FAKE NEWS: Mike Hager lied about Mom’s death due to Trump immigration ban
The imam of an Iraqi-American man who made headlines earlier this week by claiming his ailing mother had died because of President Trump’s executive order on immigration says the man lied. Mike Hager created a sob story that consumed the media eager to post fake news against the Trump administration.
“Hager said he was returning home with his family that included his sick mom,” the original story stated. “They were returning home to the United States where his mother has lived since 1995. As they were waiting in line at the airport in Iraq on Friday, he was told that he could pass through because he was a U.S. citizen. But his family members – including his mom – weren’t allowed, despite holding green cards.”
The man talked about sending his mom back to the hospital where she died: “if it weren’t for the order, his mom would still be alive today.”
Social media exploded, but the leader of a mosque in Dearborn says he lied: “Imam Husham Al-Hussainy, leader of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in Dearborn, says Mike Hager’s mom did not pass away this weekend after being barred from traveling to the United States. The Imam confirms that Hager’s mother died before the ban was put in place.”
photo Brandon Jones
Detroit’s Fox 2 reported Wednesday the details of the conflicting information and “has confirmed that his mother died five days earlier.”
The closed with “Earlier when confronted via text about his lie, Mike wrote “Since I lost my mom I’ve been on heavy medication – I can’t even sleep. I did not make anything up.”
His cousin, Tony Al-Shammeree, stands by the family’s story in an interview with The Post, claiming that “Trump killed her,” and said the family was mourning the loss of his aunt.
The Washington Post offered one of the weakest corrections, saying in their headline the story “unravels” – NO, IT WAS A LIE!
The imam said there was a grain of truth to the family’s account: if she had been treated in a U.S. hospital, as opposed to an Iraqi hospital, Al-Husainy said, “she would have survived.”
“But Trump killed her? No, I don’t agree with that,” he said, adding that he is certain the woman died days before the travel ban. “Anybody who lies, or gives fake information, is going to hurt the Muslims. Because Muslims should be truth tellers.”
