Posted: Friday 03.06.2026 1:09 pm 
DEARBORN – Amid worsening humanitarian conditions caused by intensified Israeli airstrikes across several regions of Lebanon, BintJbeil.org hosted a Ramadan iftar at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn on Wednesday under the theme “From Dearborn to Lebanon: One Heart in the Face of Pain.”
The event featured speeches expressing solidarity with Lebanon, praise for the resilience of the Lebanese people and support for their determination to remain steadfast on their land despite the mounting human and material costs of the war.
Approximately 600 members of the local community attended the iftar.
Community activist Zouhair Alawie served as master of ceremonies and welcomed guests to the gathering.
During the event, Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun emphasized the responsibility of the Arab diaspora to share in the struggle and resilience of people in Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen facing war and oppression.
Baydoun urged Lebanese Americans to go beyond traditional financial support and stand firmly with the tens of thousands of displaced families forced to flee their homes in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley because of Israeli attacks.
He called on the community to intensify its outreach to policymakers in the United States to raise awareness about the suffering caused by what he described as an unjust war.
“Thousands of displaced families in Lebanon today do not have the iftar tables that bring us together tonight,” Baydoun said. “I am not sharing these realities to seek sympathy, but to emphasize that financial aid alone cannot wipe away the tears. We must move forward in raising our voices and telling decision-makers that we will not stand idle in the face of injustice.”
Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, spoke passionately about what he described as the courage of the Lebanese resistance and the resilience of the Lebanese people in confronting Israeli aggression.
He expressed confidence that the Lebanese people would ultimately prevail despite the heavy humanitarian toll.
Siblani also warned that any attempt by Israeli forces to launch a ground invasion of southern Lebanon would meet strong resistance.
“Today we stand with Lebanon not only against pain, but also against injustice and occupation,” he said. “Long live the resistance.”
Siblani recalled remarks he made during a demonstration outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn in September 2024, when he described those killed in Lebanon as “great martyrs.”
“My words during that rally were accurately translated by CNN journalist Jake Tapper,” he said. “But today I will say it in English so no one needs to translate it: The Lebanese fighters are heroes. They came out from beneath the ground in southern Lebanon to stand up to the Israeli occupation.”
Siblani also addressed Donald Trump directly during his speech.
“Mr. Trump, you have started a war against people who have done nothing to deserve attacks that amount to crimes against humanity,” he said.
He also criticized the president for welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whom he described as a war criminal sought by international justice, and someone who believes he can invade southern Lebanon.
“If he tries to do that, we will send him back to Poland where he came from.”
Siblani said to look at what is happening today in southern Lebanon if people want to know who the real war heroes are.
“That is where you will see the real heroes.”
He emphasized that the Lebanese people do not seek war, but will not avoid it when it comes to defending their homeland.
“I know many people are afraid to speak their minds in this country,” he said. “But I am speaking in my own name and saying clearly: If you want to take even one inch of Lebanon, it will not happen. There are heroes who will prevent anyone from touching a single grain of soil anywhere in Lebanon.”
For his part, BintJbeil.org founder and president Hassan Baydoun said this year’s Ramadan gathering — which coincides with the 23rd anniversary of the news website’s founding — carries deeper meaning given the devastating impact of the war on Lebanon.
“While we gather here tonight, villages are being targeted and families are being displaced,” Baydoun said. “Our relatives in the south, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut are paying the price with their security and their livelihoods, living through unimaginable pain.”
He added that the community’s presence at the event represents a message of solidarity from Dearborn to Bint Jbeil and other towns on the front lines of the conflict.
“Our presence tonight is a statement,” Baydoun said. “It is a message that the Lebanese diaspora is not a spectator and will not remain on the sidelines. We share the pain and hopes of our people in our homeland.”
He stressed that BintJbeil.org is more than just a website.
“It is not merely an online platform,” he said. “It is a journey, a position and a commitment at a time when others are trying to obscure the truth.”
Founded in 2003, the website focuses on Lebanese affairs and diaspora issues, covering social, regional and immigrant matters affecting Lebanese communities in the United States and around the world.
According to the website’s official description, it attracts nearly half a million daily visitors from Lebanon and across the globe.
At the conclusion of the Ramadan event, organizers honored the Amity Foundation of Dearborn, which raised more than $40,000 last year in partnership with BintJbeil.org to assist victims of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. Founder and President Emad Al-Zayat and his wife, Danielle, received the award.
The gathering also recognized the Helping Handzzz Foundation, which works each Ramadan to reduce food waste by collecting surplus iftar meals, repackaging them and redistributing them to the poor and homeless in the Detroit area.
In addition, Abbas Shehab, BintJbeil.org’s correspondent in Michigan, and his wife, Inaya, were honored for their contributions to the organization’s coverage and community outreach.
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