A Michigan city considered to be the center of Arab America has finally elected its first Arab-American mayor.
Abdullah Hammoud, the son of Lebanese immigrants, was born and raised in Dearborn, where he was elected mayor on Tuesday. With the victory, he also becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Dearborn is home to one of the largest Arab-American communities in the United States. Dearborn’s population is about 42% Arab, according to Census figures. But more recent surveys suggest the city could be more than half Arab.
Despite the city’s large Arab community, it has never been led by an Arab- or Muslim-American.
Hammoud is serving his third term as state representative for Michigan’s 15th District, which includes Dearborn. He was first elected in 2016 and has since been re-elected twice.
Source: Alaa Elassar, “A Michigan city’s first Arab-American mayor has a message for its youth: ‘Be proud of your name'”, CNN, November 6, 2021.