Opposition over mayor’s appointment

Two prominent Jewish organizations are opposing the nomination of Mayor Amer Ghalib for what they say are his past antisemitic social media posts. file photo

By Charles Sercombe
It’s looking like Mayor Amer Ghalib’s potentially being appointed as ambassador to Kuwait is meeting stiff resistance.
A couple of prominent Jewish groups have come out opposing his appointment, calling him antisemitic for his past comments and social media activity.
“Ghalib routinely traffics in antisemitism, actively supports the antisemitic BDS movement, attempted to justify the 10/7 massacre, and refused to take disciplinary action against an appointee who attempted to justify the Holocaust,” said the Anti-Defamation League on a social media post.
BDS refers to a pro-Palestinian movement, formed in 2005, that calls for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” of, from and against Israel in response to their treatment of Palestinians.
Local media outlets have reported on this blowback from Jewish groups.
Under the direction of the city’s all-male and all-Muslim city council, with the support of Mayor Ghalib, Hamtramck was the first Michigan city to withdraw any financial divestment involving Israel.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Ghalib shot back at this criticism, saying that a Jewish attorney urged the council to adopt this measure.
(The attorney in question is Matthew Clark, who is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace.)
“It was Jewish activists who came here to ask us to take that resolution,” Ghalib said. “It was a Jewish lawyer who drafted that. So, there is no way you can call this antisemitism.”
Ghalib also noted that, in 2022, the council passed a resolution condemning antisemitism – one of the few cities to take that action.
“So you can’t believe the media – especially those yellow media,” Ghalib added. “They have political goals to publish these things at this time.”
At a pro-Palestinian rally at Zussman Park, Ghalib justified Palestinian violence against Israel for its brutality against Palestinians, and denied that sexual violence happened against Israelis when Hamas militants invaded Israel on Oct. 7 in 2023.
At the pro-Palestinian rally in 2023, Ghalib said:
“If you start killing my children in front of my eyes, then I will use every means available for me to resist. I don’t care what names you would call me.
“If you classify a person as a terrorist, other people in different parts of the world consider him as a freedom fighter. So not everyone agrees with our government. …”
The U.S. government classifies Hamas as a terrorist organization.
President Trump has called for anyone who is not a citizen and who speaks in favor of Hamas to be deported.
As for the reports of that time about sexual violence allegedly committed by Hamas militants during its raid into Israel, Ghalib said at the Zussman Park rally that then-President Biden and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “are leading a campaign of lies and deception” in their remarks that Hamas beheaded babies and raped women, while they “…couldn’t show any evidence.”
Ghalib has also been criticized for not taking action against an appointee, Nasr Hussain, who sits on the Planning Commission, when he said that Jews were punished in advance during the Holocaust for their actions decades later against Palestinians.
At the time (in 2023), Ghalib defended not taking action against Hussain, telling The Review: “What do I have to do with his posts!”
The Review reached out to Ghalib for comment on the ADL’s comments, but he did not reply.
Ghalib, who is a Muslim and immigrant from Yemen, made both national and international news when he came out in support of President Trump last year.
Ghalib was credited for convincing many Arabs and Muslims in the metro area to turn against the Democratic Party and support Trump, a campaign which played a significant role in Trump winning the state and the presidency last year.
Many in the Arab and Muslim community believed that Trump would be successful in bringing peace in the Mid-East and Ukraine.
Trump promised he would end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine on “Day One” of his presidency.
When he took office, there had been a truce worked out between Israel and Hamas, but not in Ukraine. The Ukraine war against Russia continues, and the truce in Gaza has recently been broken, with Israel resuming its bombing of Gaza that has so far resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians.
Prior to that, it’s estimated that over 50,000 Palestinians have died from Israel’s military action.
Ghalib later went on to say that what attracted him and others to the Republican Party was their stance on “family values.”
Ghalib and the city council were criticized a few years ago when they banned the display of LGBTQ pride flags on public property.
The mayor also noted that Hamtramck was in the forefront of banning pride flags, and later thanked President Trump who also banned the display of pride flags on government buildings when he took office this year.
“We were the first to make these decisions nationwide,” Ghalib said in January of this year.

“We are and will always stand on the bright side of history. Thank you, Mr. President for supporting our trends after we’ve been swimming upstream and experiencing the tornado alone across the country.”

Until recently, Ghalib has said he was optimistic that the U.S. Senate will confirm his appointment as ambassador to Kuwait.
“I’m being told if the boss (Trump) wants it, it’s going to go through,” Ghalib said at the March 11 city council meeting.
Because of that assurance — at least to that point — Ghalib said he would not be seeking re-election as mayor.
“I’m ready for the next chapter in my life,” Ghalib said at the meeting. “At this point, I think I will not be able to run again for the mayor – unless I’m not confirmed by the Senate.”
Also coming out against Ghalib is the Jewish American Committee, which said on social media that he sends out “a message that contradicts the administration’s strong support for Israel against Hamas terrorism.”
Ghalib enjoys wide support among fellow Arab and Muslim community members, but there are those in town who also oppose him.
“If the nomination doesn’t go through (it shouldn’t), I really hope that enough of the citizens of Hamtramck are intelligent enough to end this idiot’s political endeavors and vote someone more qualified and frankly, someone with more than 3 working brain cells into office,” said Alysia Marie on the Facebook page, “I love Hamtramck and actually live here.”

Georgina Wade said Ghalib’s appointment was only due to his endorsement of Trump.
“Trump selects people for positions based on who helped him get elected. He is not concerned with their qualifications or the baggage they bring to an elected post,” Wade said.
So far, no date has been set by the Senate for Ghalib’s confirmation hearing.
Posted March 28, 2025