Four Christian Missionaries, laughably arrested and charged with inciting a riot at a Dearborn Muslim festival, have been acquitted by a jury. One of the missionaries was found guilty of failure to obey a police officer’s order
The missionaries videotaped the entire incident and posted it on Youtube. To charge these four with inciting a riot is like charging Rowan Williams with orthodoxy, the charge will never stick.
The four missionaries, from a group called Acts 17 Apologetics specifically proselytizes Muslims, this is the real reason they were arrested that day. To proselytize a Muslim is to suggest that the Muslim may be wrong and that is all the evidence of bigotry some people need.
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly Jr. said the missionaries were “anti-Muslim bigots pulling a publicity stunt to gain attention on YouTube in order to raise money.”
I must say that I am fairly tired of bigotry charges. To disagree >>>
September 27, 2010 at 3:54 am
You are so wrong. As I said several times before that the event is partly SPONSORED by Christian Arab groups (as well as headlined by Christian Arab artists) who had a designated place WITH the Mohammedans where people could come for religious information/materials. These people were fundie trouble-makers who broke the rules of the event, nothing more.
Those who want to paint this as a "Muslim" event are themselves biggots.
September 27, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Early Riser… So the lady with the headscarf taking picture of the group so they could be arrested for NOTHING is not Muslim? She also gave a statement to the police where in she apparently contradicts herself resulting in the arrest of the "fundies" Fundies, that sounds a little bigoted to me….
September 27, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Oh… and the reason they weren't allowed to speak about Jesus is because the Christian Arab groups don't really like hearing about Jesus? Who's rule is that? I am not sure I follow… or maybe Christian Arabs don't like "fundies"? Since there were places DESIGNATED for recognizing Christianity then that is OK… Hmmm? Not sure I am comfortable with that. I reviewed most of the video regaring the 2010 arrest… if someone has some contrary evidence please post it. From what I saw the missionaries were wrongly arrested on false information. The police report doesn't say anything about the "rules" of the event as a basis for the "charges" and they had no basis in fact.
September 27, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Anonymous Coward – the festival is put on every year by the Arab American Chamber of Commerce. 75% of Arabs in the US are CHRISTIAN. There were 4 churches who sponsored this event; 2 Lebanese Maronite/Catholic, one Presbetyrian and 1 Coptic; ALL under the same tent where the Mohammedans were, because this was a DESIGNATED AREA to distribute religious literature. These fundies were proselytizing and trying to provoke a response JUST LIKE THE FUNDIE who tried to have a Qur'an burning in Florida.
The City of Dearborn outlined exactly what happened and WHY they were arrested as a matter of public safety; NOT 1st ammendment rights. You people are so gullible sometimes it's mind-boggling.
September 27, 2010 at 5:57 pm
To big brave Early Riser….
They weren't arrested for proselytizing, were they? They were not arrested for handbilling. They were arrested based on the false statements of several "witnesses" which appear demonstrably false from the video. I think the same charge of "bigotry" can be levelled equally at those who assume that "fundies" deserve what they get.
Apparently the local authorities were wrong because the missionaries were aquitted by a jury in Dearborn, which may have included Arab Christians and muslims… So we must assume that missionaries didn't do anything wrong, or did that presumption of innocence end for fundies.
The reason they were arrested was for "public safety", which begs the question, whose safety? And why? It must have been because the fundies and the Christian Arabs in attendance at the fair would have disagreed over some point of theology and come to blows. But they weren't arrested for proselytizing….
September 27, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Anonymous coward – I never said they were arrested for Proselytizing. I think I pretty clearly dumbed it down for you to the "nth" degree by linking to the actual response from the city of Dearborn. Maybe the words were too big for you to comprehend, but that's not my fault. I said pretty clearly they were trying to "provoke a response" from those around them OUTSIDE the tent/designated area for religious literature to be distributed.
Once again, this is/was NOT a Mohammedan event. These fundies were only there to cause trouble and bring attention to their "ministry". They were there with literature, cameras and ready to record everything. Why did NO OTHER CHRISTIAN group attending report any issues?
And whether or not some Anonymouse coward things the word "fundy" is biggoted means absolutely nothing to anyone.
September 28, 2010 at 12:18 am
Early Riser,
I know you are just "way smarter" than everyone (and braver in that you use an anonymous screen name while calling others coward) but the fact that no other Christian groups had any problems doesn't mean that what happed to one group wasn't wrong or an issue. After all the absence of proof is not the proof of absence, right? They were wrongly arrested and the arrest is demonstrably wrong since they were aquitted no matter what the mayor of Dearborn says. They were arrested on false information but apparently truth doesn't matter to you. You are a troll. A bigot and a troll…
September 28, 2010 at 12:44 am
I don't use an anonymous screen name. You are the troll. And idiot, and a troll.
The truth does matter to me. I just don't think you have anything to do with it. Keep hiding behind anonymity (although we know who you are, Foxy). Everyone here thinks what you say is just soooooo fascinating and relevant.
September 28, 2010 at 6:07 am
From what I see on the videos, it seems absurd to accuse the Acts17
members of bigotry. A jury has determined that there was no criminal
behavior on the part of the four arrested. In light of what happened last year, and certainly in light of what happened this year, I'd say they
were wise to video the proceedings. I'd also say that the Mayor of
Dearborn owes these four an apology for his remark.
Will there be charges filed against the people from the festival who
seem to have filed false statements with the police?
I know that if my parish were to hold a festival on a public street, and
open it to the public, and a group entered the festival and attempted
to proselytize Catholics–well, I'd consider that impolite. Perhaps
they'd be asked to leave. But I cannot imagine that a group of us
would have them arrested for attempting to incite a riot!
Of course this isn't over. I hope that before next year's festival the
people from Acts 17 Apologetics and the organizers from the festival
can work something out.
September 28, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I think the mayor is probably right. Most likely the whole thing is a publicity stunt to gain attention on YouTube in order to raise money.