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Michigan state politicians are being criticized for their silence ahead of a planned “Christian Crusader” demonstration in Muslim-majority Dearborn on Tuesday organized by white nationalist and anti-Muslim activist Jake Lang.
Lang and fellow Islamophobic activist and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell have planned an assault on Dearborn City Hall during a city council meeting on Tuesday evening.
In his post on Facebook with a seemingly AI-generated poster advertising the demonstration, Lang encourages followers to join, saying “CRUSADE OR BE REPLACED,” seemingly referring to the white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory. Sewell said that Lang is also planning a pig roast.
Community leaders, including Christian figures, have called for unity ahead of the march — which is just the latest of Lang’s visits to Dearborn to harass Muslim residents and provoke them into responding for his audience of hundreds of thousands online.
Dearborn has the highest proportion of Muslim residents of any U.S. municipality, and has become a frequent target of Islamophobic attacks from politicians and provocateurs like Lang.
Lang, who Donald Trump pardoned last year for his participation in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, has gained a following by traveling to different cities to attack Islam and aggravate Muslims across the U.S., committing such hateful acts as burning Qurans and using pork to harass Muslim residents. Critics have noted that he uses abusive tactics to incite violence against him, and then claims victimhood, often prompting the arrest of the people he agitated.
Dearborn’s police chief has said that the department is increasing the police presence in Dearborn in anticipation of the march.
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Leaders like Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who is Muslim, and local Muslim groups have encouraged residents to stay home and avoid a confrontation with Lang and refuse to feed his content.
“Dearborn welcomes everybody, and to so many, that is a challenge to the perspective of America that they believe in — that you cannot be multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multi-generational, that you cannot speak multiple languages and still be as American as any other city,” Hammoud said on Monday.
However, for months, statewide leaders like Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have been relatively mum about Lang’s attacks — even though one Iraqi man has been detained by ICE after he allegedly attacked Lang when Lang attacked a Muslim gathering in Dearborn last August.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), who represents Dearborn, has condemned Michigan leaders for not speaking up.
“Islamophobia is a problem among both Democrats and Republicans,” Tlaib said on social media on Monday. “The silence in Michigan among state leaders while one of the largest cities in the state is being terrorized by Islamophobes is shameful.”
Following Tlaib’s condemnation, on Tuesday, Whitmer released a short statement echoing the calls for residents not to engage with Lang. It does not mention Muslim residents specifically, despite Lang’s clear targeted attacks.
“Dearborn is home to one of the most vibrant communities in America. Its residents are our friends and our neighbors,” Whitmer said. “Today, a group of agitators is traveling to Dearborn for the sole purpose of intimidating that community and provoking a reaction. Their plan emboldens and contributes to dangerous behavior, and I am asking every person of good will to denounce it.”