09/19/2026
BREAKING - Muslim Controlled Dearborn Faces Federal Lawsuit Over Taxpayer-Funded Islamic Ramadan Displays.
DEARBORN, MI — The City of Dearborn is facing a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing officials of using taxpayer money and public property to celebrate Ramadan while refusing requests for comparable recognition of Christian and Jewish holy days.
Dearborn resident and journalist Margot Cleveland filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court against the city and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. The complaint alleges violations of the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Speech clauses and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The allegations have not yet been decided by a court.
According to the complaint, Dearborn spent approximately $1,500 on “Ramadan Kareem” banners and another $5,000 on a large illuminated crescent-moon display. The Dearborn Police Department also sold Ramadan-themed shirts carrying its official emblem. In February 2026, the city reportedly expanded the decorations by installing crescent-and-star lights on municipal streetlights.
Cleveland said she did not demand that Dearborn remove the Muslim displays. Instead, she repeatedly asked officials to provide similar public recognition for Easter, Christmas, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Her requests allegedly went unanswered, and the City Council later approved its budget without funding the requested displays.
The dispute raises a basic question for Dearborn officials: If taxpayer money is used to honor one religion, why should residents of other faiths be expected to finance that celebration without receiving equal treatment? Government should either remain neutral toward religious observances or establish a fair policy that does not elevate one faith above the others.
“The City of Dearborn spent taxpayer money to light up its streets and parks for Ramadan while stonewalling a resident who simply asked that Easter, Passover, and other Christian and Jewish holy days be treated the same way,” attorney Robert Muise said in a statement announcing the case. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the city violated Cleveland’s constitutional rights, an injunction against alleged religious favoritism, nominal damages and attorney fees.
The complaint also accuses Hammoud and other officials of retaliating against Cleveland after she publicly raised the issue. It cites Hammoud’s 2025 confrontation with Christian minister Ted Barham, whom the mayor called a “bigot” and “Islamophobe” before telling him he was “not welcome” in Dearborn. That confrontation arose from a separate argument over an honorary street designation.
By: Tom Manke
September 18, 2026
Photo: Tax Money Paid For Religious Decorations.