Dearborn Muslim Calls for Killing Anti-Islam Protesters
Of course, the only reason protesters show up at the festival is that Dearborn
leaders (with occasional help from the American Arab Chamber of Commerce) spent years violating the
Constitutional rights of U.S. citizens. I attended the Arab Festival in 2008
and 2009, and I didn't see any protesters. In 2009, however, the Police
Department declared that Christians
wouldn't be allowed to distribute pamphlets or Bibles, even on the public
sidewalks around the festival. This was the same year we
were attacked by security for asking a question at a booth that invited us
to ask questions. The following year, we were arrested for
having a peaceful discussion with some Muslim teenagers who approached us with
questions about Christianity. Two days later, police took us into custody
again for attempting to distribute Bibles outside the festival
News (and videos) spread about Dearborn's contempt for the First Amendment, and
this drew a number of protesters to the city (including Terry Jones, who was convicted
and jailed for planning to protest outside a mosque). Now that the
city has gained worldwide attention for its stance against free speech, city
leaders want to move the festival in order to escape the consequences of their
actions.
The local population is divided over whether to move the festival, and, even more importantly, over how Muslims should respond to protesters. The Dearborn Area Community Members Facebook group hosted a discussion about the move, and some of the comments were enlightening. A Muslim named Aboudi Berro suggested moving the festival to an area where protesters could be more easily murdered:
The local population is divided over whether to move the festival, and, even more importantly, over how Muslims should respond to protesters. The Dearborn Area Community Members Facebook group hosted a discussion about the move, and some of the comments were enlightening. A Muslim named Aboudi Berro suggested moving the festival to an area where protesters could be more easily murdered:
Muhammad Khatib, by contrast, advocated keeping the festival at its regular
location. However, he suggested arming the security guards (the gang of
thugs who assaulted us in 2009):
Perhaps the most encouraging comment came from a young Muslim who defended the
First Amendment rights of Islam's critics. Ali Sayed Ahmad wrote
And here we see the great divide that plagues the once great City of Dearborn.
On the one hand, there are many Muslims who genuinely love America and the
rights it guarantees. (Here I should include Majed Moughni, a local Muslim
lawyer who spoke
out on our behalf after police threw us in jail.) On the other hand, there
are some who would gladly execute protesters who criticize Muhammad, and more
who want
such criticism outlawed
In a sane world, politicians, police, and the media would support and encourage
those who believe in freedom of speech and freedom of religion. In actuality,
leaders do everything in their power to appease the most hateful voices among
us. With better leaders in place, I think there would be hope for Dearborn. But
with Mayor O'Reilly, Judge
Mark Somers, and a corrupt police force in charge, things just can't move
forward. Perhaps instead of changing the location of the Arab Festival in order
to silence critics, the city should instead focus on changing the behavior that
led to the protests
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