The Associated Press is reporting that four Christian activists were arrested during distribution of pamphlets outside of an Arab festival in Dearborn.  The police stated that the individuals were charged with disorderly conduct.  The four are free on bond.

The AP states that “Haddad tells the Detroit Free Press he isn’t taking sides in any dispute and says police have to keep peace at a festival that draws 300,000 over three days. On Thursday, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals court ruled in favor of Anaheim, Calif., evangelist George Saieg (SAYGH). It overturned a lower court and said Saieg could distribute information on the festival’s perimeter.”   CBN News also reported that “The ruling comes after a June 7 decision by Federal District Court Judge Paul D. Borman that upheld the Dearborn’s policy of barring the distribution of religious material near the event.”

The Detroit Free Press reported: “‘We did make four arrests for disorderly conduct,’ Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad said Saturday. ‘They did cause a stir.’  ‘Everyone’s space should be respected,’ Haddad said. ‘It’s Father’s Day weekend. … People are here to have a good time, and it’s our job to ensure security.'”  On May 3, 2010, the Dearborn Press and Guide reported that “Police Chief Ronald Haddad was recently appointed to serve on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which provides advice and recommendations to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on matters related to homeland security.”

The individual arrested with Acts17Apologetics posted a YouTube video on this topic, with excepts of their confrontation with police.

Dearborn has a history of being restrictive in pampleteering around the festival, for security reasons that claims to attract 150,000 attendees, and in 2009, Christian groups seeking to pamphlet were asked to buy a booth inside the event to distribution their materials.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports freedom of speech and freedom of press as part of our universal human rights.  We urge the Dearborn police authorities to work with groups that seek to express freedom of speech in a way to ensure that both their freedoms and event security can be effectively ensured.  We discourage heavy-handed attempts to stifle freedom of speech among our citizens in America.  If this is what happened in Dearborn, then we strongly urge the Dearborn law enforcement authorities to reconsider their approach and ensure American freedoms.

However, it is also our experience that effective pamphleteering and public outreach includes proactive communication with the police authorities in advance.  This communication with law enforcement authorities includes documenting who, what, where, and when such advance discussions occurred, so that proper security procedures, proper permits are in place, and that you are working within the security rules for public events.  Law enforcement should not discover your events as a “surprise,” and the key to effective outreach efforts includes advance communications with law enforcement authorities.  Our approach ensures that law enforcement agencies defend our freedoms, because we are on their side by our communication and cooperation with law enforcement authorities at every step.

When we promote religious or racial pluralism or we challenge religious or racial supremacism of any kind, our starting point is full and complete coordination with law enforcement authorities.  We know that this works.

Mission Network News (MNN) also provides another report on the Acts 17 group arrests and pamphleteering efforts outside the Dearborn festival, stating that leader David Wood had viewed the group as troublemakers.  MNN quotes Wood as stating: “A pastor said that he was standing talking to one of the police officers earlier in the day, and when we arrived, he heard over the policeman’s walkie-talkie, ‘Hey, those guys are here again. Get them out.'”

MNN’s report says that “Acts 17 is no stranger to conflict at the Festival. Last year, Wood contends that festival security framed them by sending a young Muslim to snatch a pamphlet out of Qureshi’s hands and reported that Qureshi had given it to him. The distribution of pamphlets is banned. Even as the story of the arrests went public, reaction has been mixed. While many are astounded at what happened, many others said the arrests occurred because Acts 17 was being confrontational. Wood disagrees. He says he and his group were simply engaging in conversation.”

MNN quotes David Woods as stating “Nabeel and I aren’t just talking to Muslims to preach the Gospel. Whether a Muslim converts to Christianity or not, we also believe it’s important to address Muslim beliefs. So whether a Muslim converts to Christianity or not, it’s still important that that Muslim believe in teachings of the Qur’an such as Surah 9:29 which commands him to subjugate unbelievers. So many Christians will just go there and preach the Gospel.”

MNN also quotes David Wood as stating: “If we’re in a discussion with a Muslim, we might say, ‘What do you believe about Surah 9:29 which commands you to fight and subjugate and oppress up? Do you believe that, or have you reinterpreted that verse?'” and “As of right now, this poses massive problems, because if we were to show up in an area and try to talk to Muslims, they’re going to see us as people who are trouble-makers.”  But Wood also states “If anything, we’re even more determined not to submit to threats and intimidation…The main problem, as far as other Christians who have complained about us is concerned, is that they don’t know what happened.”

But MNN also provides the views of a Dearborn pastor with a different perspective, Pastor Haytham Abi-Haydar.  Christian Pastor Haytham Abi-Haydar leads the Arabic Fellowship Alliance Church that meets on Sundays at 1:30 PM at Farlane Alliance Church in Dearborn, MI.

MNN states that “Pastor Haytham Abi-Haydar has been attending the Arab International Festival since 1999, even having been allowed to have a booth at the event. ‘The community has been very good to us. They never denied us a request. From my perspective, we’ve never had any incidents.’ According to Abi-Haydar, Act 17 challenged Muslims in the crowd. Those challenges seemed to invite a crowd. Abi-Haydar says, ‘If he thinks that’s how to reach out to people and that’s how to dialogue with people, I think they are endangering their own lives for no reason.'”

MNN also indicates that Pastor Abi-Haydar states that the Acts 17 group was asked to change its tactics.  MNN reports that “Wood and his organization were asked by many evangelical groups to change their tactics. Abi-Haydar says, ‘Why can’t he go around with no cameras, no intimidating people and ask questions and build relationships with the community and sharing Christ? Why is that difficult?'”

MNN reports that Abi-Haydar says when Wood was arrested, he was challenging a young Muslim man. The young man was screaming at him. Police asked Woods and his group to disburse. But Abi-Haydar says they didn’t. ‘I know for one fact: if I was the police, I am responsible for the security of the community there and for the security [of Acts 17 Apologetics].  For their own security, I would have forced them to leave the area. And if they would have rejected it, I would have arrested them myself.'”

MNN reports that “It’s not about large groups forming, says Abi-Haydar. ‘It’s about too many people yelling at each other. Is that [a good] witness?’ Some believe this kind of confrontation is just making the nominal Muslims more radical. Abi-Haydar says a loving approach to outreach and evangelism is needed in order to reach them with the Gospel.”