As an anti-Islam rally ignites controversy, this congregation works to show the love of Jesus.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
DEARBORN, Mich. — An anti-Islam rally promoted as a “Christian Crusader March” drew hundreds of demonstrators and counterdemonstrators to this majority Arab American city of 110,000.
A few participants carried assault rifles as police in riot gear patrolled.
The Sunday after the recent protest, minister Wayne Beason felt compelled to speak up for his Muslim neighbors.
Related: Inside America’s debate over Muslims
“There’s a lot of talk about Muslim Americans and Arab immigrants right now, and a lot of it is pretty hurtful and deceptive,” said Beason, who preaches for the Parkside Church of Christ in Dearborn Heights, a Detroit suburb that borders Dearborn.
Dearborn Heights has a population exceeding 60,000 — with about 2 in 5 residents of Middle Eastern or North African descent, most of them Arab.
Beason, a 39-year-old Michigan native, told his congregation he’d heard from out-of-state Christians concerned about the disturbing images on the news.
“I have a hunch,” he said, “that many of us are wondering what we can do, how we can respond to the fear and hatred that’s being directed at our neighbors by people claiming to follow the same Jesus we follow.”
For years, the Parkside church has worked to share the love of Jesus with Muslims.
Members have organized English as a second language classes. They’ve helped sell immigrant-made goods at a community farmers market. They’ve grilled halal hamburgers and hot dogs — in keeping with Islamic dietary laws — at the church’s annual block party.
This story appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Hannah Mitkus
