BAD IDEA: US Police Department Scraps Arabic Patch

In a carefully worded statement, Mayor Bill Bazzi insisted the patch “was an internal discussion among some within the police department, which was not put forth for consensus or further review.”

By Aaron Sull, Jewish Breaking News

A Michigan police department ignited a firestorm last week after unveiling—then swiftly deleting—a proposed uniform patch featuring the department’s name in Arabic script, prompting accusations that the city was bowing to pressure from its large Arab population.

On September 3, the Dearborn Heights Police Department posted a Facebook announcement from Officer Emily Murdoch, who had designed the optional patch to “reflect and honor the diversity of our community—especially the many residents of Arabic descent who call Dearborn Heights home.”

Within hours, the announcement went viral for all the wrong reasons.

“They said their goal was to bring Sharia law to America. You should’ve believed them. Pray for Michigan,” Republican Congressman Randy Fine of Florida posted on X.

Conservative media personality Laura Loomer was even more direct: “Muslims have invaded America, and now they are taking over. They must be stopped.”

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, chimed in with his own take: “When you get conquered, you get a new language.”

By Friday, Mayor Bill Bazzi was in full retreat mode. In a carefully worded statement, Bazzi insisted the patch “was an internal discussion among some within the police department, which was not put forth for consensus or further review” and “should NOT have been presented as an official prototype.”

But internal documents and statements from the police union tell a different story about how this controversy unfolded.

According to the Dearborn Heights Police Officers Association, Officer Murdoch originally designed the patch as a commemorative item for officers to wear during Ramadan “in support of our Muslim community.”

Police Chief Ahmed Haidar then unilaterally decided to implement it as an optional year-round patch for the entire department.

“This action made many of our officers feel segregated within the police department,” the union stated. When union executives raised concerns about potential negative repercussions with Chief Haidar, he “dismissed and refuted” them.

Dearborn Heights sits just west of Detroit and has seen dramatic demographic shifts in recent decades.

Nearly 39% of its 61,000 residents are of Arab or Middle Eastern descent, while neighboring Dearborn, represented by “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib, has an even higher concentration at 55% and houses the largest mosque in North America.

For now, the Arabic patch remains shelved after Mayor Bazzi promised that any future uniform changes would require input from “multiple PD stakeholders” to ensure “all are included in the discussion.”