At a war memorial Friday in Dearborn, the sound of a silver bell chimed in front of a silent audience as a firefighter rang it several times to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks 25 years ago. The sounds were part of a moving ceremony, including Christian and Muslim leaders in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library that remembered those who died and the heroism of first responders who sacrificed their lives after the worst terror attack in American history.
The ceremony on Sept. 11, 2026, echoed many others across Michigan and the U.S. on the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, still a clear memory for many people. For Dearborn, which has the highest percentage of residents of Middle Eastern descent among all cities in the U.S., Sept. 11 was
uniquely challenging as officials and residents had to deal with the pain other Americans felt, but also the racist backlash that stereotyped their city.
"We were extremely concerned about the safety of Arab Americans and Muslims inside the city," Ali Dagher, 57, a Dearborn attorney who attended Friday's ceremony, recalled about the aftermath of Sept. 11. "There were all kinds of rumors happening that created fear about what's happening in Dearborn."
A quarter-century later, the city still faces some of the same challenges. Just a few weeks before Friday's event at the same location, a mob of anti-Muslim protestersgathered on Aug. 18 to denigrate Islam and the city's residents, about half of whom are Muslim. But on Sept. 11, 2026, the mood was somber, as speakers and attendees reflected on that devastating day. A police and fire honor guard lined up around several rows of seats under a tent during the event, which included the lowering of the U.S. flag in honor of the victims.
"We come together today not simply to remember a date, but to remember people," Imam Mohammad Ayad of the Islamic Center of America, a historic mosque in Dearborn, told the crowd. "We remember the innocent lives that were taken on September 11, 2001. We remember the families whose lives were changed forever. We remember firefighters, police officers, paramedics, members of our armed forces, and ordinary citizens who ran toward danger when others were trying to escape it. Twenty-five years later, their sacrifice still speaks to us."
In the weeks leading up to the 25th anniversary of 9/11, there was a spike in anti-Islam vitriol, with some objecting to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, attending the city's 9/11 ceremony near the site of the former Twin Towers that were struck. At the Dearborn ceremony, Islam was described as a religion that condemns the taking of innocent lives, as happened on Sept. 11. Attendees noted that several of the victims on 9/11 were Muslim or Arab American.
"As a Muslim and as an imam, I'm reminded of the words of the Holy Quran," explained Ayad, sporting a turban and robe to indicate his role as a Muslim leader. "God said in chapter five, verse 32, 'Whoever takes a life unjustly, it is as though he has killed all humanity; and whoever saves a life, it is as though he has saved all humanity.' September 11 reminds us of the terrible consequences of hatred, extremism, and devaluing of human life, but it also reminds us of something greater: It reminds us of courage, sacrifice, compassion, and unity. On that day, Americans did not first ask one another about religion, ethnicity, race, or background. People saw another human being in need, and they helped. That spirit must remain with us."
Ayad then mentioned a saying by Imam Ali, a son of Prophet Muhammad, calling for unity across religious lines.
"Imam Ali ... said, 'People are of two kinds: either your brother and sister in faith, or your equals in humanity,'" Ayad said. "Today we stand together as Americans and as one human family."
The Rev. Bob McCabe, pastor of the Catholic Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn, echoed Ayad's views, reciting a Catholic prayer and praising Jesus.
"We pray that cultural differences might not be occasions for division or hatred, but rather opportunities for respecting and appreciating the many gifts found amid diversity," McCabe said.
While Dearborn still faces challenges, much has changed over the past 25 years. At the time of 9/11, about 30% of Dearborn's residents were Arab American, according to Census data. Arab Americans were facing racism long before 9/11 and so had advocates and institutions prepared to deal with the backlash. The mayor at the time, Michael Guido, was elected after running a campaign with anti-Arab racist messaging and once complained about the hygiene of some Arab immigrants. But after 9/11, Guido urged the public not to target his city and took part in interfaith events expressing unity with Christian and Muslim leaders. Today, 55% of the city's residents have Middle Eastern ancestry, and the mayor, police chief, and schools superintendent are all Muslims of Arab descent. Arab Americans are now integrated and in positions of influence to better defend residents against attacks.
Mary Petchlikoff, 69, of Dearborn, recalls mobilizing on 9/11 to help protect Muslim students who were starting to receive some hateful harassment. She described to the Detroit Free Press the unease that many in the city felt that day.
"I was a PTA president at Oakman Elementary School on the east side," Petchlikoff, today a Dearborn Schools board member, said after the 9/11 ceremony Friday. "And I was in the office at the time, and we had a had the news on a small TV, and we're saying: 'This can't be happening. This can't be real.'
"Our biggest fear was for the safety of our students and the families in the neighborhood because it was a Muslim-majority community. And as PTA president, I was tasked with the responsibility of helping coordinate any outside activities at the schools, because we, all of a sudden, being on Chase Road, had a lot of cars driving by and people shouting things out from the car windows. They knew where the Muslim schools were, and so ... we were there to shield the students as PTA parents; we were helping our administration, and it was a very unnerving time for all of us in the neighborhood because nobody knew what to expect, and everybody felt that the eyes of the world were focused on a community that felt just as horrified as everybody else, and we were trying to pull together and support each other and just keep the kids safe."
Sept 11, 2001, was also primary election day, and a mayoral candidate of Arab descent, Abed Hammoud, an immigrant from Lebanon, was on the ballot. Hammoud came in second place behind Guido, advancing to the November election, which he lost. Twenty years later, a mayoral candidate with the same last name, Abdullah Hammoud, previously a state representative who is not related to Abed Hammoud, was elected, becoming the first Arab American mayor of Dearborn. And now, Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate of Arab descent who was inspired by Abed Hammoud's campaign, is running for Senate and facing attacks from his Republican opponent tied to 9/11 that his supporters have said are bigoted.
Mayor Hammoud spoke at the ceremony, remembering the victims and honoring the first responders who rushed to help save lives.
"September 11th changed the course of our country, Hammoud said. "But before we speak about what was changed, we should remember those whom we lost. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and colleagues, people who had plans for that evening, birthdays ahead of them, children who they expected to watch to grow older, and as thousands were desperately trying to escape danger, firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other first responders were running directly towards them."
Echoing the views of Mamdani, who recently released 9/11 health recordsthat showed previous city officials did not disclose how hazardous the air quality was for people in lower Manhattan after 9/11, Hammoud called for "transparency" among politicians and a "conscientious government" that tells "people the truth."
"Supporting our first responders cannot simply be something we say ... it has to be reflected in how we govern, how we equip them, how we care for them, and as importantly, how we care for their families," Hammoud said. "The first responders who become sick, their families, and the advocates who stood beside them had to fight for years for recognition, for health care, for transparency, and for the dignity that they had already earned. They should never have had to fight that hard. Their experience reminds us that conscientious government means telling people the truth, standing behind those who ask to serve, and remaining accountable long after the cameras have gone away."
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn remembers 9/11 victims in a call for 'compassion and unity'
