Yet Another Policeman Weighs In

As once a Police Lieutenant in charge of an Investigative Unit, I am outraged at the conduct the Dearborn Police Department displayed when arresting four Christians when they were exercising their first amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom religion at the Arab Festival in Dearborn. The Governor of Michigan should call for the Mayor and the police chief to step down from their positions because of their poor judgment, lack of leadership and knowledge of the Constitution.

The Church members in Dearborn should demand a full investigation into the violations of each of the Four Christians civil rights. Today, it is they who were arrested, tomorrow it may be you. I thought I would never see the day when the injustice and persecution of Christians while witnessing within their Constitutional rights would be violated by the very ones who are supposed to protect us and serve us. But here we are. May now justice be served in our court system in Dearborn, Michigan. If not, in the US Supreme court.

Ken Lewis

Will the Senseless Harassment of Muslims Never End?

More Islamophobia. Watch this video, as police officers and returning British soldiers mercilessly harass innocent Muslims. One thing is clear: Anyone who tries to hand these Muslims a copy of the Gospel of John must be stopped at all costs. As Westerners, we must never let anything stand in the way of Sharia.

Good Shot from the Arab Festival

Brother Ed Overton sent me this picture. You can see Nabeel's "Jesus Always Loves You" shirt (a strange message for someone who, according to Muslims, was spreading racism and intolerance while mercilessly harassing Muslim children). Nabeel is standing with Pastor George Saieg, who is still involved in a civil case against Dearborn for denying his Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and free expression of religion. Then there's me in the background, somehow brutally harassing Muslims by filming Nabeel. If the Dearborn Police Department ever returns our illegally seized video cameras (it's been twelve days and counting), I'll be able to post video of whatever Nabeel was saying here (surely something racist and Islamophobic, if Muslim comments and videos are accurate). BTW, several Muslims at the festival were taking pictures of us and recording us. I'm waiting for all the footage of us supposedly harassing people!

Coptic Girl Escapes Abduction and Forced Conversion

In Pakistan and Egypt, Christian girls are routinely kidnapped, raped, and forced to convert to Islam. Police officers typically either side with the Muslims (because they are Muslims) or are afraid to side with the Christians, for fear of Muslim reprisals. Occasionally, however, a Christian girl manages to escape. (Pay careful attention to what certain Muslims will do when they learn that the police are on their side. This has implications for the future of Dearborn, Michigan, where police have already submitted to Islam.)

A Middle Eastern journalist has revealed that “one of the most explosive issues in the relations between Christians and Muslims of Egypt is the abduction of Christian Coptic minor girls, to force them to embrace Islam, after humiliating and demeaning them psychologically and morally.”

Mary Abdelmassih, in a story for the Assyrian International News Agency (www.aina.org) said, “This dangerous phenomenon which appeared in the 1970s and which has become a lucrative business for all Muslim participants including the Egyptian State Security has been steadily on the rise, with reports surfacing weekly of several disappearances without trace of Coptic girls.”

She said that those fortunate enough to return home have talked of their ordeal. (See: www.aina.org/news/20091223164421.htm )

Abdelmassih went on to say that Zeenahom (Suzan) Nady Adly, 19-years old, “is one of the fortunate girls who was able to return home, after being drugged and abducted by Muslims to force her conversion to Islam.

“She comes from Ezbet Fanous, a small hamlet, near the town of Samalut (150 miles from Cairo), inhabited by a Coptic majority of twenty families to six Muslim ones and a Muslim mayor.”

The journalist said that according to the girl’s story, as she went out at night on Saturday, June 12, 2010, to buy soft drinks for some visitors at home, she was stopped by two Muslim men, who sprayed a substance in her face, making her lose consciousness.

“When I regained consciousness nearly two hours later, I found myself in the building of the Islamic Sharia Association in Minia, facing a shaikh [Islamic scholar] who tried to intimidate and force me to convert to Islam,” reported Freecopts advocacy in a taped interview with Zeenahom. “He tried to convince me that I would be safer marrying a Muslim, and leaving the area.”

However, the shaikh contacted State Security to tell them that he wanted her to convert, but he was told to let her go as her family was not keeping quiet.

Meanwhile, said Abdelmassih, her father, Nady Adly, had sent telegrams to all authorities and her family demonstrated in front of Samalut police headquarters asking for her return, which forced the security authorities to intervene.

“However, her ordeal continued at the police station where she was taken the next day. Zeenahom accused the village mayor Khalaf Ebdelmageed of masterminding her abduction at the hands of Muslim Sayed Khalaf and another named Taha El-Hinnawi, in exchange for money,” said the story.

Zeenahom was reported as saying, “While I was at the police station, the village mayor told me that I was too good to be a Christian. He asked me to say in the police report that I will convert to Islam, but I refused.”

The girl said that she refused to tell the police the names of her abductors, especially Sayed Khalaf, for fear of retribution. She is staying presently with her aunt.

Magdy Attia, one of the Coptic witnesses who demonstrated in front of the police station until Zeenahom was handed over to her father said that nearly two hundred Muslims, together with Sayed Khalaf’s family were there with weapons intimidating them.

“We were told that they will take Zeenahom by force to convert and marry her main abductor Sayed Khalaf, a driver by occupation, who has divorced his Muslim wife recently,” he said. “We were told Zeenahom will be Sayed’s second wife.” Read more.

Take note of the pattern when Muslim attempts to violate the rights of Christians fail. (1) Muslims attempt to oppress Christians. (2) Christians stand their ground and prevail. (3) Muslims want vengeance. The Muslim message is: "Yes, we're violating your rights, and you'd better accept it, or we'll do something worse."

Support Acts 17 Trip to ISNA!

Nabeel and I just decided to take a trip to ISNA's (the Islamic Society of North America's) national convention in Chicago this weekend. We went last year, and attended many sessions. Though the Muslims who attend ISNA seem to be far more peaceful than some of the Muslims in Dearborn, we don't expect we'll be welcome inside this time. (After all, we were arrested for having a peaceful discussion in Dearborn, which must mean that we're bad.) However, since we had several good discussions last year, we're going to try to meet with some of the Muslims there. If any Muslims are interested in having some street debates or dialogues, we'll be happy to oblige. Sam Shamoun and Antonio will be going with us. The overall plan would be something like this:

DAY 1: Distribute literature on our best arguments against Islam. Invite Muslims to examine our claims and get back to us the following day.
DAY 2: Discuss any objections to our materials. Invite Muslims to challenge their scholars to come out and refute our arguments.
DAY 3: Street debates and dialogues.
DAY 4: Street debates and dialogues.

Fortunately, the Chicago Police respect the Constitution (unlike Dearborn Police), so we look forward to a peaceful exchange. Tickets from New York and Virginia to Chicago are expensive since the conference is this weekend. We'll also need to do a lot of printing at Kinkos this week. Please support our trip via PayPal. We'll be sure to get plenty of video footage (yes, I actually had to spend $500 to purchase a new camera, since the Dearborn Police Department refuses to give our cameras back).

Indonesian Muslims Preparing for War against "Christianization"

Hmmm. Muslims engaging in thug tactics in order to counteract Christian missionary work. Now why does this seem familiar?

In a move that could add to already simmering religious tensions in Bekasi, a new group calling itself the Bekasi Islamic Presidium is planning a roadshow aimed at persuading every mosque in the city to prepare for the possibility of "war" against "Christianization."

The group, consisting of nine members representing different Islamic organizations in the city, was formed on Sunday, the last day of the Bekasi Islamic Congress at Al Azhar Mosque that was convened to address the so-called Christianization problem.

Among its recommendations is the formation of Islamic militant groups, or laskar, within each mosque and the drafting of Shariah-based policies by the Bekasi administration.

"All Muslims should unite and be on guard because ... the Christians are up to something," Mur hali Barda, head of the Bekasi chapter of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), told the Jakarta Globe.

"Apparently they want to test our patience. We are planning to invite them for a dialogue to determine what they really want. If talks fail, this might mean war," he warned.

Murhali claimed that a certain Christian foundation had been relentlessly baptizing groups of people in the city, which has seen a number of religious conflicts in recent months. Read More.

How Many Ways Can a Single Police Department Violate Our First Amendment Rights?

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In Dearborn, they are giving one religion special status (establishment of religion), prohibiting the free exercise of our religion, preventing our freedom of speech, and denying our right to assemble peaceably. (And we haven't even gotten to other rights that were violated, such as having our cameras illegally seized, having a police department illegally retain information that exonerates us, having us wrongly charged and imprisoned, etc.) At least we still have the right to expose injustice through the press, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. We'll see what happens.

***UPDATE*** After reviewing the First Amendment, I see that they also violated our freedom of the press. Our video footage was to be used for a journalistic purpose. And since the Dearborn Police Department illegally seized our cameras, and has refused to return them, we have been denied our right to expose the corruption and routine civil rights violations of the department. It appears that the Constitution means absolutely nothing in Dearborn.

Anjem Choudary on Violence in Islam

If Choudary's group fails in the U.K., they can always seek a career in law enforcement. I suspect Choudary would be a perfect match for the Dearborn Police Department, which is already actively enforcing certain elements of Sharia. Since the current Chief of Police (Ronald Haddad) is now advising Homeland Security, he may need someone else to step in for him and continue his campaign of harassment and oppression of Christians.

Another Comment by a Police Officer

We've already noted a comment by a retired police officer named Joe here. Another police officer has weighed in on our arrest:

You fellows have handled this situation honorably. This was clearly a false arrest as well as an illegal siezure of your property. I am praying this turns out well for all of you in court and the following civil action.

I am a police officer and I always try to give the benefit of the doubt to officers, but in this case they had absolutely no right to seize your cameras. Law enforcement cannot confiscate cameras or make you turn them off because it may contain detrimental testimony about them. I am very interested in seeing how this rules in court.

With so many officers approaching you at once when you were standing outside the festival, it appears that they were on the lookout to deal with you on sight. It also makes me suspicious with the number of officers that approached your group that these officers were following orders from higher up.

I know in most states (certainly the one in which I work) misdemeanors have to take place in view of the arresting officer. An arrest cannot be made for someone just saying that your group was being belligerent. The officer has to physically see it and be able to testify to it in court as an eyewitness.

I as a Christian will never arrest anyone for the free peaceful expression of ideas. Officers as well as anyone else are protected by this under title VII (so they could have refused to arrest you if any claimed to be Christian). Keep preaching the Gospel. I for one have been thoroughly educated from your debates. Christ be with all of you in this ordeal.

***UPDATE*** Another police officer has sent us a comment, this time on our YouTube page. Gaston said:

It appears that the Dearborn police violated the 1st and 4th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They also may have failed to enforce the Michigan law if they did not arrest the security guards that assaulted you.

Just my observations....25 years as a cop.

David Wood and Robert Muise on Fox News

This is a short clip. They were off on one of the details. Distributing the Gospel of John outside the festival had nothing to do with our arrest. We were arrested while having a peaceful dialogue with a group of Muslims. I'd love to clarify this detail by posting the actual footage of our arrest, but the Dearborn Police refuse to give back our cameras (despite the fact that they were illegally seized and that we have a Constitutional right to information that exonerates us).



Free Speech or Breach of Peace?

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad Appointed to Homeland Security Advisory Council

*****Click here for a complete summary of our experience in Dearborn.*****

In Dearborn, we were arrested for having a peaceful dialogue with Muslims. The police claimed we were being disruptive. We invited them to view the video footage, which would prove our innocence. They refused, preferring to take us to jail when we had indisputable proof against the false charges. Police seized our cameras illegally, and have to this day refused to share the footage with us, footage that will completely exonerate us. Police Chief Ronald Haddad refuses to return our cameras, despite the fact that he knows we are innocent. He is responsible for the persecution and oppression of Christians in Dearborn.

So guess who should be appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council? You guessed it: Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad.

DEARBORN -- Police Chief Ronald Haddad was recently appointed to serve on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which provides advice and recommendations to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on matters related to homeland security.

The council is comprised of leaders from state and local government, first responder communities, the private sector, and academia.

“It’s an honor, a privilege and a tremendous responsibility,” said Haddad, who traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this month to meet with his fellow council members.

The group’s efforts, Haddad said, will be focused on sharing information and improving communication on the national stage.

In addition to Haddad, the group currently has more than two-dozen individuals listed on its membership roster, including Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, Community Engagement Officer Omar Alomari with Ohio Homeland Security, Acting Professor of Law Asli Bali of the UCLA School of Law, President and CEO Richard Cohen of Southern Poverty Law Center, Sheriff Doug Gillespie of the Las Vegas Police Department, Senior Analyst and Executive Director Dalia Mogahed of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, Executive Director Dan Rosenblatt of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Director Nadia Roumani of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute.

“Our job is to identify what type of training would suit front line law enforcement, officers, and to improve their ability to work more effectively with community members to mitigate threats or actual crime,” Haddad said.

The council, he said, was formed in the wake of a growing number of attacks on American soil, including the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day in 2009 and the arrest of the Hutaree militia group charged with plotting to levy war against the U.S.

“When you look at those things, it’s clear that we can ill afford to work in a vacuum,” Haddad said. “We need to reach out to members of the community and open up the lines of communication.”

The city of Dearborn and its police department has already established several similar advisory committees to facilitate communication between different cultural and religious groups, as well as various groups and organizations throughout the city.

“We’re engaging the community in a way that’s never been done before,” Haddad said. Read more.

Well, Christians have been persecuted by Muslims for centuries, so Haddad's not actually engaging the community in a new way. Perhaps he means that he's engaging the American community in a new way, e.g. by taking away the Constitutional rights of Christians. But he needs to be clear about that. People might get the idea that he believes in American values.

If anyone would like to contact the Homeland Security Advisory Council, you can reach them here.

Comment from a Retired Police Officer

After our arrest, my friend Paul (one of the Freedom Four, arrested for being Christian) said to me: "After meeting the Dearborn Police, I've never had so much respect for New York Police!"

Amen to that. I live in the Bronx. Paul lives in Brooklyn. We take police officers for granted around here. But witnessing firsthand the corruption, deception, and rights violations of the Dearborn Police (especially the Chief of Police), we couldn't be more thankful that New York's finest are much better people.

I received a message on my phone from a police officer in New York. He said that he and some of his fellow officers had watched the videos, and that they are outraged. I'm going to see if I can get an interview with them.

In the meantime, a retired police officer named Joe left this comment to a recent post:

I am a retired police officer who served in the ranks of mid management for 29 years in the various divisions of a US metropolitan police department and mostly in the uniformed services division. I must admit that after a careful examination of all the various written reports and videos, (assuming that all are accurate), I must truthfully say, and I am ashamed to admit that the actions taken by the Dearborn PD is unlawful, disturbing and shocking.

Was there a conflict of interest if the officers were hired to perform private duty for the festival? Were the officers more concerned about enforcing festival rules than State and Local laws? Dirty cops are a tremendous liability for small and large municipalities and are a huge burden on taxpayers when litigations become very costly. (again assuming that the information that I have gathered is correct), the officers conduct would constitute police civil rights violations depriving the citizens of their constitutional right to free speech, freedom of movement, unlawful search and seizure of their person and property (cameras), and false imprisonment. Just to name a few.

It would have been more appropriate for the police officers, under the circumstances to protect those that are out to spread the gospel of love and peace, and rightfully arrest the hate filled individuals in the crowd with their insults and fighting words towards the missionaries.

Dereliction of duty to protect the missionaries constitutional rights in 2009 and 2010? Folks! this is serious business.

I strongly recommend that the City of Dearborn, its mayor or city council, must request a team of federal agents from the Department of Justice to conduct an independent criminal investigation regarding police corruption and misconduct. If there is probable cause to believe that the chief and his few bad apples are guilty of corruption, misconduct, and dereliction of duty, they must be prosecuted and must face severe criminal and civil penalties. God bless and save America.

Addendum from Nabeel: I want to comment and say some of the police officers were very kind to us and are good men. This post, as far as I believe David intends it, is in no way a criticism of all the individual people working in the Dearborn police department, just the Dearborn police as a system. My personal judgment of the Chief of Police is somewhat more reserved than David's, but I concur that he has been misleading in his statements to the media concerning us, as well as misleading in his statements to me personally.

Addendum from David: Some of the police officers were indeed kind (while they were putting us in jail on false charges). As far as I'm concerned, however, the moment they put their hands on my little Christian sister when she was doing absolutely nothing wrong, they crossed a line that should never be crossed. They violated our rights. Being nice is no defense.

Responses to Common Questions

I haven’t really been following the comments, since I’m waiting for police to return our illegally seized video cameras, which will show that Nabeel was peacefully sharing his views with Muslims who were insulting and threatening him. It is obvious to everyone that Chief Haddad has not given us the footage because it is extremely embarrassing for his department, and because the footage proves that our rights were repeatedly violated.

However, my wife went through some of the comments and came up with a list of some of the most common objections to what happened. I typed in some brief responses. I’ll probably add to the list as more comments come in.

How can you say that you were harassed and persecuted when other Christian groups, such as Josh McDowell’s, were not harassed and persecuted?

There are three general reactions to the rights violations at the Arab Festival. First, some accept the oppression, praise the Muslims at the festival, praise the mayor, and praise the police department, regardless of how Christians are being harassed. The goal is to get into position to distribute something to the Muslims despite the obstacles. This was the approach of certain ministries. Second, some seek to expose the oppression, while still following the rules. The goal is to draw attention to injustice, so that Dearborn will eventually have to correct the injustice. This was the approach of Nabeel, Paul, Negeen, and me. Third, some disobey the festival rules. This was the approach of a few Christians who handed out materials despite the unconstitutional rule against it.

It shouldn’t be difficult to understand why police and security would harass people who follow the second approach, while ignoring people who follow the first approach. The goal of Chief Haddad and the Dearborn Police Department is to reduce Christians to dhimmitude. Christians who accept that they are second-class citizens are welcome. Christians who insist that they have Constitutional rights are harassed, and even arrested.

Why did you bring video cameras, knowing that this would upset people?

We learned last year that Muslims won’t hesitate to lie about us in an effort to get rid of us. Our cameras vindicated us last year and proved that security was persecuting Christians. Security had been harassing Christians all weekend. The only difference was that we got the abuse on tape. Hence, we were careful to record everything this year, because we knew that someone would probably pull the same dishonest stunt. And we were right. A volunteer lied about us and said that we surrounded him and harassed him. We can only prove that this is a lie because we have the supposed incident on tape. If we didn’t have cameras, the charges would stand.

I would just like to add that it’s a sad state of affairs when a Christian can’t walk among Muslims without a camera because so many Muslims are willing to lie about Christians. I would be horrified if Christians were so renowned for dishonesty that people were scared to walk among us without getting video footage. Can anyone seriously object to the cameras, given the fact that people have tried to get us into trouble through deception two years running?

Why did you go to the festival even after you had been threatened, knowing that there could be problems?

We don’t believe in backing down from Muslim threats and intimidation, as this only encourages Muslims to engage in further threats and intimidation. Hence, if we’re told, “Stay off of this public street or else,” we’re probably not going to stay away.

Why would you preach Christianity at an Islamic festival? Wouldn’t you get upset if Muslims stormed your church?

This wasn’t a Muslim festival, so the church comparison just doesn’t work. This was an Arab festival—i.e. a cultural event—and people of all faiths were invited. For a more accurate parallel, let’s suppose that New York City decides to host a German festival, and that everyone is welcome. Let’s say that two Muslims show up to the German festival, and are approached by a mob of Christians, who curse at the Muslims, harass them, insult them, and threaten them, while the Muslims respond peacefully. Would it be acceptable to arrest the Muslims? Of course not. So why do so many Muslims find it acceptable to treat two Christians this way? Perhaps it’s because the Qur’an describes us as the “worst of creatures” (Qur’an 98:6).

Why would you hand out materials, knowing that this was against the rules?

This is a Muslim misrepresentation. We weren’t handing out anything either in 2009 or when we were arrested in 2010. A group of us tried to distribute materials two days later (Sunday) outside the festival, and we were stopped. But at no point did we ever attempt to distribute anything inside the festival.

Why did you create a disruption at a private event?

This was a public event on a public street, and we didn’t create a disruption. Muslims created a disruption, and police arrested us for having a peaceful discussion.

What would Jesus do? Would he behave like paparazzi?

Jesus would preach to the crowds, just as Peter, Paul, and the rest of the Apostles would. And if they were to preach in Dearborn, they would be harassed and threatened, just before being arrested by police officers more concerned with pleasing Muslims than with protecting rights and defending the Constitution.

Isn’t your arrest proof that you were doing something wrong since other Christians were not arrested or harassed?

Our arrest, taken by itself without any examination of evidence, is neither proof of our innocence nor proof of our guilt. Our camera footage is what proves our innocence. It is therefore no surprise that police confiscated our cameras and that they refuse to return our footage. They know that the footage will be an embarrassment for the department and proof of Chief Haddad’s anti-Christian, pro-Sharia agenda.

Why are you destroying the ministries of other churches in Dearborn?

I’m not sure how getting arrested due to false accusations would destroy the ministries of other churches. Perhaps some Christians believe that we shouldn’t defend our rights as Christians, but I think their view is extremely shortsighted. If Chief Haddad’s campaign against Christians continues, there eventually won’t be any Christian ministries in Dearborn.

Why didn’t you press charges after the assault by security at the Dearborn Arabfest in 2009? Since you didn’t press charges, doesn’t this show that your video “Sharia in the US” misrepresented the situation?

We were told by a detective in the Dearborn Police Department that he could move forward with the assaults by three of the security guards. We chose not to press charges on the condition that the security guards would not be present at the following year’s festival, and the Dearborn Police Department agreed. Imagine our surprise when one of the guards returned to harass Christians again at this year’s festival.

Why should Christians be concerned about freedom of speech since it isn’t in the Bible and is more of a secular, Enlightenment virtue?

This is absolute nonsense. Jesus said that we are to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s (Matthew 22:21). Thus, we owe a debt to both human governments and to our divine Creator. We owe a debt to our governments because they provide protection, defend our rights, etc. Paul was only able to freely preach the Gospel for so many years because there was peace within the Roman Empire. This changed later, when persecution broke out against Christians. Am I to understand that certain Christians here do not care whether we’re free to preach the Gospel? People died so that we would be able to freely preach the Gospel. I would dishonor their sacrifice if I did not preserve their legacy.

How can you say that police are implementing Sharia law when most of them are not Muslims?

If they’re taking away the rights of Christians in order to satisfy Muslims, then they’re implementing Sharia law, according to which Christians are not free to preach to Muslims. True, many of the officers are simply following orders, but they’re following the orders of a chief who demands that Christians be harassed, persecuted, and bullied.

Weren’t you just there to create a show?

We were there for a number of reasons (sharing the Gospel, exposing injustice, defending freedom, etc.), but we weren’t there to create a show. Of course, we understood from the beginning that there was a good chance that Muslims would attack us (given the threats we received), but this has nothing to do with us putting on a show. This would be the fault of Muslims.

Since even some of your fellow Christians have publicly denounced your behavior as disruptive and troublesome, doesn’t that prove that you were?

I would love to have some of these Christians point to something specific. Did we insult anyone? No. Did we threaten anyone? No. Did we harass anyone? No. Nabeel peacefully shared his beliefs with Muslims who approached him. If this is too much for local Christians, it seems that Dearborn is in worse shape than we imagined. I suspect that if Jesus, or Paul, or Peter were to preach in Dearborn today, they would be utterly condemned by some of the churches in Dearborn.

Thomas More Law Center Represents Four Christian Missionaries Arrested at Arab Festival in Dearborn

ANN ARBOR, MI – In what some have described as police enforcement of Sharia law at the annual Dearborn Arab International Festival, last Friday night Dearborn Police Officers arrested four Christian missionaries and illegally confiscated their video cameras which were recording the events surrounding their arrests. The Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, today announced it is representing all of the Christian missionaries.

Arrested on charges of Breach of the Peace are: Negeen Mayel, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, and David Wood. Mayel, an eighteen year old female, whose parents emigrated from Afghanistan and a recent convert from Islam to Christianity, was also charged with failure to obey a police officer’s orders. She was approximately 100 feet away and videotaping a discussion with some Muslims when her camera was seized.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “These Christian missionaries were exercising their Constitutional rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion, but apparently the Constitution carries little weight in Dearborn, where the Muslim population seems to dominate the political apparatus. It’s apparent that these arrests were a retaliatory action over the embarrassing video of the strong arm tactics used last year by Festival Security Guards. This time, the first thing police officers did before making the arrests was to confiscate the video cameras in order to prevent a recording of what was actually happening.”

Thompson continued, “Contrary to the comments made by Police Chief Ron Haddad, our Constitution does not allow police to ban the right of free speech just because there are some hecklers. Not all police officers approve of the way their department treated these Christians.”

Robert Muise, Senior Trial Counsel with the Law Center in charge of the case, yesterday faxed a letter to Chief Haddad demanding that the three video cameras and tapes illegally seized from the missionaries be immediately returned.

The Law Center is also representing Pastor George Saeig who was prohibited by the Festival and Police authorities from distributing religious material at last year’s festival. That case is ongoing.

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life. It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America. The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

Eyewitness Testimony

Several people have written eyewitness accounts of our arrests on Friday. I've asked them to type them up. As they do, I'll post them here.

This a firsthand account by a Coptic woman named Maria:

I was walking along the sidewalk when I saw Paul, David, and Nabeel walking together towards the area where they were later arrested. Paul and David each had a video camera in hand, when a few young Arabic men approached them. The men were talking to Nabeel, as more people came and surrounded him. Paul and David were both behind Nabeel: Paul to the left, and David to the right. From then on, there were always at least ten people directly surrounding Nabeel. There was one male security guard watching the crowd about 15-20ft behind David. Nabeel was the only one conversing with individuals in the crowd that surrounded him. The crowd, consisting mostly of Arabic males, was expanding. A few women would come and look upon them as well as young boys. A young man came up behind David, said something to him and they conversed for a short time, while David continued taping Nabeel. I walked away to continue on in the festival. Seeing a group of police officers heading toward the group, I returned. A police officer had removed the camera from David and proceeded to handcuff him. I heard David calmly assure, "It's okay. No big deal," while being handcuffed. All three men were escorted out of the group with their hands behind their backs. The police were carrying the cameras that Paul and David had been using. Neither of the arrested men resisted, and were very compliant as they were heading out of the crowd, to where the police had been stationed. People within the crowd were cheering, shouting "Allah hu akbar!" while clapping and shouting. The police continued walking out of the group. When a single man shouted "Jesus is Lord!", one officer who had already passed him, came back and told him to "be quiet". Neither of the officers said anything to the crowd of Muslims that were cheering, while shouting "Allah hu akbar!" After taking Paul, David, and Nabeel to the parking lot where the police were stationed, many security guards had followed and formed two groups. A smaller group of around three security guards were standing closer to the police. A larger group of around five security guards were farther away. Paul, David, and Nabeel were put into a van and taken away.

And here was Richard's account:

I saw Nabeel Qureshi in the midst of a crowd of about twenty teenagers and young adult Muslims. David Wood and Paul were video taping Nabeel and the young Muslims dialog. Police officers, about four, were present acting as a shield protecting Nabeel from a crowd closing in tighter. The entire dialog seemed very peaceful and productive. i did not hear the police officers tell Nabeel or David to stop. The conversation with Nabeel began to wind down. I was able to speak with Nabeel a little to encourage him. At this point the crowd began to break up and the police also walked away. Another young adult Muslim began conversing with Nabeel and the crowd began to come back together. Finally, the police officers returned, about five or six of them, and surrounded David, Nabeel, and Paul. I thought they were going to protect Nabeel and the other brothers, but without warning, the police, rather gently but still forcibly, began taking hold of the camcorders. They arrested all three of the men and escorted them away at the sound of applause by some of the surrounding Muslims.

Dearborn Police: Defending Islam against the Constitution

*****Click here for a complete summary of our experience in Dearborn.*****

Muslims are having a field day making baseless and unsubstantiated claims against Nabeel and me. However, the truth remains: Police and security in Dearborn are actively oppressing Christians.

I went back to the festival on Sunday (after being arrested for doing absolutely nothing wrong on Friday). Here's what I saw.



***UPDATE*** Some people have contacted me asking what law could possibly justify stopping people from handing out a book on a public street. I have no idea. However, anyone who's interested can contact the Dearborn Police Department at 313.943.2240.

Arrested for Being Christian Preachers at Dearborn Arab Festival 2010

It cannot be said that we were arrested for causing a disturbance, because we did not approach anyone, rather everyone with whom we spoke first approached us. It cannot be said that we were harassing anyone, because the moment anyone said "stop talking to me", we would stop talking to them. And it cannot be said that we were spreading hate speech, because we said virtually nothing about Islam at all. On the contrary, we repeatedly affirmed our love for all Muslims. Whenever I was asked "Why would you love me?" I said "Because Jesus loves you, and he told me to love you."

No hating, no disturbing, no harassing... It remains only to be concluded that we were arrested simply for being Christian Preachers at the Arab Festival in Dearborn.

Update

Thanks to our friend Maria, we have much better footage and pictures of our arrest than we previously thought. You can now see more interesting footage of the arrest. I'm also going to add the new pictures below.

The chief of police said we were "Causing a stir"...

This is when some young boys started talking to me

David's in the blue shirt, Paul has the number 8 on his back, and I'm in the red shirt in the middle

David being handcuffed

Acts 17 In Dearborn City Jail

*****Click here for a complete summary of our experience in Dearborn.*****

Yes, you heard it here first, folks. David and I, along with Negeen and Paul Rezkalla, were arrested and spent last night in jail. It is a long story which we will elaborate in full detail when we can, and we will post footage when the police give us back our cameras.

But to take the edge off your curiosity, here are some basics: Paul, David, Negeen, and I went to the festival to see and comment on the situation. Thankfully, we recorded every second of our activity at the festival. At one point, we came across a festival volunteer who seemed to take issue with us simply being at the festival. We could tell he had a problem with us, and so we asked "What are we doing wrong?" He said "Put the camera and microphone down, and I'll tell you." (By the way, there was more to this conversation, but when you see the footage, I think you'll see I'm being fair in my summary.) So I obliged, handing the microphone to David and asking him to not record the man. I then approached him and said "No camera, no mic, tell me what we're doing wrong", he said "Get away from me!" (or something to that effect). Again, I obliged, and walked away.

About 20 minutes later, to shouts and cheers of "Allahu Akbar!" we were all being led away from the festival in handcuffs. From the brief description we were given by the police of why we were being arrested, it sounds like the festival volunteer said we surrounded him and didn't give him an opportunity to leave, thereby "breaching the peace." This is as blatantly false as an accusation can get.

Last year, security lied about us and we got kicked out of the festival. We had it all on tape, so we were able to vindicate ourselves. This year, a volunteer lied about us, and we got thrown into jail. But when we get our footage back, we'll be able to vindicate ourselves again.

Here's what gets me though: people are getting very offended by the simple fact that we're taking cameras with us wherever we go. But if it weren't for the cameras, no one would know the truth of what is happening in Dearborn!

And what is happening in Dearborn? Don't get me wrong, I met a ton of awesome people at the festival today. But it seems like every time we come to this city, we encounter people who would lie at the drop of a hat to advance their own agendas, regardless of whether they will be proven false! I have been many places throughout this country, but never have I seen such a predilection for deception. What is it about this specific city that makes people act this way?

I am worried about Dearborn, my friends, and I'm worried about our nation. Let us be in prayer. More details to come as our journey unfolds.

Update

Apparently someone took pictures of us right we were getting arrested. We're getting the pictures right now. I'll post them as they come.

Me preaching the Gospel to people who had approached me and asked me to share my message with them.

David filming me from afar

David being put in handcuffs and led away

Update 2

Here is a statement from the gentlemen who took these photos:

I, Richard (last name removed for privacy) from Dallas, TX, was a witness to the events that took place at about 9:15pm-9:25pm on June 18, 2010 in Dearborn, MI at the Arab Festival. Here it is as i saw it:

I saw Nabeel Qureshi in the midst of a crowd of about twenty teenagers and young adult Muslims. David Wood and Paul were video taping Nabeel and the young Muslims dialog. Police officers, about four, were present acting as a shield protecting Nabeel from a crowd closing in tighter. The entire dialog seemed very peaceful and productive. i did not hear the police officers tell Nabeel or David to stop. The conversation with Nabeel began to wind down. I was able to speak with Nabeel a little to encourage him. At this point the crowd began to break up and the police also walked away. Another young adult Muslim began conversing with Nabeel and the crowd began to come back together. Finally, the police officers returned, about five or six of them, and surrounded David, Nabeel, and Paul. I thought they were going to protect Nabeel and the other brothers, but without warning, the police, rather gently but still forcibly, began taking hold of the camcorders. They arrested all three of the men and escorted them away at the sound of applause by some of the surrounding Muslims.

Update 3

We'll be on Jesus or Muhammad tonight at 11, discussing the arrest at Dearborn.

Zakir Naik banned from the UK

Home Secretary Theresa May said she had barred Zakir Naik, a 44-year-old television preacher based in Mumbai, for inflammatory remarks he was known to have made in the past.

Naik had been due to give a series of lectures in London and the city of Sheffield in northern England.

"Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour," May said in a statement, without elaborating.

The Daily Telegraph on Friday reported Interior Ministry sources saying that 2006 website footage had shown Naik telling Muslims it was acceptable to embrace terrorism in certain instances.

According to the paper, Naik said Muslims should beware of people saying Osama bin Laden was right or wrong, adding: "If you ask my view, if given the truth, if he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him.

"If he is terrorising the terrorists, if he is terrorising America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, every Muslim should be a terrorist."

He is also reported by the paper to have suggested Western women make themselves "more susceptible to rape" by wearing revealing clothing.

"Western society has actually degraded (women) to the status of concubines, mistresses and social butterflies, who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers," the paper quoted him as saying.

May said: "Coming to the UK is a privilege not a right and I am not willing to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter."

The minister made it clear she had not banned him simply because of his views, which is prohibited under the law.

A Home Office spokesman said the powers were used if an individual expressed views that "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs" or "seek to provoke others to terrorist acts."

He declined to elaborate on the exact nature of his comments, or when they were made.
(Reporting by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Alison Williams)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7836557/Home-secretary-Theresa-May-bans-radical-preacher-Zakir-Naik-from-entering-UK.html

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100618/tuk-uk-britain-preacher-ban-fa6b408.html

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100618/tuk-home-office-bans-indian-muslim-preac-a7ad41d.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10349564.stm

Here is the youtube in which Zakir Naik glorifies terrorism on USA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxk5AAA5FbI&feature=related

The previous trend of Western over-kindness to those who wish to harm to our society is deplorable. Of course we should not permit terrorists or the exponents of terrorism, supression and persecution (such as Zakir Naik) to enter our society; I rejoice over this decision of the UK.

The Malak Yahweh

It has been a little while since this was a hot issue, but since I promised in the comments section of an earlier post that I would write a more formal defense of the Bible's teaching on the divine identity of the Malak Yahweh, a significant part of the Old Testament's witness to the doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of the coming Messiah, I wanted to inform those who are interested that part I has been released on the Answering Islam website.

Here is how the article begins:

A diverse body of writings attests the belief among pre-Christian Jews that the Malak Yahweh, who features so prominently in the Old Testament, was a divine figure, properly denominated Yahweh, but nonetheless distinct from another called Yahweh.[i] The earliest Christians,[ii] as well as many other Christian worthies throughout the centuries,[iii] have also viewed the Malak Yahweh as a distinct divine person within the Godhead, further explicating it as a Christophany, that is, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Logos or Word of God – the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptural basis for this view, beginning with the Old Testament and concluding with the New, is the subject of the following articles.
-------------------

Notes

[i] Aside from the fact that the Targums, such as the Targum of Pseudo Johnathan, Onkelos, and Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum, mention the Angel of Yahweh, and even identify Him as the Word (Hebrew, dabar; Aramaic, memra; Gr. logos) of Yahweh, and that the Septuagint, although to a much lesser degree, provides some interesting evidence of His divinity and distinct identity as well, as in its rendition of passages like Isaiah 9:6, mention can be made here of the testimonies that abound in 1 Enoch. After the coming of Christ, when apostate Israel rejected Jesus as “the Messenger (Heb. Malak; מַלְאָך) of the Covenant” (Malachi 3:1), all talk of the Memra or Word of the LORD, the predominant way the targumim referred to the Angel of Yahweh, and which was the way the apostle John spoke of Jesus in his Gospel, providing thereby a most potent link between Jesus and passages about the Angel of the LORD in the Hebrew text, was expunged from certain rabbinic teachings. For example, the Memra/Word of the Targums is nowhere to be found in the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmud (though the Talmud, in the nature of a hostile witness, does provide some relevant indirect evidence in its discussions of “heresies” pertaining to Metatron), which often reflect, among other things, the polemical interests of post-Christian and anti-Messianic Jews. For more on this issue as it pertains to the Talmud (and other early Jewish writings), consult the now standard work by Alan F. Segal, Two Powers in Heaven: Early Rabbinic Reports about Christianity and Gnosticism (Leiden: E. J. Brill., 1977), 313 pp.

[ii] Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 58, 59, 60, 61, 76, 86, 116, 126, 127, 128; Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.6.1-5, Fragments, 53; Tertullian, Against Praxeas, 16, De Carne, 14, Against Marcion 2.27, 3.9; Novatian, On the Trinity, 18, 19, 31; Apostolic Constitutions, 5.3.20; Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, 1.7; Eusebius, The Proof of the Gospel, 1.5, 4.10, 5.10, Church History, 1.2.7-8, Preparation for the Gospel, VII. 5, 14-15; Origen, Contra Celsus, 5.53, 8.27; Methodious, Symposium, 3.4; Melito, New Fragments, 15; Ambrose, Exposition of the Christian Faith, 1.13.83; Athanasius, Against the Arians, 3.25.12-14; Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, 11.3. (For an excellent discussion of the views of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Theophilus and Tertullian, see the following: Günther Juncker, “Christ as Angel: the Reclamation of a Primitive Title”, which originally appeared in the Trinity Journal 15:2 (Fall 1994), p. 221-250)

[iii] Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Gill, Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, Adam Clarke, Hengstenberg, Dr. John Pye Smith, A. H. Strong, John Wesley, Keil, Delitzsch, and F. F. Bruce, are only a small number of well-known individuals from the Reformation to more modern times who taught this view.

--------------------

To read the rest of the article, go here: The Malak Yahweh: Jesus, the Divine Messenger of the Old Testament.

(There are many other articles on the update. As always, they are all very good and worth the time of all who are interested in showing the truth of Christianity and the falsity of Islam.)

I'm Waiting for the International Muslim Outrage (But Not Holding My Breath)

Draw a cartoon of Muhammad, and you'll see international Muslim outrage. Defend yourself when Muslims are beating you with pipes, and there will be demonstrations around the world. But why is it that Muslims never seem to care when their fellow Muslims oppress non-Muslims? Could it be because Allah does not love unbelievers (Qur'an 3:32) and because unbelievers are the worst of creatures (Qur'an 98:6)?

Khanewal (AsiaNews / Agencies) – There are still cases of religious persecution in Pakistan, a large majority Muslim nation where religious minorities are often victims of abuse and violence. In Punjab a group of 14 Muslims attacked a Protestant pastor and his wife who was expecting a baby. In a district of the same province, the Muslim village chief has ordered 250 Christian families to flee their homes because "Christian women and girls have reported repeated sexual abuse." In Sindh province, finally, a couple was indicted for blasphemy and threatened with the death penalty.

International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that on 3 June in Sahiwal, Punjab, 14 Muslims attacked a Protestant pastor, his pregnant wife and his brother. At the base of the attack were charges of "evangelizing" against Mumtaz Masih, pastor of the Full Gospel Church of Pakistan and his wife Noreen. Imam Ahmed Maqsood led the punitive expedition, injuring the man's legs, and his wife in the stomach and hand. His brother was assaulted while trying to help his relatives. The couple complained to the police, but the police do not want to open an investigation.

Jonathan Racho, ICC chief for South Asia, strongly condemns "the violence against pastor Mumtaz and his family." He adds that Pakistani Christians are victims of assault "because they express their faith in Christ", but the faithful want to stay "with vigour" in their homeland "despite the persecution."

In Khanewal district, also in Punjab, the chief of a village with a Muslim majority has ordered 250 Christian families to leave the area because "they are too vigorously denouncing sexual violence by Muslims against women and girls”. Most Christians in the area are labourers on Muslim owned land and the women domestic servants in homes. The abuses were occurring in homes, almost "daily." "Christians - denounce the displaced - are totally at the mercy of the will of Muslims."

Finally in the town of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, a suburb of Karachi (Sindh), two Christians couples must answer charges of blasphemy. A crowd of Muslims ransacked the garbage of the four, saying they had found torn pages of the Koran. The court issued an arrest warrant and the police started searches. The two pairs of Christians have abandoned the rented house and are still at large. Christian sources complain that officials have threatened the family, to reveal the place where the four are hidden. In Pakistan the crime of blasphemy carries life imprisonment or even death. Source.

Israeli Ambassador on the Flotilla Raid

Kind of goofy, but there are some good points here.

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Jesus or Muhammad Today (Saturday) at 2:30 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time)

We'll be having an episode of "Jesus or Muhammad" at 2:30 today. We'll be further discussing the "Freedom Flotilla." Be sure to tune in via satellite or online here.

"Jesus or Muhammad" Marathon Next Week!

Attention "Jesus or Muhammad" fans! Starting next Tuesday, we've got everyone--AND I MEAN EVERYONE--live in the studio for a marathon week of live programs.





There have been some changes to the following schedule, but it will give you an idea of what we've got cooking.

We're Going Back In: Help Needed

Friends!

We only ask for help when we really need it. Nabeel and I are going to Michigan next week. We're responsible for paying our own way. However, we spent all our funds on replacing a damaged video camera. (We hope the dialogues at the Arab Festival are peaceful, but we need cameras in case Muslims decide to kick our heads in.)

Muslims have threatened us with death if we return to the festival, so now we definitely have to show up. (I might post some of the more colorful death threats we've received, along with the email addresses of those who have promised to kill us.)

Our greatest financial needs are the plane tickets and rental car fees. Our tickets are $288.30 and $221.43, and the rental car fee is $223.67. (This is for a week; there will be a few days of training, several public debates, mosque outreach on Friday, and trips to the Arab Festival on the weekend.) I'm not sure how much insurance will cost for the car, so I'm estimating an additional $100. That comes to $833.40. I've made a "Chip In" for those who would like to help.



I've already ordered the camera, but if anyone would like to contribute to the cost of the camera, you can do it here:



I'm sure we'll have plenty of video footage to share after next weekend. We have one of the most powerful assemblies of apologists and evangelists to Muslims in history. On the apologetics side, there's Sam Shamoun, James White, Tony Costa, Mary Jo Sharp, Nabeel, me, and a few others. On the evangelist side, there are a ton of people. Several of the regular commenters here on AM will be there as well. (Our little sister Negeen is coming too!)

In case you don't know what happened last year at the festival, here's what happens when a Christian asks a question in Dearborn without showing the proper Dhimmi attitude. (Notice that the Muslims also assaulted our sister Mary Jo several times, despite the fact that she was simply standing there holding a camera.)

Rally against Ground Zero Mosque

SIOA Rally against the Ground Zero Mosque

PAMELA GELLER


ROBERT SPENCER


NONIE DARWISH


ANDERS GRAVERS

Jesus or Muhammad Today (Saturday) at 2:30 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time)

We'll be having an episode of "Jesus or Muhammad" at 2:30 today. We'll be discussing the "Freedom Flotilla." Be sure to tune in via satellite or online here.

Glenn Beck on the Freedom Flotilla

Are Muslims outraged that non-Muslim women are being kidnapped, raped, and forced to convert to Islam? No. Are Muslims outraged at al-Qaeda and the Taliban for blowing up girls' schools? No. Are Muslims outraged that nine-year-old girls are dying because they're entering marriage way too early (following the teachings of Muhammad)? No. Are Muslims outraged at daily terrorist attacks around the world? No.

Muslims are outraged because Jewish soldiers dared to defend themselves. As everyone knows, non-Muslims have only one acceptable course of action when confronted by Muslims--submission. When Jews do not submit, people have to die.

If Muslims want to send aid to the Palestinians, they are free to do so. Egypt and Israel simply demand the right to inspect the cargo, to make sure that it does not contain weapons that may be used by terrorists. The leaders of the flotilla plot refused inspection, and chose to transport a number of terrorists to Gaza. Israel did what any nation in the world would have done--they attempted to board the ship. They were not greeted by peace advocates. They were greeted by pipes and knives. And the Israelis did what any nation in the world would have done. They defended themselves.

But since Islam is involved, the Jews are the bad ones. It seems that "Misplaced Rage Syndrome" is spreading to the entire world.

PART ONE


PART TWO


PART THREE

What Really Happened on that Flotilla?

I've known marines who've told me about American military atrocities that were never reported back home. I've known seals who've told me about Navy atrocities that were never reported back home. So I'm not quick to judge what really happens in circumstances like this flotilla incident. I just can't know because I didn't see it happen with my own eyes...

But now I have, and I'm convinced. What do you think?

ADDENDUM: It seems people have a tendency to jump to conclusions. I did not say I condone Israel's raid, nor did I say I am not remorseful over the loss of lives. I am always hurt by the loss of life, and that's one reason why I wish people would take Jesus' Greatest Commandment seriously.

I had only one point in showing this video. The media in the US had virtually convinced me that Israel viciously landed on this boat that was carrying peaceful aid workers, went on a rampage, and killed a bunch of kind people for no reason whatsoever. That was the message I was getting everywhere. Then I see this video of the "peace activists" beating, stabbing, and initiating the mayhem themselves. Not at all what the media has been portraying.

I don't know if the IDF had the right to land on the boat, but I do know this: the people on the boat were not innocent bystanders, nor were they peaceful by any definition of the term. It's an entirely different picture from what's being portrayed in the media. I'm just glad video was taken, or else falsehood would have prevailed.

Tony Costa vs. Habib Ali: "Tawhid vs. Trinity"

PART ONE

Muslim vs. Christian Debate - Tawhid vs. Trinity - Part 1 from Sumair Mirza on Vimeo.

PART TWO

Muslim vs. Christian Debate - Tawhid vs. Trinity - Part 2 from Sumair Mirza on Vimeo.

Whatever Your Position on the Israeli-Palestinian Issue, This Jewish Kid's Got Guts

Notice that a line of police have to keep Muslims from beating this Jewish high school student to death.