Michigan city defends itself against accusations of favoring Muslim holidays over other faiths

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – The city of Dearborn responded Saturday to a lawsuit accusing it of celebrating Muslim holidays and ignoring religious holidays of other faiths by blaming attacks against it on its diversity and "welcoming nature."

What happened

For context, a statement from the Detroit suburb issued by a spokesperson came in response to a lawsuit on Thursday that accused the city and its mayor of spending thousands of dollars to celebrate Muslim holidays while ignoring Christian and Jewish holidays.

For context, the lawsuit in federal court revived complaints regarding city administration that arose a year ago after the Dearborn mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, informed Ted Barham, a local pastor, that he was not welcome in the city and he would stage a parade when he left.

Notably, the lawsuit by Margot Cleveland, a journalist for The Federalist, accused the city and its mayor, a Democrat, of favoring the Muslim faith over other religious beliefs in a city with a population of over 100, 000 individuals that is majority Arab American.

The bottom line

For now, michigan city defends itself against accusations of favoring Muslim holidays over other remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.