http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2013/05/dearborn-arab-international-festival.htmlFriday, May 17, 2013Dearborn Arab International Festival Canceled This Year
It's sad to see the festival canceled, but it's probably in Dearborn's best interest to cancel it. Terry Jones and Ruben Israel were coming to the festival to protest, and some of the attendees don't respond well to protesters. The city has made some important strides over the past few years, mostly due to the persuasive power of lawsuits. However, until the citizens of Dearborn can somehow convince young people not to react violently to constitutionally protected free speech, it's better not to draw a crowd.
Not surprisingly, Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press is blaming the cancelation on "aggressive" Christian "extremists," and not on the security guards who assaulted us in 2009, or on the police officers who arrested us in 2010 for having a peaceful discussion (and, two days later, took us into custody for distributing Bibles outside of the festival), or on the young Muslims who chased a preacher out of the festival in 2011, or on the young Muslims who viciously attacked Ruben Israel's group in 2012. For the Detroit Free Press, problems at the festival are always caused by Christians, even if the Christians are bleeding after being pelted with rocks.
I wonder if Niraj will ever realize that, by refusing to hold Muslims accountable for their actions, he's treating them like children, and engaging in a subtle form of racism (the racism of lowered expectations).
Dearborn--After growing religious tensions between some Christian missionaries and local Muslims, the annual Arab International Festival in Dearborn has been canceled for this year, organizers said Friday.
The announcement left many disappointed that a small number of aggressive extremists could ruin what had become a tradition in the eastern section of Dearborn, which has a significant number of Arab Americans.
The city and organizers were facing increased insurance and liability costs because of the tensions and lawsuits over the festival. Last month, the City of Dearborn had proposed moving the festival to a park instead of the traditional location on Warren Avenue in order to decrease conflict.
But Fay Baydoun, director of the American-Arab Chamber of Commerce, said Friday that it would have been impossible to organize a successful event in time at the new location. Baydoun said she hopes that next year’s festival will “come back better and stronger.” (Continue Reading.)
Be sure to read the comments on Niraj's article, to see how he's managed to convince his readers that a handful of Christian "extremists" caused all of the problems at the festival. I suspect that, if people like Niraj had reported honestly on what was happening at the festival in 2009, the problems would have been addressed and dealt with, and the festival would continue to this day
