In our opinion … Hamtramck has no need to honor foreign politicians

It’s a new political era, but what we saw at the last city council meeting left us wondering if this young council is already in a state of dysfunction.
Specifically, veteran Councilmember Mohammed Hassan was out of order — and out of control.
And it was all over something that Hassan has, of late, been weirdly fixated on: giving streets the honorary names of some obscure and controversial Bangladeshi politicians – including one who has been characterized as a murderous dictator.
What in the world do these politicians have to do with Hamtramck anyway, besides being from Bangladesh?
Mayor Adam Alharbi was right to call a halt to naming any more streets in honor of public figures who have little to no connection to Hamtramck – let alone, politicians who were murderous dictators.
Stop this nonsense.
Hamtramck already has enough streets with honorific names. Given the many issues facing Hamtramck, why is any councilmember so focused on such irrelevant issues?
If they can’t focus on Hamtramck, why are they even on city council at all?
Posted Jan. 23, 2026