DEARBORN — While most mosques and Islamic centers throughout the Dearborn area held multiple Eid al-Adha prayer services to accommodate large crowds of worshipers, more than 10,000 Muslims gathered Wednesday morning on the grounds of the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn for a large outdoor Eid prayer held under the theme “Unity and Justice.”

Local organizers estimated that more than 10,000 worshipers spread their prayer rugs across the open field, with participants traveling from throughout the Detroit metropolitan area to take part in the communal prayer organized by several Islamic institutions, including the Islamic Center of Detroit, Al-Huda Islamic Association, the American Islamic Association, Masjid Al-Furqan and other local mosques and community organizations.

Interfaith demonstration highlights unity amid rising anti-Muslim incidents across the country

The prayer was led by Imam Suhaib Webb, who focused his Eid sermon on Islam’s principles of compassion, justice and peaceful coexistence. Webb emphasized the importance of building bridges among people of different faiths and backgrounds and reaffirmed the right of Muslim Americans to practice their religion freely under the constitutional protections guaranteed in the United States.

Christian leaders and activists form a human chain around the praying Muslims in Dearborn at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, in a show of support and solidarity on Eid al-Adha, Wednesday, May 27.

Christian clergy stand in solidarity

This year’s Eid gathering was distinguished by a powerful display of interfaith solidarity as Christian clergy from across Michigan formed a human chain around Muslim worshipers during the prayer service.

The gesture was intended as a public expression of support for Muslim communities facing increasing hostility, threats and anti-Muslim rhetoric from far-right extremists. Organizers pointed to recent incidents, including the terrorist attack on an Islamic center in San Diego, California, as well as the Quran-burning demonstration staged earlier this month outside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn by a right-wing agitator and Islamophobic activist.

As thousands of Muslims stood shoulder-to-shoulder in prayer, pastors and clergy members joined hands around them in a symbolic circle of protection and unity.

According to organizers, the action was designed to demonstrate support for Muslim communities that continue to face growing anti-Muslim sentiment across the United States and to send a clear message that religious hatred has no place in American society.

The initiative was organized by the Michigan Multifaith Clergy Rapid Response Network, a coalition of faith leaders committed to responding collectively to incidents of religious intolerance and discrimination.

“They do not speak for us”

The effort was led by Pastor Shannon Jammal-Hollemans of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Lowell, Michigan, and a program developer for the Office of Social Justice of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC).

In remarks delivered during the event, Jammal-Hollemans emphasized the deep spiritual and moral bonds shared by Christians and Muslims.

“Our faith, like theirs, is rooted in love, peace and compassion,” she said, describing the gathering as a tangible expression of unity and a rejection of hatred, division and religious intolerance.

Jammal-Hollemans explained that she helped organize the initiative because, “it is more important than ever that Christians stand in solidarity with Muslim communities in the United States.”

“For too long, we have allowed hateful rhetoric to be amplified by people who call themselves Christians, including White nationalists,” she said. “It is time for us to stand up and say that they do not speak for us, and they do not represent who we are as followers of Christ.”

Her comments drew praise from participants who viewed the presence of Christian clergy as a meaningful affirmation of religious pluralism and mutual respect.

Warm welcome from the Muslim community

Jammal-Hollemans said she and the participating clergy members were deeply moved by the reception they received from Muslim worshipers throughout the event.

“The welcome we received and the experience of witnessing their prayers was incredible,” she said. “People kept thanking us, and I am grateful and honored to be here.”

She added that observing the prayer service firsthand offered a powerful reminder of the common values shared among faith communities and the importance of standing together in the face of prejudice and intolerance.

The interfaith demonstration served as a visible affirmation of unity between Muslims and Christians in Michigan and underscored a shared commitment to protecting religious freedom, confronting hate and ensuring that all Americans can worship safely and without fear.

Against the backdrop of growing concerns over Islamophobia and religiously motivated harassment, organizers said the event reflected the strength of interfaith partnerships in Metro Detroit and the determination of faith leaders to stand together against efforts to divide communities along religious lines.