Midwest
Muslim Dearborn mayor weighs in on residents’ complaints about mosque’s call to prayer
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Dearborn, Michigan, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud responded to noise complaints about a mosque’s call to prayer, saying it’s “not an issue.”
Hammoud discussed the concern on the Nov. 3 episode of the “Not From Here” podcast. Local Dearborn citizens have complained in recent months that a nearby mosque has been broadcasting the call to prayer on loudspeakers multiple times a day, beginning as early as 5:30 a.m.
Though residents raised concerns during a September city council meeting, Hammoud insisted that the call to prayer under a certain decibel level is allowed under city ordinances and has been part of Dearborn life for decades.
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Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud dismissed complaints against a local mosque’s call to prayer. (City of Dearborn screenshot)
“I would tell you is, you know, those complaining about the call to prayer, I mean it’s a very, very few, you still want to respect the wishes and, if you have a serious concern, I have to uphold the law across all boards,” Hammoud said. “But we’ve done decibel readings at these mosques, all within threshold, all within legal limit. And so for me, it’s not an issue.”
He continued, “We also have to uphold our constitutional rights to freedom of religion. And I would say this, you know, that’s the thing. I’m saying this as a Muslim. People, of course, are going to say this is a call to prayer, but like, you know, why are these complaints just coming forward now?”
“Yeah, elections are coming up,” host Jaafar Issa remarked.
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Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said the mosque’s call to prayer did not violate city ordnance on noise levels. (Charly Triballeau/Getty Images)
Hammoud didn’t directly respond to that comment but shrugged and repeated, “Call to prayer has been happening since the 1970s in Dearborn.”
The city ordinance states that noise in residential areas cannot exceed 55 decibels at night (after 10 p.m.) or 60 decibels during the day (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Loudspeakers are prohibited between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Hammoud also said that most mosques in the city do not make a call to prayer at “Fajr” or dawn and compared the sound to church bells.
Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
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Dearborn, Michigan resident Andrea Unger started a petition to pressure the city council to enforce a noise ordinance after two years of a local mosque broadcasting its calls to prayer over a loudspeaker. (Dearborn City Council via YouTube Screenshot)
Dearborn resident Andrea Unger, who has lived in the city for 40 years, told Fox News Digital last month that she had recorded the call to prayer for 30 consecutive days and found it consistently exceeded 70 decibels. She said she raised concerns with the police department and city council for the past two years, but the problem continued.
She added that some of her neighbors were hesitant to speak out, fearing they would be labeled anti-Muslim.
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“I have heard a lot of people say, ‘I’m glad you said something,’ because people are afraid they’ll get called names like ‘Islamophobic,’ like our mayor [Abdullah H. Hammoud] called [Dearborn resident and Christian minister] Ted Barham, because you disagree,” she said. “We’re not Islamophobic, we’re not anti-Muslim, we are not anti-Jewish. We just want to live in the community that it’s always been [before] something changed two years ago to allow this.”
Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
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Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee police are investigating a shooting that injured a 33-year-old on Monday afternoon, May 25.
What we know:
The shooting happened around 3:55 p.m. near 39th and Ruby. The victim was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
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Police said the circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation. They are still searching for unknown suspects.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to call Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use P3 Tips.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department provided information.
The man known as Billy Sushi is hosting four youth hockey players and two coaches 6,000 miles from home.
The popular Minneapolis restaurateur was visiting his home country, Mongolia, when he saw something that reminded him of his current home.
“Driving through this tiny mining town and I saw this old Soviet Union era hockey rink,” he said. “So, I go over and I saw there was a couple people hanging around. I said, ‘You guys play hockey?’ and they said, ‘Yeah, we do play hockey.’ And I’m like, ‘Show me!’”
That was the start.
“Minnesota is so crazy. It’s good,” said 13-year-old Gerelt Dulguun, who they affectionately call “G-Man.”
The outdoor rinks in Baganuur, Mongolia, are only open three months a year, so this trip to the State of Hockey is a hockey culture shock.
“They come out, they’re skating, they are like ‘Oh my god this is so flat, so clean!’” said Billy, on the first time the kids, ranging from ages 15 to 13, stepped on a Minnesota sheet of ice. “They come back and they’re like, ‘I can go fast,’”
The players have been practicing and playing tournaments with the local Pro Hybrid development program.
“Their passion is they’re looking to learn the game and see what it is here in our communities, where hockey is such a big part of the fabric of our communities here, and getting a chance to showcase that has been awesome,” said coach Brendan Cook.
The players have been practicing twice a day. They even took third place at a tournament held at Minnetonka High School.
When the Wild were still in the NHL playoffs. They got to meet Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy at Grand Casino Arena and watch a playoff game.
INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden exited Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 76 laps early after spinning into the outside wall in Turn 4 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; and a day later, Newgarden was in a walking boot.
Newgarden was seen and released from the IMS infield medical unit after the crash, although he didn’t do IndyCar’s procedural media interviews afterward. At Monday evening’s Indy 500 Victory Celebration, the two-time Indy 500 champion had a boot on his left foot on the red carpet. Newgarden claimed he will race in this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix, and he said the boot will stay on “until the cosmetics are complete.”
“It’s just a big hit — big whip, I think was the big thing about it,” Newgarden said. “So, just the nature of the angle of it, more than anything.”
Newgarden finished 28th in the race after appearing to have race pace worthy of competing for the win. He was fourth heading into the restart before losing control of his No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet.
“It’s a tough mistake,” Newgarden said. “You touch that curbing and it happens quick. I mean, I didn’t even realize I made a mistake until I was sideways, and the next thing you know, you’re in the wall. Some mistakes you can see them coming and you can counteract them. That one, unfortunately, I didn’t know until it was too late.
“It was my fault. I lost my sight line, and you can’t be touching that curb.”
After winning back-to-back Indy 500s in 2023 and 2024, Newgarden has exited the last two races early. Last year, it was a fuel pressure problem that ended Newgarden’s day. Newgarden, who made last-lap passes to win both of his Indy 500s, had to watch from outside the cockpit as Felix Rosenqvist passed Marcus Armstrong and David Malukas for the win in the closest finish the race has ever seen.
“I just wish I was in the fight at the end. It looked fun,” he said. “They had a great race going, and it would’ve been amazing to be a part of that.”
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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