Demonstration denied in Dearborn; Dawud declares doubts

Anti-Islam pastor Terry Jones takes his show to Michigan…or at least attempts to. In a bid to become to Muslims what Fred Phelps has been to gays and the military, Jones announced that he and his church would be protesting at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in North America. But city officials in Dearborn are not keen to allow that:

Concerned about a potential outbreak of violence, Wayne County prosecutors have filed a complaint in court that seeks to compel Florida pastor Terry Jones — who oversaw the burning of a Quran last month — not to rally outside an Islamic center in Dearborn this week. . . Filed Friday in 19th district court in Dearborn, prosecutors say that if Jones shows up outside the center, “the greatest danger is the likelihood of a riot ensuing complete with the discharge of firearms.”

Maybe they should have asked local Muslims first what they thought:

Not everyone shares the Wayne County Prosecutor’s concern that Dearborn will be unable to constrain its passions in the face of Terry Jones’ planned protest Friday.  Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations – Michigan says he’s doesn’t support the legal effort to thwart Jones’ event.  He told the [Detroit] Free Press that “their action innocently played into Jones’ objectives, which is to paint Dearborn as a pro-sharia city that’s oppressing Christians, which is, of course, not true.”  Walid also said the court filing inaccurately tries to “equate the actions of zealots in Afghanistan with Muslim Americans in Dearborn.” He described the Dearborn community as a peaceful one that would not harm Jones.

Terry Jones

If you’re going to let the KKK march in Skokie, you have to let Islamophobes with odd mustaches demonstrate in Dearborn. In addition to it being a violation of the First Amendment to prevent Jones’ demonstration, it is also as Walid points out a kind of slap in the face to American Muslims to assume that they will be provoked to violence. Normal, sane people will not interpret banning the protest as having pro-sharia motivations, but extreme right-wingers who like to talk about “creeping sharia” and have successfully (and redundantly) banned its implementation in Oklahoma will. In reality, it is a well-intentioned but deeply misguided violation of a bigoted group’s right to freedom of speech. Jones’ demonstration permit has been denied pending a court appearance:

Jones is due in 19th District Court in Dearborn on Thursday to answer prosecutors’ claims that his demonstration could cause a riot and demands he post a “peace bond” to cover police costs.