DEARBORN – A planned march from City Hall to the Arab
International Festival by extremist Florida Pastor Terry Jones was cut short
last Friday, June 17 as Jones found himself in a scuffle with
counter-protesters who blocked him from walking down Schaefer Road to Warren
Avenue.

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad reportedly said that five
of the six were from outside the city. The counter-protesters made it extremely
difficult for Jones and his supporters to walk down the street, shouting and
screaming in his face as a large group of reporters followed. Jones was also
struck by a female member of the BAMN group.

Jones and a few others were taken away in a vehicle by
police and then dropped off at their own cars. They told police that they would
not proceed to the festival as planned and kept their word as the weekend
finished up.

While the vast majority of the local Arab American and
Muslim communities ignored Jones as Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly had suggested,
the Detroit-based group BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) decided differently,
instead responding with a counter-protest of dozens.

O’Reilly said he was proud of the community for mostly
ignoring Jones this time around.

Prior to the march down Schaefer, about 15 supporters of
Jones joined him during his second City Hall protest against
“shari’a”and “radical Islam” in America.

The pledge of allegiance was recited by Jones’ group and
patriotic music was played while he spoke about banning shari’a in America
among other topics.

Rabbi Nachum Shifren of California also spoke while calling
mostly African American (as well as some Arab American and Caucasian American)
counter-protesters “rappers, punks, and gang-bangers… low-level
scum” and “communists.”

He also spoke to them in an antagonizing fashion later in
his speech in an apparent attempt to intimidate them.

“There will come a day when you will pack your bags and
leave this country at the point of a gun, I promise you that day will
come,” he said.

Hostile missionaries rally at festival, preach against
Islam, others

Later in the afternoon, a group of about 10 people from a
group that called itself “Bible Believers” gathered at the “Free
Speech Zone” on Warren and Appoline Street to preach to passers-by at the
festival.

Speaking through a megaphone, group members shouted that
those who did not believe, with a focus on Muslims, would “burn in
Hell” in an antagonistic fashion, among other sayings.

Most of the onlookers and counter-protesters were children
aged 8-15; many of them had thought that Jones was still scheduled to show up.
Some threw water bottles, pens and other objects as Wayne County police on
horseback and on foot secured the area before crowds eventually dispersed.

Other Christian missionaries continued to hang around the
festival over the course of the weekend. Some wore t-shirts that said “I
love (with a red heart graphic) Muslims” with a Bible verse on the back.
They passed out literature urging them to convert to passing drivers along
Warren. The literature was also critical of Islam as well.

Another large sign held up took aim at Catholics, calling
followers idolaters (worshipers of Mary) and saying that they would not be
allowed in Heaven.

Others were much more confrontational, however, shouting
hateful messages about Islam and carrying signs.

During one confrontation, at least one missionary was
arrested along with several counter-protesters.

Jamal Koussan, owner of Super Greeland market, said that the
hostile missionaries have been a continued problem at the festival.

“It’s getting worse every year. People standing in
front of the store [Super Greenland] insulting our religion (Islam),” he
said. “I could hear it all the way from inside.”