DEARBORN, Mich. — Nearly a quarter-century after the Sept. 11 attacks, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum in Michigan continues to center its 9/11 exhibits and anniversary programming on discrimination and government actions taken afterward, while devoting comparatively less attention to the nearly 3,000 Americans killed in the attacks, according to a review by Fox News Digital.

The Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn features an exhibit contending that Arab Americans “suffered two-fold as a result of the tragic events of September 11th,” pointing both to the attacks themselves and what the museum characterizes as unfair treatment by the U.S. government in their aftermath. Since opening, the museum has repeatedly organized events examining what it describes as discriminatory effects stemming from America’s post-9/11 response.

The AANM has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and operates as an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian itself has come under increasing criticism from conservative lawmakers, who have accused the institution of allowing political considerations to shape its presentation of American history.

One exhibit placard focuses on the government’s detention of immigrants investigated for potential terrorist connections following 9/11, stating that “virtually none were charged” with terrorism.

“The Arab American community suffered two-fold as a result of the tragic events of September 11th. As with all Americans, they suffered the horror and grief. However, Arab Americans were unfairly held responsible, yet not a single Arab American was found guilty of any connection to September 11th,” the placard states.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al Qaeda terrorists seized control of four passenger aircraft. Two were flown into New York City’s World Trade Center and another struck the Pentagon. Passengers and crew members aboard United Flight 93 resisted the hijackers, resulting in the aircraft crashing into a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks claimed 2,977 lives and prompted the largest investigation in FBI history.

Another museum placard says Arab Americans encountered tougher immigration enforcement following the attacks, asserting that some were “deported for minor visa violations or petty offenses which previously would have been overlooked.”

According to a Justice Department inspector general report, immigration authorities detained 762 noncitizens on immigration charges during the 11 months following 9/11 as part of the FBI’s terrorism investigation. Some had overstayed visas or entered the United States illegally. The watchdog concluded that certain detainees who had no terrorism connections were subjected to harsh treatment and unnecessarily restrictive detention conditions.

The broader public response to the attacks was more nuanced, however. President George W. Bush repeatedly urged Americans not to blame Muslims for the terrorist attacks. Subsequent polling also indicated that views toward Muslim Americans improved during the immediate aftermath. Pew Research Center data showed the percentage of Americans expressing favorable views of Muslim Americans climbed from 45% in March 2001 to 59% in November, two months after the attacks.

The AANM’s focus on discrimination and law-enforcement practices affecting Arab and Muslim communities also extends into its annual programming surrounding the 9/11 anniversary.

Each year, the museum hosts a “solidarity” town hall that frequently emphasizes criticism of America’s response to the attacks. The event’s online description does not reference the deaths caused by the attacks, instead saying it “offers a safe space for communities to reflect and engage in dialogue about the harmful prejudices that Arab and Muslim (and anyone perceived to be Arab or Muslim) individuals face on both an individual and systemic level.”

A 2018 town hall examined “how communities of color have been targeted through the frame of national security and profiled as violent threats.”

The following year’s annual town hall, which received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, focused on allegations that “institutions and communities of color have been infiltrated” by law enforcement and that leaders within those communities were “targeted” after 9/11.

The AANM opened in 2005, partly in response to heightened scrutiny of Arab Americans following the World Trade Center attacks. Over the course of its existence, the museum has received more than half a million dollars from the NEH for exhibits and educational initiatives. It also received a $385,000 Department of Housing and Urban Development grant that helped expand the museum in 2013. Additional HUD funding totaling more than $500,000 was awarded between 2017 and 2019, while the State Department provided at least $50,000 between 2016 and 2017, according to the museum’s annual reports.

Dearborn is also an important political hub in Michigan heading into one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests this year. Approximately 54.5% of the city’s residents are of Middle Eastern or North African descent. Socialist-aligned Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed received significant backing from Dearborn earlier this month.

The museum’s exhibits and programming address issues beyond its portrayal of America’s post-9/11 response.

On Sept. 10, the day before the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the AANM is scheduled to screen “Seeds for Liberation.” The film portrays Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack as part of a decades-long Palestinian “struggle” and situates the attack within a larger history of “anti-imperialist and decolonial movements.”

During a visit earlier this month, Fox News Digital also found an area of the museum devoted to artwork criticizing Israel’s alleged “occupation” of Palestinian territory. One piece displays the word “wall” in stylized lettering and accuses the Israeli government of maintaining a system of “apartheid.”

The broader installation alleges that Israel has targeted civilians during military operations, restricted Palestinians’ access to basic necessities and improperly occupied territory.

One placard displayed alongside a sculpture claims Israel has killed more than 2,000 Palestinian children since Sept. 29, 2000, citing the organization If Americans Knew (IAK).

The sourcing of that claim has generated controversy. Several pro-Palestinian organizations have separated themselves from IAK amid allegations involving antisemitism and connections to White supremacists, accusations the organization has rejected. IAK also runs a news website that has published material disputing Hamas’ classification as a terrorist organization.

Another sculpture features a placard quoting Defense of Children International Palestine (DCIP), which the Israeli government designated as a terrorist organization in 2021. DCIP and human rights organizations have challenged that designation.

Visitors can also find Palestinian-themed items in the museum’s gift shop, including magnets and key chains shaped like maps, coloring books intended to help children “explore Palestinian heritage” and keffiyehs.

Smithsonian affiliates such as the AANM operate independently while maintaining formal relationships with the Smithsonian. Those partnerships can provide access to artifact loans, educational materials and consultations with Smithsonian experts.

The Smithsonian has faced growing pressure in recent months from Republican lawmakers and President Trump over allegations that its museums promote left-leaning ideological perspectives through their exhibits. Officials have warned that the institution could face funding reductions if it fails to address what the Trump administration describes as anti-American bias.