Shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar’ could be heard as the arrests were made… (While the event occurred on Friday, this story has not yet appeared on the websites of any major U. S. newspaper, or even in Dearborn.)

Three Christians were arrested today in Dearborn, Michigan at the Arab International Festival as they shared their faith with Muslims. The three were arrested by police as they engaged in intense, but respectful dialog in which they proclaimed their faith in Christ

(Dearborn has the highest population percentage of Muslims and Arab Americans of any city in the U. S., estimated by some as over 35%.)

“I never thought I would see this in America,” says Steven Atkins, a resident of Toronto, Canada, who was visiting the festival and observed the incident.
The three arrested include Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, David Woods, and Paul Rezkalla. Dr. Quereshi is co-director of Acts 17 Apologetics Ministries. He holds an MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School and an MA in Christian apologetics from Biola University.

“When Dr. Quereshi was arrested I heard people clapping and applauding, and some said ‘Allahu Akbar,'” Atkins said. There was a crowd of 15-20 people watching the exchange and subsequent arrest.

The festival attracts several hundred thousand Arab Americans each year, and some Christian groups find it an ideal venue for Christian outreach. This year, the city of Dearborn banned the distribution of Christian literature near the festival. Some accused the city of catering to its large Muslim population when the law was passed.

On June 17, a three-judge panel from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency motion on behalf of Pastor George Saieg, allowing him to distribute literature and talk about his faith to Muslims at the festival. The decision means Saieg can distribute his literature during the festival while the case remains on appeal.
“While the extraordinary relief granted by the Sixth Circuit only applies to the upcoming festival, it is a good indication that we will ultimately prevail on appeal,” said the senior trial counsel for the appellant. The appellate judges, in their announcement, stated, “The loss of a First Amendment right, ‘for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.'”
(Editor’s Note: This is the second major First Amendment Freedom of Speech decision out of a U. S. Court of Appeals in the past week http://bit.ly/bSYtth.)
“It was an intense discussion, but it was not unruly,” Atkins noted. “There was no threat of violence,” he said. “It’s becoming more restrictive here than in Canada.”

Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for ASSIST News Service. Portions of this report were drawn from http://www.assistnews.net/