A hearing was held on Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. District Court in Detroit before the Honorable Judge Patrick James Duggan to hear the case of the Christian evangelist group, known as the Bible Believers, who have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department.
The plaintiffs’ lawsuit against the department, who operated security at the 2012 Arab International Festival in Dearborn, states that their civil rights were infringed upon when their freedom of speech was stifled, after security at the festival demanded that they leave, or they would be arrested, because their demonstration had incited disorderly conduct. They also claimed that security at the festival “failed to protect them.”
Present at the hearing was counsel for the defendants, Attorney Nabih Ayad, who represented Wayne County Sheriff Benny N. Napoleon, Wayne County Deputy Chief Dennis Richards and Wayne County Deputy Chief Mike Jaafar.
Ayad and the Plaintiff’s Attorney, Robert J. Muise of the American Freedom Law Center (AFLC), each presented their arguments before the court. Also present at the hearing was Fay Beydoun, the Executive Director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC), the organization that organizes the annual festival, and Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The Bible Believers demonstrated at the 2012 Arab International Festival carrying a pigs head on a stick.

The defendants argued for a motion to dismiss the case entirely, while the plaintiffs argued against it, and also argued for an injunction that would require the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department to provide security for the Bible Believers when they plan on returning to the festival this year.
Judge Duggan ended the hearing without a decision, stating that he would take everything into consideration before making a ruling. No date has yet been set for the next hearing, although one will most likely be scheduled before the weekend of June 14, when this year’s festival is scheduled to take place. 
In June 2012, the Evangelists held a protest on festival grounds, displaying what are considered offensive signs by many Muslims, which read “Prophet Muhammad is a pedophile,” while carrying a pig’s head on a stick. Their message was not received well by attendees, who began throwing bottles, rocks and debris at the group as they walked through the festival on Warren Avenue.
Afterward, the leader of the group, Ruben Israel, pursued a media campaign, claiming that he was “stoned” for expressing his freedom of speech and that his group had taken a peaceful approach while Muslim spectators were being uncivil. The incident went viral on YouTube, and a handful of videos posted from the demonstration attracted a combined approximation of over 2 million views to date. The AACC claimed the content of the videos, which were uploaded by members of the Bible Believers, were edited to make local Muslims in Dearborn look hostile.
In September 2012, the Bible Believers chose the AFLC to represent them in Federal Court when they filed the lawsuit against the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. Several months later, counsel for the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the case entirely. 
In February 2013, the AFLC filed an additional motion, seeking a preliminary injunction, requesting that the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department provide security for them at the upcoming 2013 Arab International Festival, which is scheduled to take place the weekend of June 14-16. The group says that they fear they will be attacked without court ordered protection.
At that time, Muise of the AFLC stated that “an injunction is certainly warranted and needed in this case based on the actions of the Wayne County deputies in 2012, which clearly demonstrate that they are intent on suppressing the Christians’ message by joining the violent Muslim mob rather than fulfilling their duty to protect the Christians’ safety and security in the exercise of their constitutional rights.”
After the hearing, Ayad told The Arab American News that the defendants decided to file a motion to dismiss the case because the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department’s actions during the incident were justified and part of protocol, considering the hazardous situation at hand.
“The plaintiffs’ allegations that they were denied their freedom of speech, religion and equal protection fails. The individuals that acted in this particular case [the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department] acted reasonably in the context of what transpired. They allowed these individuals to exercise their freedom of speech, but as soon as things got out of hand, a decision was made by the office to disperse and tell them that they must leave,” Ayad said.
Ayad also stated that the injunction to require security for the group at the upcoming festival was an unwarrantable request, stating “they are not entitled to security” and that the government and the law does not require private security for any kind of protesters.
In an effort to suppress growing tensions at the festival, which has generated multiple arrests and lawsuits since 2009, the City of Dearborn announced a new location for this year’s event: the gated Ford Woods Park on the corner of Ford Road and Greenfield Road. While details of the three-day festival have yet to be finalized by the City, an admission fee will most likely be required. The AACC is expected to reveal more details on the event in coming weeks.