On Tuesday, the all-Muslim city council of Hamtramck, Michigan, voted unanimously to approve a resolution that would ban the LGBTQ+ Pride flag from being flown on the city’s public property. Proposed by Mayor Pro-Tem Muhammad Hassan, the resolution, also bars any religious, ethnic, racial, political, or sexual orientation group flags from being flown on city property. The measure only allows the American flag to be flown, along with state, city flags, other national flags, and the Prisoner of War flag, according to Click on Detroit.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the resolution passed “after three hours of public comments and months of intense debate,”
“Hassan and other members of the council said the LGBTQ+ community and others are welcome in Hamtramck but that they need to respect religious freedom,” according to the report. “Some proponents of the resolution said the Pride flag clashes with their faith. Several speakers from Dearborn who were leaders in protests last year against LGBTQ books spoke at the Hamtramck meeting, saying American soldiers sacrificed for the U.S. flag, not the Pride flag.”
City Councilman Nayeem Choudhury said LGBTQ+ people will not be discriminated against in the city but should also respect the religious liberty of the city’s Muslim community.
“We want to respect the religious rights of our citizens,” Choudhury said. “You guys are welcome. … (but) why do you have to have the flag shown on government property to be represented? You’re already represented. We already know who you are. … By making this (about) bigotry … it’s making it like you want to hate us.”
-The Detroit Free Press
Collectively commenting that the code was not about targeting a specific group, City council members said basically that “If you let one flag in, you’ll have to let all of the flags in.”
Reportedly, an immigrant from Yemen spoke in favor of the resolution, stating that while the city “respect[s] all nations, cultures, and their flags…we only salute the American flag.” According to the outlet, the man spoke of coming to the United States from Yemen as a child and believing until he was older that America was an evil, racist country because that is what he was taught in schools. It was not until he went back to Yemen as an adult and saw what he described as “poverty and chaos…at another level” that he realized how thankful he was to live in America, where he can “worship [his] creator in peace and tranquility.” He stated further-
“Unfortunately, many people in our country don’t seem to understand this. They don’t know, or they don’t want to know, what it is like to live in extreme poverty, what it is like to live under severe repression, where there’s no freedom of speech, no freedom of religion,” the man said.
“I owe my success and my livelihood first and foremost to the Creator Himself, Almighty God, then to this great country. Our soldiers fought, bled, and died in the jungles of Iwo Jima and the beaches of Omaha so that you and I can live with peace, prosperity, and freedom,” he said. “Those soldiers fought under the American flag and no other.”
“It’s shameful and embarrassing to have any other flag on public buildings. You have the freedom to display whatever you wish in your home or your private businesses. We respect all nations, cultures, and their flags, but we only salute the American flag,” he concluded, telling the city council members, “Do not waver and do not flinch, you are doing the right thing. God bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.”
-Unidentified Immigrant Testimonial At Hamtramck, Michigan, City Council Meeting
According to the report, speaking against the resolution, supporters and activists the LGBTQ+ agenda said-
“…it would push them out of Hamtramck and reduce investment in the Detroit enclave known for its immigrant and artistic communities,”
-Unidentified Pro LGBTQ+ agenda Testimonial At Hamtramck, Michigan, City Council Meeting
Hamtramck, according to the Detroit Free Press, has the highest percentage of immigrants among the cities in Michigan. It is the only city in the United States with all all-Muslim city council and mayor. Tuesday’s vote was part of an ongoing debate in the city over the LGBTQ+ agenda. Approval of this resolution is another example of the growing coalition of Muslims nationwide, standing firm with social conservatives, to push back against far-left ideology.
Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform told Semafor Global this week-
“They are not big on ‘woke’ stuff and are not susceptible to being bullied,”…. “They are woke-resistant.”
-Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform
Additionally, Rola Makki, Michigan state GOP’s outreach director, and first-ever Muslim official, told Semafor Global, that she wants to convince Muslims, that Democrats have left them behind to pursue an extreme agenda. Back in March, Makki tweeted-
“When someone asks me why as a Muslim I’ve aligned with the GOP, I just go to the Libs of TikTok page and show them the insanity from the progressive left.”
-Rola Makki, Michigan State GOP’s Outreach Director
“If you believe very strongly in something, stand up and fight for it.”
-Roy T. Bennett
AND
“There are a group of people who would like to silence everybody and have everybody go along to get along, but that's not going to be very helpful for us in the long run, in terms of solving our problems. And somebody has to be courageous enough to actually stand up to, you know, the bullies.”
-Ben Carson