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A Muslim girl from Salina Elementary school receives a present from Santa Claus, played by Jim Stokes, an attorney who is director of appointments for the state of Michigan and the son of a Lebanese Catholic immigrant. He's described as an "Arabic Papa Noel."

Santa's Visit Brightens Day for Needy Muslim Students in Dearborn

By Niraj Warikoo
Free Press Staff Writer

The students were almost all Muslim, most of them the children of conservative immigrants from the Arab world.

But as they spotted Santa Claus Friday in the gym at Salina Elementary school in Dearborn, their eyes lit up with joy.

"Santa!" some shrieked as they entered to meet the jolly icon of Christmas and receive toys from him.

Started more than 20 years ago, the annual visit by Santa is geared towards a population in the south end of Dearborn that has high levels of poverty. Sponsored by ACCESS, Comerica Bank, and the Kiwanis Club of Dearborn, it gives more than 800 needy children, most of them Arab-American Muslims, dolls, board games, and basketballs for Christmas. It's also about introducing a new culture.

"Most of them don't know a great deal about Santa Claus," said Amal Berry-Brown, a vice-president at Comerica Bank who helped distribute the gifts on Friday.

The school is in the south end of Dearborn, which has the highest concentration of Muslims in the state, many of them with roots in Yemen. They take their faith seriously, as evident by the fact that many of the girls are already wearing hijab, the Islamic headscarf, while they're still in elementary school.

But that doesn't prevent them from enjoying Santa Claus, a figure with Christian roots but one who has a secular persona in the modern world. For years, this annual tradition has been warmly embraced by the Muslim community of Dearborn. It's a striking scene that illustrates how the Muslim-American population of Dearborn is open to Christian customs and American traditions. At a time when Dearborn is under attack from outsiders and politicians who claim it's under Islamic law, the scene inside the school Friday was an unspoken rebuttal, illustrating how different faiths and cultures work together.

"This is really the portal in Dearborn for immigrants," Stokes said of the south end of Dearborn, where most of the students live. "What better way to help celebrate the spirit of the season."

"This is Christmas right here," Stokes added as another class of students lined up to get presents. "This is what makes the holiday as real as can be."

To the participants, Santa was a symbol that all could relate to.

"Santa is not religious in that sense," said Brigitte Fawaz-Anouti, director of social services and special projects at the Dearborn-based ACCESS, the Arab-American group that started the event. "It's more a celebration of the season."

"He's an Arabic Papa Noel."

For the past 18 years, Santa has been played by Jim Stokes, a board member of ACCESS who is also director of appointments for the state of Michigan. His mother was a Lebanese Catholic immigrant and so he's sympathetic to the challenges that immigrants face when they're in a new land. When Stokes greets the kids, he occasionally drops in an Arabic phrase, but speaks mainly in English.

"What do you hope Santa has for you?" he asks a group of second graders.

"Presents!" they shout back.

The entire class was Muslim, but "they look forward" to meeting Santa, said their teacher Mariam Johair. "They write letters," to him.

"We don't talk about religion. It's just about Santa giving gifts."

Stokes, the man playing Santa, said the event was a way to bring the holiday spirit to kids from poor backgrounds. For some, these gifts might be the only ones they get all year, organizers said.

"We're helping make immigrant lives a little better," he said.

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