, and rockets. Others will fight with their voices, and others will fight with their hands and say, ‘Free, free Palestine.’”
Barham argued that the street signs might as well read, “Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street.” He instead called for peace.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D) fired back at Barham by accusing him of being “hypocritical,” claiming he had posted videos on social media “standing in front of my mosque, saying the cruelest of things about Muslims, about the religion of Islam.”
“You are a bigot, and you are a racist, and you are an Islamophobe,” Hammoud remarked. “Although you live here, I want you to know, as mayor, you are not welcome here. And the day you move out of this city will be the day that I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city.”
“You are not somebody who believes in coexistence,” the mayor claimed. “You’re somebody who tries to preach it, but in fact, you do everything but that. So I just want to put that on the record.”
Blaze News could not independently confirm the mayor's claims regarding social media videos of Barham making negative comments about Muslims.
Siblani reacted to the exchange in a statement to WJBK.
"It’s sad that we do not respect each other's differences. This is a great country, a nation of nations," Siblani stated. "I am an American from a Lebanese background, an Arab background. I’m very proud of my culture and heritage. But I also love this country and what it has done. Only in the United States can you come in 1976 with no money, a one-way ticket, $185 in your pocket, and 50 years later your name is on a street in America."
The city council did not respond to a request for comment.
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After Dearborn Michigan's mayor told a Christian minister he is 'not welcome,' docs obtained by The Federalist suggest unequal treatment.
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