Are Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist organizations? I asked that question to a candidate standing for re-election to Dearborn, Michigan’s city council last Tuesday as I walked in to vote mere days after the FBI raided homes in the city’s east side, foiling an alleged terrorism plot planned for Halloween.
It was a simple question, to which “of course” or even a simple “yes” should have been the easy and immediate response. After all, Hezbollah (also spelled Hizballah) holds responsibility for the 1983 truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and since then has been linked to a series of worldwide terrorist attacks.
Congressional testimony from 2023 also suggests the danger is not merely overseas, with “FBI arrests in recent years also indicat[ing] that Hizballah has tried to seed operatives, establish infrastructure, and engage in spying here domestically.” Likewise, Hamas’s involvement in terrorism is well documented, with the organization’s October 7, 2023, kidnapping and murder of innocent civilians—including Americans—in Israel, one of its most horrific examples.
But when I asked City Councilman Kamal Alsawafy his position, he refused to answer, responding instead: “You asking me that? I’m a captain in the Army National Guard. I think it’s an unfair question. I’m a bronze star recipient.”
“That’s great. I love your service. So, what’s the answer?” I responded.
Again, rather than answer, Alsawafy obfuscated, saying, “As far as me, ‘cause I feel like it’s a loyalty test. . . loyal to the United States. I’ve literally been wounded,” and, “You’re asking me if I believe in Hamas?”
After complimenting his “admirable” service, I said, “No. I’m asking if they are a terrorist organization.”
The dance continued. Alsawafy: “What are they designated as?”
Me: “I’m asking your view.”
Alsawafy: “The United States is very clear . . .”
At that point, I handed him back the campaign material he had offered me as I walked in to vote at my Dearborn polling location. Later that night, he won re-election.
I was—and am—disgusted. Our country narrowly escaped two mass terrorism attacks by teenagers and young adults. According to the criminal complaints, at least three Dearborn residents conspired with others to allegedly attack gay nightclubs in Ferndale, Michigan and patrons celebrating Halloween at the nearby Cedar Point, Ohio amusement park.
Just as our country needed (but failed to receive) a unified and forceful condemnation of political violence following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, my city needs its leaders to unequivocally condemn organizations that directly and intentionally target civilians—and not just ISIS, but Hamas and Hezbollah.
But instead, my city’s leaders have attacked those raising concerns over local leaders’ apparent embrace of Hezbollah and Hamas. We saw that most recently at a City Council meeting when a Dearborn resident objected to renaming a street after Osama Siblani based on Siblani’s comments praising Hezbollah and Hamas as “freedom fighters” and celebrating Hassan Nasrallah, the former secretary-general of Hezbollah, as a hero.
The resident, Christian pastor Ted Barham, explained: “I feel like having that sign up there is almost like naming a street Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street. Hezbollah bombed the embassy in Beirut, including many Americans. I just feel it’s quite inappropriate.”
Dearborn’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, responded by calling Barham an “Islamophobe,” continuing: “Although you live here, I want you to know as mayor you are not welcome here. The day you move out of the city will be the day I launch a parade celebrating the fact that you moved out of the city.”
The mayor’s outburst speaks volumes to the children and young adults of the city, as did the Islamic Institute of Knowledge’s branding of Hezbollah member Fadel Abbas Bazzi as a “martyr” following his death when Israel targeted members of the terrorist organization with exploding cell phones.
I had hoped that the arrest of the three Dearborn teens in the foiled terrorism plot would awaken our city leaders to the horrifying beliefs being instilled in our youth—that the intentional targeting of civilians is justifiable and their community will celebrate them as martyrs when they engage in terrorism.
But Alsawafy’s refusal to say that yes, he agrees that Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations leaves me hopeless. If a bronze star recipient lacks the courage to declare this simple truth, how can we expect ordinary moms and dads raising their children to speak out against such evil?
Alsawafy did not respond to The Federalist’s request for a comment Tuesday.
Margot Cleveland is an investigative journalist and legal analyst and serves as The Federalist’s senior legal correspondent. Margot’s work has been published at The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, the New Criterion, National Review Online, Townhall.com, the Daily Signal, USA Today, and the Detroit Free Press.
She is also a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio programs and on Fox News, Fox Business, and Newsmax. Cleveland is a lawyer and a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, where she earned the Hoynes Prize—the law school’s highest honor. She later served for nearly 25 years as a permanent law clerk for a federal appellate judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Cleveland is a former full-time university faculty member and now teaches as an adjunct from time to time. Cleveland is also of counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance.
Cleveland is on Twitter at @ProfMJCleveland where you can read more about her greatest accomplishments—her dear husband and dear son. The views expressed here are those of Cleveland in her private capacity.
