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Margot Cleveland, Senior Legal Correspondent at The Federalist, is suing the city of Dearborn, Michigan and the city’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, for violating the First Amendment by displaying exclusively Muslim symbols in public displays, accusing the city of being “a hostile place for Christians and Jews.”
Cleveland alleges the city put up banners celebrating the Islamic holiday of Ramadan and a display of crescent moons while refusing to showcase equivalent Christian or Jewish iconography.
“I was picking up pizza in downtown Dearborn. When I went down the boulevard, up and down the street were ‘Ramadan Kareem’ (generous Ramadan) banners, which is the equivalent of a happy or blessed Ramadan,” Cleveland told Digital in an exclusive interview.
“This was the fourth week of Lent. We had Easter coming up in two weeks, and Passover was a week away. I was shocked, and then I saw the display all by itself—again, the crescent moon,” she said.
Illuminated crescent moons and stars hang from light poles in several Dearborn districts as part of the city’s celebration of Ramadan. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)
Cleveland wrote to Dearborn’s city attorney, asking if the city planned to reciprocate the displays for the other Abrahamic faiths, but did not get a response, she told Digital.
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Cleveland submitted a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to find out the cost of the displays, which, according to her lawsuit and in an interview with Digital, is where she allegedly learned that the city had also integrated Islamic iconography in other official capacities.
“The police department was selling — with the police department’s seal — Ramadan t-shirts. It had the police department seal and a crescent moon, and I believe it said Ramadan,” ” Cleveland said.
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The Dearborn Police Department did not respond to a Digital inquiry regarding the alleged t-shirts.
Photos of alleged t-shirt designs from the Dearborn, Michigan Police Department which Margot Cleveland included in her lawsuit. (American Freedom Law Center)
After repeated attempts to try and contact city officials, Cleveland still received no response, until one city councilor told her that the council had been instructed not to engage with her.
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“I reached out to city council, every individual, both their public email and a secondary one. Received no response,” she shared. “But on LinkedIn, one of the council members responded and said, ‘Hey, we were told we can’t talk to you,’” Cleveland told Digital.
Cleveland then attended an open city council meeting in May. She asked that the councilors, who she explained control the city’s purse strings, use an ongoing budget surplus to purchase banners celebrating Jewish and Christian holidays.
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“I have not asked the city not to celebrate Ramadan,” she said. “What I’ve asked is that the city treat Christians and Jews equally. Put up Passover banners, Easter banners, put up a Star of David, put up a cross, do something. And throw in some patriotic symbols to show we are one Dearborn, one country where all faiths are represented equally. That has not been done,” she said.
Contrary to acceding to her requests, Cleveland claims the city put up even more decorations celebrating Ramadan in the wake of her attempts to contact city officials.
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“After I was ignored, what happened? The mayor then went and bought more Ramadan displays. I complained about the banners. What does he go? He goes bigger and brighter with lighted Ramadan displays,” she said.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud listens during the Sept. 23, 2025, City Council meeting, where he declined to apologize for remarks that drew national scrutiny. (City of Dearborn screenshot)
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
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“People who are not in Dearborn do not understand Dearborn,” Cleveland said. “My beef is with the mayor and the people running the city who are discriminating against Christians and Jews. The average people who live in Dearborn get along great. It is a diverse city and people get along. The mayor is causing a problem.”
The city rejected Cleveland’s accusations in a statement released shortly after Cleveland’s lawsuit.
Dearborn “has a longstanding commitment to serving all residents fairly and equitably, regardless of faith or background,” the statement read.
“Dearborn will continue to uphold the rights and dignity of every resident and remain a city where everyone is treated with fairness, respect, and equal protection under the law” the statement continued.
The American Freedom Law Center filed the civil complaint on behalf of Cleveland in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on Sept. 17.
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Dearborn’s city attorney did not respond to Digital’s request for additional comments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
