By Dave Jolly
If you want to experience the Middle East, you only have to travel as
far as Dearborn, Michigan. This western suburb of Detroit has a
population of close to 100,000. Over 40,000 of them are Arab or of Arab
descent, giving Dearborn the distinction of having the largest Muslim
population of any city in the United States.
The Muslims have been taking over many of the cities elected
positions and have instituted many Muslim friendly ordinances. In fact
the Muslim influence is so strong in Dearborn that the local high school
held a girl’s only prom, since their religion does not allow girls and
boys to dance or socialize together. If any other school in America did
something similar based on Christian or Jewish beliefs, the ACLU and
other groups would be circling the school waiting their turns to file
lawsuits for violation of church and state. But these legal groups were
nowhere to be seen in Dearborn.
Every year around June, the Muslim community holds an annual Arab Festival.
For several years, some of the Christian pastors and their followers
have stood outside the festival trying to hand out water bottles and
tracts as they witness to the lost. A number of the Muslims have
responded with violence, throwing garbage, rocks and other items at the
Christians. When the police showed up, they made arrests, but it wasn’t
the ones carrying out the violence that were arrested, it was the
Christians.
A number of lawsuits have been launched against the city and although
a couple were actually won by the Christians, that didn’t stop the
violence against them. When they did win, the city appealed and most of
the rulings were overturned.
Several of the Christian pastors filed a lawsuit against Wayne
County, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and two of deputies for
refusing to protect them from the Muslims that were attacking them. The
deputies not only refused to protect them, they threatened to arrest
them for disorderly conduct if they continued talking about Jesus and
the Bible in the presence of the Muslims. Such talk was deemed to be
offensive to the Muslims who felt justified in responding with violence.
On Tuesday, US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Judge Patrick J. Duggan dismissed the lawsuit when they granted the county’s motion for a summary judgment. The American Freedom Law Center argued the case before Duggan and also asked that the court bar the sheriff’s department from violating the Christian’s First Amendment rights of free speech and religion by interfering with their right to gather on public property outside the festival. In typical liberal fashion, Duggan refused to the motion.
On Tuesday, US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Judge Patrick J. Duggan dismissed the lawsuit when they granted the county’s motion for a summary judgment. The American Freedom Law Center argued the case before Duggan and also asked that the court bar the sheriff’s department from violating the Christian’s First Amendment rights of free speech and religion by interfering with their right to gather on public property outside the festival. In typical liberal fashion, Duggan refused to the motion.
In his ruling, Duggan stated:
“The Court finds that the actual demonstration of violence here provided the requisite justification for [the Wayne County sheriffs’] intervention, even if the officials acted as they did because of the effect the speech had on the crowd.”
In other words, the Christians were at fault and that the violent
reaction of the Muslims was justified and the cops acted appropriately
in arresting the Christians.
Robert Muise, Co-Founder and Senior Counsel for the American Freedom Law Center commented on Duggan’s dismissal saying:
“The First Amendment was dealt a severe blow today as a result of this ruling. Indeed, this ruling effectively empowers Muslims to silence Christian speech that they deem offensive by engaging in violence. And pursuant to this ruling, the Christian speakers are now subject to arrest for engaging in disorderly conduct on account of the Muslim hecklers’ violent response to their speech. In short, this ruling turns the First Amendment on its head.”
David Yerushalmi, another Co-Founder and Senior Counsel for AFLC said:
“This fight for our fundamental right to freedom of speech does not stop here. We have filed an immediate appeal of this ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While Judge Duggan may have been the first judge to rule on this issue, he won’t be the last. Indeed, we are prepared to take this case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary because it is imperative that our free speech rights not be subject to mob rule. This is the United States, not Benghazi.”
Since when does anyone’s speech justify acts of violence? Where in
the Unites States Constitution or Bill of Rights does it say that speech
of any kind, especially religious speech can be stopped because someone
or group of people are offended?
Time and again I see where the rights of Christians are being
violated because someone else is offended. The saddest part in all of
this is that many Christians are just rolling over and letting their
rights be stripped away. When will Christians wake up and start
fighting for their actions? When will Christians start filing lawsuits
against Muslims or gays because of what they say and do is offensive to
us?
Christian students are being bullied and harassed by teachers because
they wear a Christian message on their t-shirts. Shouldn’t we be
offended when we see t-shirts with an evolution or atheist or Muslims
message on it? Then why aren’t we standing up and turning their own
weapon against them?
Christians need to stop listening to Peace in the Valley and start
listening to Onward Christian Soldier. Like it or not, we are in a war
and right now we are losing that war big time and it’s our own fault.
Let me ask you a question. Is there anything in your life that you
feel is worth fighting for? Our nation? A loved one in danger? Your
property? How much more valuable is your Christian faith? So why
aren’t you fighting to save it? I hope you realize that the only one
you have to blame for losing your Christian rights and freedoms is you,
because chances are you haven’t done a single thing to fight for them.
Shame on you!
It’s time you make a decision here and now. Either stand up and
fight for your Christian faith and freedoms or accept the inevitable
persecution that’s coming if you don’t. The choice is yours.
SoRo: As I wrote in my post 'Obama's Defence Department: Catholicism = Al Qaeda; Evangelical Christianity = Hamas NOT KIDDING!!!':
'I have some advice for the religious of all faiths in the US…and
those that support them...and I AM SAYING THIS AS AN ATHEIST: You need to take time off of work, get off of
the sofa, and get your asses to Washington. A ‘Million Man March’?
Pffft! You need to put so many bodies in DC that there is SRO in
Northern Virginia and Maryland. You CANNOT allow this administration to
get away with equating you to Al Qaeda and Hamas…and DO NOT BACKDOWN
EVEN IF OBAMA APOLOGISES.
The
administration cannot be allowed to get away with it nor can this type
of mentality be met with a ‘Meh,’ This is not abortion or SSM…even
people of faith can have honest, legitimate, heartfelt disagreements on
those topics. This is our government labelling whole denominations as
terrorists.
Catholics are the same as Al Qaeda?
Evangelical Christians are the same as members of Hamas?
Ultra-Orthodox Jews are the same as members of KKK?
Fundamentalist Mormons are the same as members of Muslim Brotherhood?
It is soooo fvcking absurd, ignorant, hateful, and bordering on TREASONOUS BEHAVIOUR in my -- albeit very pissed off -- opinion.'
The same applies with this OUTRAGEOUS decision.
Catholics are the same as Al Qaeda?
Evangelical Christians are the same as members of Hamas?
Ultra-Orthodox Jews are the same as members of KKK?
Fundamentalist Mormons are the same as members of Muslim Brotherhood?
It is soooo fvcking absurd, ignorant, hateful, and bordering on TREASONOUS BEHAVIOUR in my -- albeit very pissed off -- opinion.'
The same applies with this OUTRAGEOUS decision.
PS: I just remembered this:
By Caroline May
A Pennsylvania judge has dismissed charges against a Muslim man who
physically attacked an atheist dressed as “Zombie Muhammad” during the
Mechanicsburg, Pa. Halloween parade.
Talaag Elbayomy, a 46-year-old Muslim man, allegedly attacked
Ernest Perce V, who was dressed as “Zombie Muhammad” and walking with a
man dressed as “Zombie Pope” during the October parade. Both men were
members of the Parading Atheists of Central Pennsylvania.
During the attack Elbayomy reportedly attempted to take Perce’s
“Muhammed of Islam” sign and choked him. Zombie Pope was uninjured.
“He grabbed me, choked me from the back, and spun me around to try to
get my sign off that was wrapped around my neck,” explained Perce to ABC 27.
Judge Mark Martin threw out a grainy video of the attack and
explained that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict Elbayomy of the
harassment charge.
Martin further dressed down Perce for his insensitive behavior, going
so far as to call him a doofus and telling him that in Muslim societies
he could have been put to death for mocking Muhammad.
“Having had the benefit of having spent over 2 and a half years in
predominantly Muslim countries I think I know a little bit about the
faith of Islam,” Martin said.
“In fact I have a copy of the Koran here and I challenge you sir to
show me where it says in the Koran that Mohammad arose and walked among
the dead. I think you misinterpreted things. Before you start mocking
someone else’s religion you may want to find out a little bit more about
it. It makes you look like a doofus… In many Arabic speaking countries
something like this is definitely against the law there. In their
society in fact it can be punishable by death and it frequently is in
their society.”
Sgt. Brian Curtis handled the incident aftermath. Curtis explained that Elbayomy admitted to grabbing Perce that October night.
“I believe that I brought a case that showed proof beyond a reasonable doubt and the case was dismissed,” Curtis told ABC 27. “I was disappointed.”
Perce was disappointed by the decision as well.
“He let a man who is Muslim, because of his preference of his culture
and his way of life, walk free from an attack,” Perce said.
According to ABC 27, Elbayomy thought it was a crime to depict Muhammad and had joined Perce in calling police.
http://tinyurl.com/ajgyw7a
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