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Jury: 4 Christian missionaries not guilty of inciting crowd, but one guilty of not obeying police order at Arab International Festival
Christian missionaries Negeen Mayel, David Wood and Paul Rezkalla, who were arrested with Dr. Nabeel Qureshi at the Dearborn Arab International Festival in June, listen to Judge Mark Somers during their arraignment in 19th District Court in July.
DEARBORN — Four Christian missionaries accused of inciting a crowd while videotaping themselves preaching to Muslims at the Arab International Festival in June were acquitted Friday evening in 19th District Court.
Robert Muise, an attorney with the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center, represented the evangelists, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, Negeen Mayel and David Wood.
The four, who are members or founders of a group called “Acts 17 Apologetics, were charged with breach of peace in July after police said they received a complaint from a Christian festival volunteer who said he was harassed by the group.
Mayel also was charged with and found guilty of failing to obey a police officer’s order. Her one-day jail sentence was waived for time served.
“The guilty decision for (Mayel’s) charge of failure to obey a police officer is extremely disturbing to me” said State Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) in a statement issued Friday. “I met with the ACLU here in Michigan recently to make sure we had good laws protecting citizens’ right to video police officers and their activity and they said we have the model for other states.
“But based on today’s decision, it seems that police in Michigan can get cameras turned off before doing questionable things. And how did the police have the right to tell (Mayel) to turn off her video camera and how can he touch her....for what reason? The video she took made it clear the police stepped way out of bounds.”
City officials have denied the allegations. They say they missionaries were arrested because their behavior “drew and incited a large crowd to a point where they were in violation of city of Dearborn misdemeanor ordinances of breach of peace and failure to obey the lawful order of a police officer,”
But Muise argued in court that the group did nothing wrong and that their arrest violates their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and religion.
“(Muise) did an outstanding job advocating on behalf of Free Speech rights protected by our Constitution, despite unsubstantiated police claims that peaceful conversations with Muslims were going to incite a disturbance,” said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center. “The bottom line in the jury’s not guilty verdict: the Constitution, not Shariah law, still prevails in Dearborn, Michigan.”
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly said that while he respects the jury’s decision, he believes the missionaries were pulling a publicity stunt on YouTube in order raise money. Continued...
Robert Muise, an attorney with the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center, represented the evangelists, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, Negeen Mayel and David Wood.
The four, who are members or founders of a group called “Acts 17 Apologetics, were charged with breach of peace in July after police said they received a complaint from a Christian festival volunteer who said he was harassed by the group.
Mayel also was charged with and found guilty of failing to obey a police officer’s order. Her one-day jail sentence was waived for time served.
“The guilty decision for (Mayel’s) charge of failure to obey a police officer is extremely disturbing to me” said State Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) in a statement issued Friday. “I met with the ACLU here in Michigan recently to make sure we had good laws protecting citizens’ right to video police officers and their activity and they said we have the model for other states.
“But based on today’s decision, it seems that police in Michigan can get cameras turned off before doing questionable things. And how did the police have the right to tell (Mayel) to turn off her video camera and how can he touch her....for what reason? The video she took made it clear the police stepped way out of bounds.”
City officials have denied the allegations. They say they missionaries were arrested because their behavior “drew and incited a large crowd to a point where they were in violation of city of Dearborn misdemeanor ordinances of breach of peace and failure to obey the lawful order of a police officer,”
But Muise argued in court that the group did nothing wrong and that their arrest violates their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and religion.
“(Muise) did an outstanding job advocating on behalf of Free Speech rights protected by our Constitution, despite unsubstantiated police claims that peaceful conversations with Muslims were going to incite a disturbance,” said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center. “The bottom line in the jury’s not guilty verdict: the Constitution, not Shariah law, still prevails in Dearborn, Michigan.”
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly said that while he respects the jury’s decision, he believes the missionaries were pulling a publicity stunt on YouTube in order raise money. Continued...
“It’s really about a hatred of Muslims,” O’Reilly said. “That is what the whole heart of this is. ... Their idea is that there is no place for Muslims in America. They fail to understand the Constitution.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Staff Writer Sean Delaney at (734) 246-2702 or sdelaney@heritage.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Staff Writer Sean Delaney at (734) 246-2702 or sdelaney@heritage.com.
DEARBORN — Four Christian missionaries accused of inciting a crowd while videotaping themselves preaching to Muslims at the Arab International Festival in June were acquitted Friday evening in 19th District Court.
Robert Muise, an attorney with the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center, represented the evangelists, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, Negeen Mayel and David Wood.
The four, who are members or founders of a group called “Acts 17 Apologetics, were charged with breach of peace in July after police said they received a complaint from a Christian festival volunteer who said he was harassed by the group.
Mayel also was charged with and found guilty of failing to obey a police officer’s order. Her one-day jail sentence was waived for time served.
“The guilty decision for (Mayel’s) charge of failure to obey a police officer is extremely disturbing to me” said State Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) in a statement issued Friday. “I met with the ACLU here in Michigan recently to make sure we had good laws protecting citizens’ right to video police officers and their activity and they said we have the model for other states.
“But based on today’s decision, it seems that police in Michigan can get cameras turned off before doing questionable things. And how did the police have the right to tell (Mayel) to turn off her video camera and how can he touch her....for what reason? The video she took made it clear the police stepped way out of bounds.”
City officials have denied the allegations. They say they missionaries were arrested because their behavior “drew and incited a large crowd to a point where they were in violation of city of Dearborn misdemeanor ordinances of breach of peace and failure to obey the lawful order of a police officer,”
But Muise argued in court that the group did nothing wrong and that their arrest violates their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and religion.
“(Muise) did an outstanding job advocating on behalf of Free Speech rights protected by our Constitution, despite unsubstantiated police claims that peaceful conversations with Muslims were going to incite a disturbance,” said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center. “The bottom line in the jury’s not guilty verdict: the Constitution, not Shariah law, still prevails in Dearborn, Michigan.”
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly said that while he respects the jury’s decision, he believes the missionaries were pulling a publicity stunt on YouTube in order raise money.
“It’s really about a hatred of Muslims,” O’Reilly said. “That is what the whole heart of this is. ... Their idea is that there is no place for Muslims in America. They fail to understand the Constitution.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Staff Writer Sean Delaney at (734) 246-2702 or sdelaney@heritage.com.
Robert Muise, an attorney with the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center, represented the evangelists, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, Negeen Mayel and David Wood.
The four, who are members or founders of a group called “Acts 17 Apologetics, were charged with breach of peace in July after police said they received a complaint from a Christian festival volunteer who said he was harassed by the group.
Mayel also was charged with and found guilty of failing to obey a police officer’s order. Her one-day jail sentence was waived for time served.
“The guilty decision for (Mayel’s) charge of failure to obey a police officer is extremely disturbing to me” said State Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) in a statement issued Friday. “I met with the ACLU here in Michigan recently to make sure we had good laws protecting citizens’ right to video police officers and their activity and they said we have the model for other states.
“But based on today’s decision, it seems that police in Michigan can get cameras turned off before doing questionable things. And how did the police have the right to tell (Mayel) to turn off her video camera and how can he touch her....for what reason? The video she took made it clear the police stepped way out of bounds.”
City officials have denied the allegations. They say they missionaries were arrested because their behavior “drew and incited a large crowd to a point where they were in violation of city of Dearborn misdemeanor ordinances of breach of peace and failure to obey the lawful order of a police officer,”
But Muise argued in court that the group did nothing wrong and that their arrest violates their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and religion.
“(Muise) did an outstanding job advocating on behalf of Free Speech rights protected by our Constitution, despite unsubstantiated police claims that peaceful conversations with Muslims were going to incite a disturbance,” said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center. “The bottom line in the jury’s not guilty verdict: the Constitution, not Shariah law, still prevails in Dearborn, Michigan.”
Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly said that while he respects the jury’s decision, he believes the missionaries were pulling a publicity stunt on YouTube in order raise money.
“It’s really about a hatred of Muslims,” O’Reilly said. “That is what the whole heart of this is. ... Their idea is that there is no place for Muslims in America. They fail to understand the Constitution.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Staff Writer Sean Delaney at (734) 246-2702 or sdelaney@heritage.com.
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