By Governor Gretchen Whitmer, widely viewed as a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, is facing renewed criticism for bringing Osama Siblani, a prominent anti-Israel activist and publisher of Arab American News, on an official state trade mission to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The February trip, which included 17 Michigan officials, business leaders, and community representatives, as well as Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers of the Michigan National Guard, was designed to strengthen economic ties with the Middle East. Yet Siblani’s participation has ignited controversy over his history of inflammatory rhetoric and expressions of support for terrorist groups, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Siblani has long been a vocal critic of Israel and has publicly praised Iran-backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. At a September 25 rally in Dearborn, which he organized, he hailed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as a “hero,” declaring, “They want us to be afraid of praising our leaders and martyrs, but today we say to them that our martyrs are heroes and our leaders are great, especially the great Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.” Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike shortly afterward.
When chants of “death to Israel” rang out at the same rally, Siblani told the crowd, “Believe me, they will take care of the job,” a remark widely understood as a reference to Hezbollah. He also directed a provocative statement toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Jews: “We will take you back to Poland.” In 2022, Siblani urged Arabs to “fight within [their] means” against Israel, whether with “stones,” “guns,” or “their hands.”
Whitmer’s choice to include Siblani has raised questions about her judgment, especially in light of her reported presidential ambitions. After her 2022 trip to Israel, Siblani denounced her for backing “Israel’s actions in Gaza,” prompting a one-on-one meeting. “Governor Whitmer will hear from us soon on her wrong and offensive trip to Israel as its army brutally killing [sic] innocent Palestinians including children while carpet bombing Gaza,” he said at the time. Following their meeting, Siblani claimed Whitmer agreed to visit Arab countries, though it remains unclear who financed his participation in the latest trip.
Whitmer’s decision fits into a larger pattern in Michigan politics, where honoring Siblani has become a litmus test for local leaders. That dynamic was on full display in Dearborn, where the city’s mayor has taken the celebration of terrorism one step further, telling residents that those who believe Siblani’s antisemitic comments shouldn’t be celebrated should be kicked out of the city, writes Fox News.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stayed silent for days after a controversy in Dearborn, where the city’s Muslim mayor scolded a Christian resident who objected to new street signs honoring an Arab American newspaper publisher known for past statements viewed as sympathetic to terrorists.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud reportedly told resident Ted Barham that he is “not welcome here,” and that if Barham moved out of the city, where around 40% of the population is Muslim, he would hold a parade.
Barham expressed concern over the city honoring newspaper publisher Osama Siblani, saying that renaming streets for the controversial figure is akin to calling them “Hezbollah Street” and “Hamas Street.”
Hammoud accused Barham of not believing in “coexistence,” and advised him to close his eyes if he drove along the avenue where signs commemorating Siblani have been installed.
BREAKING: A Dearborn resident opposed naming a street after Hezbollah supporter Osama Siblani.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud snapped back: “You do not belong in this city, Islamophobe! Get out, you are not welcome here.”
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) September 16, 2025
Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, told The Washington Free Beacon that honoring someone like Siblani will only encourage extremism and support for terror.
“Wayne County’s naming of a street in honor of Osama Siblani is a disturbing move that only stokes the flames of hate,” Roytman said. “This is a man who has publicly advocated for Israelis to be targeted with ‘stones, guns, planes, drones, and rockets.’ Local leaders have a duty to promote the safety and welfare of all residents, yet by celebrating someone who incites violence, Wayne County has done the exact opposite. The growing normalization of such toxic rhetoric undermines the security of Jewish Americans, who are already facing unprecedented levels of antisemitic hostility.”
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