Protesters with various views argued and scuffled in the streets of Dearborn on Tuesday, Nov. 18, debating religion and immigration as some called for unity. There was some shoving, a punch thrown at an anti-Islam activist, and allegations of pepper spray being used, but overall, there appeared to be no serious incidents.
Dearborn police released a statement Tuesday evening, urging people to avoid engaging with the protesters, some of whom taunted Dearborn residents with rhetoric against Islam, immigrants and minorities. At about 6 p.m., there was a growing crowd confronting Jake Lang, a right-wing activist from Florida who organized one of three rallies Tuesday. Police then brought up several metal barriers around Lang and his supporters, keeping them separated from the crowd, who yelled back at Lang at times.
“For the safety of all involved, we are strongly urging residents to not engage with demonstrators inside the city this evening,” Cpl. Dan Bartok of the Dearborn police told the Free Press in a statement. “The Dearborn Police Department will continue to monitor activities and are present and stand ready for all situations.”
Bartok added that there were some “minor incidents earlier in the day but we do not detect threats to the public at this time. We will continue to keep the community updated as events unfold.”
There were three different rallies. The first was held by liberal groups supportive of Dearborn and Muslims. Some of them held Palestinian flags and rallied on the north side of Michigan Avenue near Schaefer Road. Across from them on the south side of Michigan Avenue near the old City Hall building were anti-Islam protesters led by Lang, who was charged in the Jan. 6 protests in Washington, D.C., and later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Another gathering was led by Anthony Hudson, a Republican candidate for governor who initially was planning an anti-sharia rally, but had a change of heart after spending four days last week in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, visiting mosques and Muslim leaders. Hudson told the Free Press in an interview his rally was to promote unity, but also to tell Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud to be more respective of Christians and their concerns. Hammoud faced criticism earlier this year for berating a Christian minister, but later said the city welcomes all.
Hudson said he previously thought there was a “Muslim takeover” in Dearborn with sharia, Islamic law, being enforced, but after his visit to four mosques and several businesses, realized that’s not happening.
“I got hugs, I got handshakes,” Hudson said of his visit to Dearborn. “I had a lot of men come up to me and say it was nice to meet me. … I just really got to engage with good people in the community. … It was great to see, great to experience.” Hudson also criticized rival Republican candidates for taking money from pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC.
Hudson said he visited the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Dearborn Community Center, the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights and the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, where he met with Imam Mohammad Elahi, a prominent Islamic and interfaith leader in Michigan. He also visited Eternal Light, a nonprofit in Dearborn Heights, and a food bank.
“We’re proving the point that we didn’t see sharia law in Dearborn,” Hudson said. “We didn’t see women getting assaulted or disrespected. We saw women business owners that were yelling at men, telling them what to do. We saw young women walking at night to go to the bars and they weren’t being harassed. We saw the gentlemen’s clubs, which is against sharia law. We saw the liquor stores, which is against it. We just saw so many things that were against sharia law that I made the determination that during my trip, my four days, there was no sharia law.”
Hudson said he thinks people should “focus their interest more on resolving the hate, the division in this country than spreading false narratives about what’s not happening in Dearborn.”
Before the rally, Lang said he would burn a Quran, Islam’s holy book, and fry bacon but, as of about 6 p.m., he did not appear to accomplish his stated goal.
Lang and his supporters arrived in a bus that appeared to be a campaign bus for Hudson, but Lang said the bus was no longer Hudson’s because Hudson’s campaign manager defected and is now on Lang’s team.
“His campaign manager fired him two days ago when he came to Dearborn, Michigan, and he bowed down … before the Islamic temples,” Lang said in a speech livestreamed. “We got Anthony’s bus.”
Lang then ranted against Muslims and other minorities in America.
“There can be no room for sharia law” he said. “Today we mark America a Christian country. Today we mark America a European Western civilization that the Muslims have no part in. … This is our country.”
Lang unfurled a banner that read “Americans Against Islamification” as his supporters nailed together two large Christian crosses made of wood. Holding up one of the crosses, Lang said: “Jesus Christ is King of Dearborn. … Wake up before the giant of Islam comes for you.”
At one point during his rally, Lang held up a copy of the Quran along with a can of lighter fluid, and made derogatory comments about Islam’s prophet, Mohammed. Lang then placed the Quran on the ground and appeared to be about to burn it, but a Muslim counterprotester then snatched the book away from him.
Abbas Abou Khodr, a Dearborn resident wearing a Detroit Lions jacket, said he was the one who blocked Lang from burning the Quran.
“What I did was my … moral duty,” Khodr wrote on Facebook, explaining why he swiped the Quran from Lang. “There are things in life that can be overlooked … but when it comes to religion, belief and Quran … the matter becomes a red line.”
A few moments later, Lang got a slab of bacon and started to smack the Quran with it while walking out in the middle of Michigan Avenue, blocking traffic, but another counterprotester snatched the Quran away from him.
Lang spoke out against not just Islam, but the growing numbers of nonwhites in America. He said he was of Irish and German descent. At one point, he opened a Bible and read passages from it. “I pray Jesus Christ over all of you,” Lang told the crowd at as some yelled at him.
“You don’t have anything to do with America,” Lang told a group of Arab Americans.
There were tensions at the rally between Lang and Hudson. Lang’s supporters were in a large bus whose side read “Anthony Hudson for Governor” that appeared to be a campaign vehicle for Hudson, but Lang spray painted a vulgar word on it, saying Hudson was a sellout for visiting mosques and speaking positively about Muslims. Supporters of Lang said they’re part of the “America First” movement and felt Hudson, who also has said he’s “America First,” has betrayed their cause. Hudson said the bus with his name on it was not his.
Later, Hudson, carrying a large American flag, and Lang marched in separate processions toward the new City Hall building, known as the Dearborn Administrative Center, almost 2 miles west, for the 7 p.m. council meeting. Lang’s contingent marched behind a large banner that read “Americans Against Islamification.”
The pro-Muslim liberal protesters, some with BAMN (By Any Means Necessary), also marched toward the center, with a protester sometimes snapping on a snare drum as they chanted at times: “Dearborn has made it clear: Fascists are not welcome here.”
After arriving, the groups protested again, with a growing crowd of Dearborn residents shouting at Lang, some shouting at him “Allah akbar,” or God is greatest. A group of police officers then brought out yellow barriers to separate the groups, keeping Lang and his supporters away from the angry crowd. Some of the liberal protesters and residents told police they should not give Lang special protections.
Lang and Hudson spoke at the council meeting that started at 7 p.m. Hudson said before the meeting that he wants a promise from the city not to play the Islamic call to prayer before 7 a.m. and to lower the volume during other times. Some residents have complained over the past two years about the volume from the Islamic Institute of Knowledge, which started to broadcast the call to prayer outdoors in 2023.
During the meeting, Hudson denounced Lang’s group as “anti-American,” saying “I came here to build a bridge.” Lang also addressed the council, saying that the white population is declining and attacked what he called “the Islamification of Europe” of the United States. As he left the meeting, he and his supporters chanted: “Jesus is King.”
Mayor Hammoud spoke at the council meeting, denouncing the protesters who had “hate in their hearts.” Hammoud added that “patriotism is not cruel,” noting Dearborn’s annual Memorial Day parade illustrates the city’s love for the United States.
“The marchers tried to divide, but Dearborn did what Dearborn always does: We stood tall,” Hammoud said. “We are a city built by workers, by immigrants, by veterans and by families who believe in the promise of America.”
Lang appeared to be punched by a counterprotester when he was marching on Michigan Avenue, a video taken by Brandon Gutenschwager showed. The man who appeared to attack Lang was seen scampering back across Michigan Avenue after hitting him.
This is not the first time anti-Islam protesters have targeted Dearborn. Over the past 16 years, there have been several cases that drew controversy, including trips to Dearborn by Pastor Terry Jones, known for burning Qurans. Jones did not burn a Quran during his rallies in Dearborn, one of which, in April 2011, drew hundreds of counterprotesters who hurled objects at him. A few arrests of counterprotesters were made during the 2011 rally. Jones was once put on trial in Dearborn and jailed briefly. Bartok did not say whether any arrests were made Tuesday. One protester appeared to be arrested, a livestream showed.
During the protests, a truck driven by Hussein Dabajeh flashed positive messages about Dearborn on an electronic billboard on the truck’s side that read: “Welcome to Dearborn, an all-American city,” “Welcome to Dearborn, where all faiths live together,” with the symbols of Judaism, Christianity and Islam shown, and “Dearborn, the city of coexistence.”
Free Press staff photographer Eric Seals contributed to this report.
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Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Protesters scuffle in Dearborn over faith as Quran-burning attempt is thwarted
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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