A Michigan mayor now faces a federal lawsuit accusing his city of spending tax dollars to celebrate Ramadan while brushing off requests to honor Christian and Jewish holidays.
Story Snapshot
- A Dearborn resident sued the city and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud in federal court.
- The lawsuit says the city spent thousands of tax dollars on Ramadan banners and light displays.
- It claims officials ignored repeated requests to recognize Easter and Passover the same way.
- Dearborn says it treats all faiths fairly and blames the lawsuit on its diverse reputation.
Lawsuit Targets Dearborn’s Holiday Spending
Margot Cleveland, a Dearborn resident and senior legal correspondent for The Federalist, filed a federal lawsuit on September 17, 2026, against the City of Dearborn and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. She filed it in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan with help from the American Freedom Law Center. The complaint claims the city broke the First and Fourteenth Amendments by favoring Muslim holidays over Christian and Jewish ones.
In 2025, the city spent about $1,500 on banners reading “Ramadan Kareem” and $5,000 on a lit crescent-moon display in Peace Park, according to the complaint. Records show total spending on Ramadan items topped $6,500. The police department also sold shirts bearing its official emblem alongside Ramadan branding, the lawsuit says.
City Expanded Displays After Complaints
Instead of scaling back, Dearborn expanded the program in February 2026. Officials added crescent-and-star lights to streetlights across the city, calling it the first display of its kind in Dearborn. Hammoud said at the time, “This initiative reflects who we are as a city.” The lawsuit says the city kept ignoring Cleveland’s requests to display similar recognition for Easter and Passover.
Robert Muise, co-founder of the American Freedom Law Center, said in a statement tied to the filing that “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.”
City Pushes Back, Calls Itself Welcoming
Dearborn responded on September 19, 2026, saying it has “a longstanding commitment to serving all residents fairly and equitably, regardless of faith or background.” The city added that it has “increasingly come under attack precisely because of its welcoming nature and the diversity of the people who proudly call Dearborn home.”
🚨 Dearborn's mayor is now being sued in federal court—and this isn't some innocent oversight about holiday decorations.
Dearborn resident Margot Cleveland says the city spent taxpayer money and used public property to display “Ramadan Kareem” banners, installed a large… https://t.co/v93N9V5QH2
— Monica Yatooma (@MonicaYatooma) September 19, 2026
The city has not yet filed a formal legal response to the specific claims in the complaint. The lawsuit remains pending, and no court has ruled on whether the displays crossed a constitutional line.
A Bigger Legal Pattern
This fight is not new legal territory. In 1984’s Lynch v. Donnelly, the Supreme Court ruled that a Christmas display mixing religious and secular symbols did not violate the Constitution. Years later, in Allegheny County v. ACLU, justices said the setting matters — some displays can cross into government endorsement of one faith over others.
Cases like Dearborn’s often turn into bigger arguments about which faiths get official recognition and whose traditions the government treats as part of the community. Both sides generally agree that government should not play favorites among religions. Where they split is over whether Dearborn’s choices actually crossed that line.
Sources:
algemeiner.com, religionclause.blogspot.com, worldisraelnews.com, ynetnews.com, justice.gov, becketfund.org
