Arab American convention in Dearborn to feature Macklemore, Jill Stein, Cornel West

Arab Americans from across the country are coming to Dearborn this week for a national convention they hope will help bring attention to their issues during an election season as some candidates court their votes, with the Israel-Gaza conflict continuing to dominate the community's concerns.

The largest Arab American civil rights group, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), usually holds its annual convention in Washington, D.C., or a nearby city, but this year decided to hold the gathering in Dearborn, which has the highest percentage of Arab American residents among cities in the U.S. Called "ArabCon," the four-day convention from Sept. 12 to 15 is expected to include talks by independent and third party presidential candidates Cornel West and Jill Stein; rapper Macklemore, who is outspoken in support of Palestinians; Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud; state Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn; and controversial scholars Hatem Bazian and Norman Finkelstein, according to a schedule listed on the convention's website. A spokesman for West, Edwin DeJeus, confirmed Friday that West will speak Saturday at the convention. Hammoud did not return a message seeking comment about his involvement with the convention.

The city of Dearborn is listed as among the sponsors for the convention, which will be held at various locations in Dearborn, primarily at the city's Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. Michigan, which has the highest percentage of residents with Middle Eastern ancestry among all states, according to census data, is seen as a swing state, which Arab American activists are trying to capitalize on. But they've had a difficult time in recent months persuading candidates from the two main parties to lessen support for Israel. Hammoud met last month with Vice President Kamala Harris in a meeting he and his office have not publicly disclosed, the Associated Press reported in August.

Arab Americans still undecided

Terry Ahwal, of Farmington Hills, a longtime Arab American advocate who was previously the executive director of the Michigan chapter of ADC, is one of hundreds who plan to attend ADC's convention. Ahwal is a Democrat, but like many other Arab Americans, has not yet endorsed Harris for president because of her support for President Joe Biden's backing of Israel's military. There doesn't appear to be an elected official of Arab descent in Wayne County who has publicly endorsed Harris.

"It breaks my heart as a Democrat because I thought human rights matter for everyone," said Ahwal, who's of Palestinian descent and on the national board of the Westland-based American Federation of Ramallah Palestine (AFRP), one of the oldest Palestinian American groups.

"She's better than Biden," Ahwal said of Harris. "She's using words like Palestinian dignity, but these are words when we continue to send weapons."

The convention is taking place a few weeks after the Uncommitted National Movement, a group of Democrats started by activists in Dearborn who support Palestinians, failed to convince the Democratic National Convention to have a Palestinian American speaker talk from the main stage during the convention in Chicago. There were no Arab American speakers during the convention who addressed the crowd from the main stage, said Layla Elabed, of Dearborn, co-director of the Uncommitted Movement and campaign manager of a group that preceded it, Listen to Michigan. Another Uncommitted Movement leader, Lexis Zeidan of Dearborn, will help lead a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday, the last day of ArabCon.

Uncommitted has not yet endorsed Harris and is expected to make a decision soon on whether to support her, Elabed said. So far, the Harris campaign and Democrats have not indicated they are open to considering some of their demands, such as ending arms shipments to Israel. The increased attacks in the West Bank, including the death Friday of 26-year-old American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, have further upset the community. ADC and AFRP released statements Friday condemning the fatal shooting of Eygi, reportedly killed by Israeli forces during a protest. Eygi was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement, a group co-founded in 2001 by Huwaida Arraf, an attorney in Michigan who is scheduled to speak at ADC's convention.

"We're asking for an arms embargo," Elabed said. "And our concerns about the escalation in the West Bank is that it is obvious that Netanyahu and his far right government continue to be emboldened because of U.S. support, because of this unrestricted, unchecked flow of weapons ... that we continue to send him."

Tim Walz applauds Michiganders 'speaking out' on Gaza

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, appeared to reference Michigan's Arab-American population in an interview Thursday with a Michigan radio station, WCMU, calling upon “the Netanyahu government to start moving in that direction" — toward a two-state solution.

“I think those folks who are speaking out loudly in Michigan are speaking out for all the right reasons," Walz said. "It's a humanitarian crisis. It can't stand the way it is."

While Israel has a right to defend itself, “we can’t allow what’s happened in Gaza to happen," Walz added. "The Palestinian people have every right to life and liberty themselves."

Walz was criticized by some Republicans and pro-Israel advocates for his remarks to the Michigan radio station.

ADC convention to feature diverse speakers

ADC was founded in 1980 by the late U.S. Sen. James Abourezk, D-South Dakota, who was Lebanese American and an Orthodox Christian. The group is secular and is known for having both Christian and Muslim leaders. In Michigan, the Middle Eastern population is a diverse group with various political views. The largest group in the state among its Middle Eastern population are Iraqi Americans, and a majority of those are Chaldean, a group whose views are sometimes different from Arab American groups in Wayne County.

The convention will feature an interfaith panel with Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders and a discussion with elected officials of Arab descent. In addition to the city, sponsors include the Islamic Center of America, a Dearborn mosque that will host a tour and prayer during the convention; ACCESS, the Dearborn-based Arab American social services group; American-Arab Chamber of Commerce, a Dearborn-based business group; Heal Palestine, an Ohio-based charity that helps Palestinians; and The Amity Foundation, a Dearborn non-profit, among other groups.

West spoke to hundreds in Dearborn at a rally in December and Stein visited the Islamic House of Wisdom, a Dearborn Heights mosque, in March.

Osama Siblani, a longtime Arab American leader who is publisher of Dearborn-based newspaper Arab American News, has also not yet endorsed anyone for president. He met last month at the Detroit Athletic Club with Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who was Biden's campaign manager before Biden announced he was not running for reelection. Siblani has also met in Michigan with Trump campaign officials and Massad Boulos, the father of one of Donald Trump's son-in-laws, Michael Boulous, married to Tiffany Trump. The Bouloses, who are of Lebanese descent, have met with Arab American leaders in metro Detroit to make the case for Trump. But Arab Americans have raised concerns Trump has repeatedly used the word "Palestinian" as an insult in public remarks, linking them to terrorism.

"I'm still undecided and unhappy" with both Harris and Trump, Siblani said.

Harris' "speech during the DNC was not really sufficient for me to make a decision. ... She's not different, she's part of the administration. She has made it very clear what she will do when she becomes president. ... And therefore, right now, Trump is not a choice, neither is Kamala Harris. But there are 60 days from today, and there is plenty of time for them."

Regarding Stein and West, Siblani said he loves both of them for their support of Palestinians, but is reluctant to back them because he said they will not be around after the election.

"After Nov. 5, they will not be there anymore and we have life after that," Siblani said.

The Aug. 6 primary showed that the community faces some challenges in having a united front. Within the city of Dearborn, which is 55% Arab American, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, a supporter of Israel, crushed Hill Harper, an outspoken critic of Israel endorsed by several Arab American groups, 61% to 38% in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senator. Slotkin also defeated Harper 69% to 31% in Dearborn Heights, which is 39% Arab American.

Harris' remarks toward Muslim protesters who demonstrated during a campaign rally on Aug. 7 in Romulus upset Arab American advocates. As the protesters chanted against what they said was genocide, Harris replied: "I'm speaking" and then later accused them of helping Trump with their rhetoric. Elabed and another Uncommitted leader from Dearborn, Abbas Alawieh, had met with Harris briefly before her speech that night, one of several groups who stood in line to speak with her.

More: Sterling Heights becomes sister city with Iraqi town to promote Chaldean ties

Elabed said she told Harris during the Aug. 7 discussion that "Michigan voters want to be able to vote for you. My community wants to be able to vote for (you), but we can't do that without a policy change while we're watching our loved ones and people we care about be killed with our tax dollars."

Harris does have the support of the highest ranking official of Arab descent in Wayne County, Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe, who endorsed Harris a few hours after her rally in Romulus. Turfe faced criticism from some Arab Americans for his endorsement, but stood by his decision, saying that being the first takes risks, comparing it to his experience being a police officer on the narcotics team.

"Back in my police days, when I was on the narcotics team, we often raided homes involved in selling drugs and guns," Turfe said on Facebook two days later after his endorsement, responding to critics. "Sometimes, I was the first one through the door. Going first always carries the risk of getting hurt or taking shots, but I learned that true leadership and courage come from stepping up, even when it's dangerous. Leadership isn't about taking the easy path; it's about facing challenges head-on for the sake of others."

The convention kicks off 6 p.m. Thursday at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, with a discussion by Stein, Hammoud and Abed Ayoub, a Dearborn native who is national executive director for ADC.

Macklemore, a rapper who recorded a song titled "Hind's Hall" after 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab was killed in January, will be honored Saturday, with the Rachel Corrie Award, named after a woman from Washington state who died after an Israeli bulldozer struck her in 2003 while she was protesting. The rapper will also be given a proclamation by the city of Dearborn from Hammoud, ADC said.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: [email protected] or X @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Arab American convention in Dearborn includes Jill Stein, Cornel West