Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly released the following letter on Tuesday, June 14. The Arab International festival will run from June 17-19 in the city.

Dear residents and friends
of Dearborn,  

This weekend we will again
be visited by persons who want to use our community for
their own ends. This time their target will be the
Arab International Festival which has been part of our
community for almost two decades. These visitors are not interested
in the Festival or learning about and celebrating Arab culture. They
are coming here to promote the concept that Islam is a false faith
and that Muslims by teaching and nature are violent.  

We know that there is no substance
to their message – their goal is to promote fear and hatred in
others. More than a month ago in Dearborn, faith
leaders of all religions from all over
Metropolitan Detroit rejected their message by standing
together arm in arm and proclaiming that Islam is a
legitimate faith and Muslims are an important part of our
greater faith community.  

Nowhere was the dishonesty of those using Dearborn to attack Islam more clear than when Terry Jones stood on the steps of our City Hall and recited the Pledge of Allegiance over and over as if we in Dearborn had never heard it.  In his ignorance he failed to recognize that we recite the Pledge of Allegiance at events all over our City no matter who is the sponsor because we always stand together as Americans.

I sincerely ask everyone that cares
about our City to wish these people peace and God’s
forgiveness and then ignore them and their empty words. Their goal is
to bait and anger us so that they can then misrepresent who we
are in order to serve their personal agenda. Debating them and
confronting them at this event or in our City can produce
no positive result for us. We know we are
people of peace but we are also people. All humans take exception to
those who wrongly accuse us or suggest that our deepest
beliefs are false and evil. It is human to become angry but it is
divine to forgive. As all of our religions teach us we must rise
above our human instincts and follow God’s instructions to
be agents of peace and forgiveness. We must also encourage
others to do the same.  

We must be true to our collective goals
of promoting a safe and positive environment for all of our residents
and guests to be successful and enjoy their lives. We
are a positive example of the ideals and goals
of America to be a place of opportunity for everyone and a
nation that respects everyone’s rights to their own beliefs. If we
will stand for peace and tolerance, we will stand for America and
Freedom.