DEARBORN (Michigan News Source) – Social media posts are promoting a meeting of Christians in Dearborn on noon Sunday Oct. 26 at Ford Field Park.
The advertisements circulating don’t specify what group or people are sponsoring the event. Some have even question if it is even legitimate.
What’s written on the flier?
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“Dearborn Crusade” and “Spreading The Gospel” are written on the online flier. It states, “Purpose & Reasoning” and to bring an American flag, a Bible, friends, family and “an open heart.”
The Instagram page “Dearborn Area Community Members” has more than 15k followers and posted the flier on its page.
“Over the past month, Dearborn’s Muslim community has experienced rising hate and bigotry. Some residents are expressing concern over a planned protest aimed at the city, which has the largest concentration of Muslims in North America,” Dearborn Area Community Members posted in the post’s comment section.
Bringing attention to Dearborn.
MAGA supporter Mellissa Carone has generated controversy by posting videos about Dearborn and its call to prayer. She said she would be attending the Oct. 26 event in a video on TikTok post on her account.
That account was later banned by TikTok.
Free speech battles.
Historically, Christian groups have clashed with local authorities over their free speech rights.
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In 2010, a Christian group named Acts 17 Apologetics attended an Arab festival and talked to people at the festival about Christianity. Three members of the group were arrested by the city of Dearborn police and charged with breach of peace. A jury found the three Christians not guilty, according to the American Freedom Law Center. The city of Dearborn put out a public apology.
In 2011, a group called the Bible Believers attended a 2011 Arab festival and tried to promote conversion to Christianity. The city limited them to a free speech zone on the first day of the festival but then said there was no more free speech zone on the second day. In 2012 when they returned to the festival, the Bible Believers were attacked with members of the festival throwing bottles and one person being punched in the face, according to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. The Bible Believers were escorted out of the festival by police.
In 2012, the Bible Believers sued in federal court. Three years later, the 6th Circuit ruled in their favor. Judge Eric Clay said the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office had violated the free speech of the Bible Believers rather than deal with a hostile reaction from a crowd. Clay wrote, “police cannot punish a peaceful speaker as an easy alternative to dealing with a lawless crowd that is offended by what the speaker has to say.” Wayne County agreed to pay $197,500 in attorney’s fees and costs, according to the American Freedom Law Center.
Dearborn in the national spotlight.
The spotlight has shone on Dearborn ever since its Mayor Abdullah Hammoud made national headlines during a September city council meeting when he told a Christian resident he’s not welcome in the city. Hammoud has not retracted or apologized for his comments.