Thursday, July 29, 2010

David and Nabeel Enter the Dearborn Arab Festival

There are many ways to enter the Dearborn Arab Festival. But this is by far the coolest.

Pay close attention to our comments about freedom of speech and the importance of open dialogue. Quite ironic given what happened less than three hours later.

PART ONE


PART TWO

38 comments:

Christie said...

Rather Ironic Dialog considering what happened next. Thank you for being so clear in your presentations! Praying for you!

Tizita said...

OK, David and Nabeel....
I have to admit, i wasn't really listening to what u guys were saying. Rather, i was keeping an eye on the gang of boys that were following u guys since the beginning.
One of the boys (with the ball) almost looked like he was threatening u guys, by pretending to throw the ball at the camera! towards the beginning of the video.
I just can't believe they were following u guys the entire time, AMAZING!
And at the end the kids that cut in between u two, rather than going around, i believe that was a deliberate act.
O muslims, i love u guys very much and my desire is for all of u to be born again. Like apostle Paul said....Lord send me to hell if it means all of Israel will be saved.

P.S. Insert muslims also w/ Israel for me. I love them both!!!!

Matt Teneight said...

Is that 'Roger Williams' following you in tan? He appears in the first video, where he is seen talking to two police officers,(6:47)who then point to you. After this, he is seen with you throughout the rest of the videos, sometimes on a cell phone. I'm sure you've noticed it already.

Lydia McGrew said...

You guys have quite an interesting group of "shadows" following you through there.

If I may venture...It seems to me that there is a bit of tension between two things David says. On the one hand, David, early on, you say that you want many Muslims to come to the United States in the hopes that they will see and (implicitly) be attracted to good Western values and (presumably) have an opportunity to embrace Christianity as well as such values as the good treatment of women, etc. You expressly distances yourself from those who want there to be fewer Muslims in the United States or who are worried about/oppose Muslim immigration. Yet later, you make the shrewd point that Mohammed preached a tolerant religion only so long as he was not in a position of power and preached the subjugation of the unbelievers when he had gained greater power, and you _expressly_ make a comparison between the "gaining greater power" situation and the reaching of what we might call a critical mass of Muslims in terms of _numbers_ as has happened in Dearborn.

Does it not seem that there is some tension here? What has happened in Dearborn, as you clearly see, is that unrestricted Muslim immigration has resulted in the overwhelming of certain communities with Muslim culture and values to the point where the Western ways are rejected and the police themselves go along with the suppression of Christian dialogue in certain situations, as at the Dearborn festival. This is clearly a result in no small part of the numbers of Muslims concentrated in that area. One can say that _if_ the police stood up for Western values, this would not happen, and that of course is true. But one can also see that the sheer Muslim presence in Dearborn is part of what makes this harder and less likely, as your later comment indicated.

This should perhaps make us rethink a completely open posture towards unrestricted Muslim immigration, any sort of "the more, the merrier" approach. It may be that as the Muslim presence grows more and more in numbers it will become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, actually to do what you hoped we could do as a result of Muslim immigration--namely, present Christianity and good Western values to those Muslims who are here and to protect the vulnerable among them, those who wish to leave Islam, etc.

I hope that these comments will not be offensive. I mean them simply as food for thought.

Matt Teneight said...

Boys trying to get on camera is pretty much a universal thing, Kate.

Chad Groenhout said...

Kate,
I think you have to remember that kids are kids. I don't think they being Muslim (if they were) has anything to do with it. They saw a video camera and started acting like teen aged kids. Pretty sure that would happen in anywhere USA.

David Wood said...

Lydia,

There's definitely a tension between (1) being for unrestricted immigration when Western leaders stand around praising Islam, and (2) acknowledging that increasing Muslim numbers will lead to increasing calls for Sharia.

But I don't support (1). I support Muslim immigration combined with active, direct confrontation of the views of the immigrants and their families. If the views of Muslims are actively confronted, I doubt that Sharia will be an issue in the West.

Lydia McGrew said...

David, I have to say that even if our national leaders weren't so clueless and completely wrong in their comments about Islam, local situations such as that in Dearborn could still easily develop. Why not? People like Mayor O'Reilly and co. are elected by their own constituents--that is, by the people who actually live in their town and are citizens with the right to vote. That's democracy, and as long as we have a democracy, the numbers of people who hold to particular views (say, about freedom of religion) and live in our country, especially those who become citizens and/or are in a position to influence politics, police behavior, etc., will have to matter. In the end, that will (and does) affect who gets elected to positions of national leadership as well.

David Wood said...

Matt and Chad,

That was more than boys trying to get on camera. As we were walking, I could hear them saying, "Hey, they're back," or "Yo, it's Nabeel."

Usually, they weren't walking where you could see them on camera. They were walking along side us and behind our cameraman. They were definitely trying to intimidate us.

Right after the two videos we posted, one of them asked us to leave.

Matt Teneight said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ree said...

Lydia,

You may be right about the result of unrestricted Muslim immigration, but if you are, it's not the fault of the Muslim immigrants, but of the leftist willingness to reinterpret and outright ignore our Constitution in favor of so-called "tolerance" and political correctness.

Right now, David and Nabeel are challenging the authorities to uphold the Constitution and, if they do so, then large-scale Muslim immigration shouldn't be a problem. But if they don't (and there is, by no means, any guarantee that they will), then the US will, indeed, go the way of Europe.

It seems to me that God may be using Muslim immigration as the instrument that will, depending on our response, either strengthen us or break us.

Tom ta tum Tom said...

So, Okay. Lydia has raised the issue of Muslim immigration. We think that because of some 'law', we must allow un-checked Muslim immigration but I contend that no law can enable Muslim immigration to the USA. Why do I say this? Because no Muslim can be loyal to the Constitution of the United States of America - real Muslims are loyal to sharia and to Islam and CANNOT be 'immigrants'. Not even Muslims with all their taqqiya can serve two masters.

There is no such thing as a 'Muslim Immigrant'. There are EX-Muslim Immigrants and there are Muslim Invaders. Until Muslims leave Islam, they're only hostile, Muslim 'Invaders' of the USA when they move in here. They are seditious and treasonous and enemies of both the Body of Christ and of the USA - just as you and I were enemies of Christ Jesus before being crucified with Him.

We as a nation want so much to be merciful to those who seek refuge with us but in fact, it is Mercy that says "NO!" Just as Christ Jesus requires that we repent of Sin in order to be reconciled with our Precious Heavenly Father, so also must Muslims 'turn to a new path' if they truly want to be citizens (immigrants) into this nation. Nothing other than leaving Islam can enable Muslims to immigrate to the USA.

Remember, Islam is not just a 'religion'. Islam allows no separation of Mosque and shariah. The Constitution of these United States REQUIRES the separation of Church and State.

We're doing NO ONE any favors - especially not the Musliims - if we don't confront them - as David has written - about the madness with which they're engaged. Allowing non-repentant Muslims to become 'citizens' of the USA not only facilitates their self-destruction but also facilitates the diminishing of the Body of Christ (and its mission) and the undermining of the Constitution of the USA. Are we to be the 'enablers' of all this heartbreak? Shall we continue in Sin so that Grace will Abound? By no means.

Know this: If the USA falls to Islam the rest of the world doesn't stand a chance. This is a war that we MUST win - and I prefer to win without violence - for the sake of all humanity. It could be a LONG time yet before the return of Christ Jesus. I don't even want to think about a world more completely controlled by Islam for ANY length of time.

EVERY MEANS POSSIBLE - including the threat and reality of deportation - must be used to bring people OUT of Islam (and I prefer bringing them also into the Body of Christ). Just as John the Baptist warned us to "SHOW THE FRUITS OF REPENTANCE", eventually we must DEMAND EVIDENCE at our points of entry that a prospective citizen has RENOUNCED any wretched, filthy ideology - such as Islam - before the oath of citizenship can even be administered. God helping us, we can do no other. We have MUCH work to do.

KAFIR AND PROUD AND LAUGHIN' OUT LOUD! MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED!!

Lydia McGrew said...

But Ree, in a democracy, "the authorities" do not exist in some hermetically sealed room apart from "the immigrants." The immigrants of today are the citizens of tomorrow, and their children born on American soil are citizens immediately. "The authorities" are drawn _from among_ the citizenry and are elected _by_ the citizenry. Moreover, "the authorities" have to deal with even non-citizens who are living here, and the larger and more unassimilable those groups are, the harder it becomes for even willing authorities to enforce the laws of the land against determined resistance.

There are all sorts of issues here. "America" isn't an abstract, Platonic entity with a character that lives on, untouchable and unchangeable, separate from the people who actually live here. The people who live here make up and constitute the character of America as it is, in practice, at any given moment. This is especially true of citizens and is also, to a lesser extent, true of non-citizens, and it is all the more urgently relevant when we are talking about large groups with a strong cultural character of their own and an iron determination to change American culture, values, and law.

Radical Moderate said...

What is this? Something is missing in these two video's. David, Nabeel, where are the white robes with the pointy hats? I don't see any bull horns. Where is the "Fiery Cross"? I don't see any signs that say "You should be called MORONS not MUSLIMS.

Absent is the hate speech, the yelling and screaming where is it?

Muslims before you suggest a colonoscopy for anyone, get one yourself

JesusTheOnlyWay said...

Nabeel and David, I greatly appreciate your detailed explaination of why you both felt it was so important to return to Dearborn. Nabeel I can understand especially why you feel so strongly in your heart to do this with your background as well. I believe you were not going there looking for trouble, you expected trouble but that doesn't mean you were trying to cause trouble. God bless you all and I pray that God will be glorified in the outcome of this situation.

Ree said...

America isn't a Platonic ideal, but its governmental system is rooted in an ideal that, in certain ways, reflects the character of the triune God. You're right that this will no longer be so if the citizenry reject this form of government, but the "progressives" on the left are the ones who have already rejected it and are naively making it a welcoming and attractive place for immigrants who also reject that ideal, even if on different grounds. But if those who believe in the founders' vision prevail, then "good" Muslims (those who are truly faithful to Islam) could not. Ultimately, the only hope for our country is if God chooses to bless us, and I think that will be dependent on His people returning to faithfulness to Him. I don't believe that trying to keep out certain people will do it.

GreekAsianPanda said...

"If you don't want us to do something, don't threaten us, because then we're gonna have to do it."

Ha ha. That's my favourite quote today.

jem said...

Hello, I continue to follow your saga (David & Nabeel. I as much as I try to give you guys the benefit of the doubt...... every time you post new videos.... I'm more convinced.... you guys were there to provoke.....My proof:

1) You (David and Nabeel)are talking loud enough where people can hear you...stirring up emotions
2) Your making insensitive accusations about Muslims, the city of Dearborn, and Sheria Law in the US.......
3) There was a group (mostly youth) already following you.....listening to your (D & N) comments......meaning they recognized you guys from last year.... and from the looks of it weren't to happy to see you again..
4) "We are here to see if this year is any better"........give me a break........

Come with me to Central/South America....come with me to Africa...or to any part of US...and let's witness to people for the sake of salvation and not egos or anything else..."The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

I stand by the Dearborn PD...rules are meant to be followed and not broken.......

Almighthy G-D knows what is in each one of our hearts and I'm commenting not to stir up emotions nor to cause tension.....

If this is the outcome, then please forgive me......


Best regards,


jem

David Wood said...

Jem,

Which Bible translation do you use? Surely it can't be any Bible I've ever read. If you think that speaking in a public area where someone might (gasp!) hear us is somehow un-Christian, you certainly must be shocked and appalled when you read about Jesus and the Apostles doing the same thing (over, and over, and over again). So would you say that Jesus and the Apostles were "looking for trouble"? And would you condemn them?

Tom ta tum Tom said...

@jem,

May The Living God in Christ rebuke you for lying and slithering. LOL!

The war to defend the Body of Christ (and her mission) and to defend the future of humanity is right here and right now. Islam must be and WILL be confronted and turned away - starting in Dearborn, MI.

Please, report to us from Saudi Arabia or Pakistan or even from Jordan or Lebanon about your witness for Christ Jesus. Let us hear from your mission to Brazil or to Columbia or even to Argentina. PLEASE let us hear from you when you're actually doing something on behalf of the cause of Christ Jesus because I suspect that you are nothing other than a filthy, mindless worshiper of the enemy. You don't love Muslims and you have no spine. If you ever knew Jesus Christ, you have forgotten your first Love.

KAFIR AND PROUD AND LAUGHIN' OUT LOUD! MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED!!

Christie said...

Jem,

Perhaps you have not ever recorded anything outside..you have to talk loud if you want to be heard above the background noise. Also it is apparent that no "rules" have been broken.

I would also recommend reading the book of Acts, Paul does not speak softly and avoid the issue just because the gospel is unpopular in a area. There are people to be reached in Dearborn as well as s. America, and other parts of the USA, and different approaches must be used when dealing with different people groups. Or--do you recommend that David and Nabeel shake the dust from their feet and thus allow the Muslim and unbelievers in Dearborn to perish for all eternity. Finally, If David and Nabeel stir up a hornets nest there in Dearborn we ought to all be thankful that they did so and the attack on our freedoms can be nipped in the bud.

If you are standing with the Dearborn police, then the people you are standing with are removing first amendment freedoms for American citizens based on the whims of a few. I recommend you take care because those you stand with can easily turn on you if it suits them.

Radical Moderate said...

Jem said...

"Come with me to Central/South America....come with me to Africa...or to any part of US..."

Dearborn MI, is not in Cental/South America, it isnt in Africa either, and by any part of the US do you mean any part of the US accept Dearborn MI?

Jem said...
I stand by the Dearborn PD...rules are meant to be followed and not broken.......

Jem what rules did David and Nabeel not follow, please tell us what rules did they break?

You stand by the Dearborn PD? So you stand by those that would deny US citizens there civil rights, amoung those being Freedom of Speach, Freedom of Relegion, the Right to Assemble Peacfully. The right to be secure in their persons and papers.

You do understand that Nabeel, David and crew where targeted. From the moment they walked into the festival area they were going to jail. You do understand that there was no way out for them accept in steel bracelets.

And what where they arrested for. We have heard excerpts from the police report. Maybe David can scan the whole thing in and post it. But tell us what were they donig that was against the law in the UNTIED STATESS OF AMERICA?

Oh I know Nabeel was waving around a Falafal with out a licence, with the intent to eat said Falafal. Maybe he was concealing a weapon in that Falafal, and it had to be eatin by the Dearborn PD to ensure public saftey.

I can see it now, Christian Falafal Bomber foiled at Muslim Love Fest.

Lets not forget Nageen. What was she doing? What criminal complaint was against her?

You also stand by the Dearborn PD for putting their hands on a Christian sister, making her take her long sleeve shirt off, exposing her in a tank top, to male police officers why they cat called to her.

The truth is that the Mayor, and the Police Chief had it in for David and crew. This was retaliation for last years video demonstrating Muslim security guards acting badly.

So do you support political arrests for retaliation?

Radical Moderate said...

Jem,

Where David, Nabeel, Nageen, and Paul doing any of the things at Dearborn that these people where doing out side of a Mormon Temple.

Street Abuse

Where they caring huge signs that read "Turn to Jesus or Burn in Hell"

Did they have a bull horn shouting insults?

Where they waving around a hijab or burka making denegrating remarks.

Tells us where they doing any think like what is done to Mormons?

Oh where any of these street abusers arrested for doing the things they do?

hugh watt said...

jem said:

1) You (David and Nabeel)are talking loud enough where people can hear you...stirring up emotions

Would the same apply to Muslims who do likewise? Didn't seem as though D&N were raising their voices! What exactly did they say that would've stirred up those emotions?

2) Your making insensitive accusations about Muslims, the city of Dearborn, and Sheria Law in the US.."

Be specific.

3) There was a group (mostly youth) already following you....listening to your (D & N) comments......meaning they recognized you guys from last year.... and from the looks of it weren't to happy to see you again..

How's this provocative?

4) "We are here to see if this year is any better"....give me a break..."

So, you're calling them liars?

Hiwot said...

Jem,

You invited others - “Come with me to Central/South America....come with me to Africa...or to any part of US...and let's witness to people for the sake of salvation and not egos or anything else..."The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…”

Why not to Dearborn? The harvest is plentiful - there are more than 30K muslims in the city. You don’t think they need to come to Christ?

Anonymous said...

a small joke:

DEARBORN MOST WANTED!!!

DAVID AND NABEEL...
two friends and brothers in Christ reaching the youth of Dearborn...

great movie title and intro :D

With Love of Jesus Christ,
Paul.

Christian said...

David:

Do you have any information on your video and audio gear that you use? I'd like to try to upgrade my own stuff for when I go out into public forums.

--
Christian

Tom ta tum Tom said...

@ Paul Guralivu,

Sir, Maybe you were teasing but you call to mind an idea that I hope David and Nabeel have already considered: a full-scale documentary expose' of this incident, produced by the wonderful folks over at ABNSat and starring our heroes: David, Nabeel, Negeen and Paul... yes, I would DEFINITELY contribute money toward such a project.... let's consider it in MUCH prayer...

Matt Teneight said...

Kudos to whoever was filming. That seemed like a difficult job.

David Wood said...

Fat Man said: "I can see it now, Christian Falafal Bomber foiled at Muslim Love Fest."

You're right, Fat Man. I do need to let you write my jokes.

David Wood said...

Lydia said: "David, I have to say that even if our national leaders weren't so clueless and completely wrong in their comments about Islam, local situations such as that in Dearborn could still easily develop."

I don't think so. If the public (including the Muslim public) were educated about Islam, and the facts about Muhammad were common knowledge, I don't think there would be enough devout Muslims in the West to influence politicians. Many Westernized Muslims would abandon Islam, and many of those who remain Muslim would be quite nominal in their faith.

David Wood said...

Christian said: "Do you have any information on your video and audio gear that you use?"

We use a Canon HG10, HG20, and HG21, though I have to confess that I prefer the HG10, with a shotgun mic when filming in action sequences. The HG10 is no longer made, but you can get used or refurbished ones on ebay or Amazon.

NOTE: Don't get the Canon HG series unless you have a Mac with iMovie. It's a nightmare with PC.

David Wood said...

Matt said: "Kudos to whoever was filming. That seemed like a difficult job."

That was our very own Paul Rezkalla! For the twelve minutes or so he was walking backwards, he was being guided through the crowd by none other than Sam "Shazam!" Shamoun.

David Wood said...

Tom said: "Maybe you were teasing but you call to mind an idea that I hope David and Nabeel have already considered: a full-scale documentary expose' of this incident, produced by the wonderful folks over at ABNSat and starring our heroes: David, Nabeel, Negeen and Paul... yes, I would DEFINITELY contribute money toward such a project.... let's consider it in MUCH prayer..."

We've actually thought about this, but haven't done much with the idea. We could have footage from the festival, mixed with interviews, commentary on Sharia from Sam Shamoun, etc. Since I work at ABN, the expenses of a project like this would be reduced. The main difficulty would be that many of the people who need to be interviewed (e.g. Christians who were harassed this year and last year) come from around the country. So we'd either need to fly a cameraman around the country to conduct interviews, or pay to have people come to ABN. Either way, it seems beyond our resources at the moment.

Zack_Tiang said...

Such a documentary will definitely be viewed by millions... everyone loves a good controversial topic to chew on.. haha.

And welcome back, Jem. I see you haven't repented of your silly accusations.
Sad sad sad...

Now you're refusing David and Nabeel's right to free speech, and accusing them of deliberately provoking people by talking loudly their disagreement?

Man, I wonder how do you handle constructive criticism.. let alone any opposition to your views... Oh wait... you just ignore them completely and brush them aside. I forgot... You were away (silent) for a long while.

Jem, allow me to 'teach' you some scripture.
Maybe you are aware of Jesus commanding His disciples to be 'Salt and Light' of the world?

Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Let's see...
Salt can be used to preserve food... and even used to tend to a person's wound, by absorbing water and preventing bacteria from infesting and multiplying...
But when you put salt on a wound... it'll sting like mad!

And now, how about light?
Light is obviously very useful and I'm sure, since you're commenting on this blog, you're using a computer of sorts.. So I'm gonna assume you have perfectly functioning eyes, hence you know full well how useful light is.
But what if you're someone who has been in the dark for a very long time...
If a light was to appear, what would happen?
Your eyes are gonna get irritated at first... and if you've been so used to the darkness, you won't be able to stand the light for a long while too...

So... David and Nabeel are being the salt and light of the world, as commanded by Jesus.
Are you telling them to lose their saltiness, and thus allow themselves to be trampled by men?
Are you telling them to light their lamps and then hide it under a bowl?

Repent and return to your first love, jem! Repent or begone!



(Just teasing with that last bit.. =P )

Verumi said...

A very fitting quote for the Acts 17 saga, I think:

I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell.
~ Harry S. Truman

:D

Letitia (The Damsel) said...

Jem said:
You (David and Nabeel)are talking loud enough where people can hear you...stirring up emotions


Someone correct me if I'm wrong - doesn't this attitude smack of obedience to Sharia, wherein Christians in Sharia-controlled countries can't ring their church bells or sing to God loud enough for any Muslim to hear?

"Loud enough for people to hear you" - I suddenly feel like apologizing to David and Nabeel for how ridiculous some so-called Christians have gotten in their insults-to-injury.

Tom ta tum Tom said...

@ Letitia,

Perhaps you are referencing the "Pact of Umar"? Maybe dhimmified jem has already internalized some of Umar and possibly jem needs a dose of the "Holy Ghost" to help counter that spirit of fear