A planned anti-Islam demonstration in Dearborn, Michigan, has caused city officials to warn residents to stay home unless they have pressing issues for the city council. One official has questioned if Michigan’s attorney general will be monitoring for hate crime charges.
Jake Lang, whom President Donald Trump pardoned for crimes committed at the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection, is bringing a group of “Christian Crusaders” to Dearborn in protest of the city’s Muslim population, Muslim politicians and against the “Islamification of America,” according to a post on Lang’s Facebook. He’s joined by Lorenzo Sewell, whose Instagram promotes election conspiracies and paints Islam as a threat to America.
Both have said they believe the U.S. is a Christian nation and that Islam is against American values. Lang said on Instagram the protest will involve burning the Quran and a pig roast.
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Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud referred questions about whether the demonstration qualifies as a hate crime to Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has a dedicated hate crimes unit. Hammoud added that Lang is expected to return to Dearborn for a court hearing on drug charges.
The comment upset Lang, who incorrectly stated that Hammoud wanted Nessel to charge the provocateur with hate crimes.
“I (was) literally stoned by Muslims for preaching the name of Jesus in Dearborn last week and they want to charge me with hate crimes,” Lang wrote Monday night on Instagram.
The Dearborn Police Department arrested one man in connection with an alleged assault that happened during the city’s Arbaeen March on Dec. 2. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and detained Abbas Abdoush, an Iraqi American, on assault charges for allegedly assaulting Lang, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Nessel’s office didn’t respond to Straight Arrow’s request for comment. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a Tuesday statement that “agitators” would be coming to the city just to intimidate residents and provoke reactions.
“Their plan emboldens and contributes to dangerous behavior, and I am asking every person of good will to denounce it,” she said. “Their hate has no place in Michigan.”
Dearborn Police have said they would arrest people based on their actions. Police Chief Issa Shahin said during a Monday press conference that anyone assaulting someone, blocking emergency vehicles or damaging property would be arrested.
“Every person has the right to speak, to assemble and to petition their government, even when it’s a message that our community finds offensive,” Shahin said. “Our enforcement decisions will be based on conduct, not on content or a viewpoint or any of anyone’s expression.”
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Dearborn is home to the largest Arab concentration outside of the Middle East, with at least 51.5% of the city identifying as Middle Eastern or North African.
He reiterated that anyone without pressing matters for the city’s council should stay home.
“An empty audience is the worst outcome for people looking for confrontation on camera,” he said.
What is a hate crime in Michigan?
The Michigan Legislature expanded the state’s ethnic intimidation act in 2025 by passing new provisions into the law that added protections for the LGBTQ+ community. A hate crime is a felony in Michigan.
The law bars people from “maliciously and intentionally” committing acts based on the victim’s actual or perceived identity. Unlawful actions included:
- Use of force or violence against a person.
- Causing bodily injury or death.
- Stalking.
- Damaging, defacing or otherwise destroying property without consent.
- Verbal threats to commit the above actions.
A provision in the law allows victims to file personal injury or property lawsuits against a person suspected of committing a hate crime, even if criminal charges aren’t levied or fail in prosecution.
Threats personal for Dearborn mayor
Mayor Hammoud shared an opinion piece he wrote for the Detroit Free Press on his Facebook page, explaining why he wants residents to stay home ahead of Lang and his followers’ demonstrations. He urged residents not to give the marchers any fuel and to leave them empty-handed.
Hammoud brought up an Alaskan man who allegedly made violent threats against himself and his family. He also noted the post-Sept. 11, 2001, climate Michigan was in after the attacks, and how he would explain to his kids why Dearborn is a constant target for hate.
“It’s a reality I faced growing up in the shadow of 9/11, when a man aimed a gun at me while I was walking home from middle school at the age of 11 and demanded I go back to the country I was born in ‒ the United States,” he wrote.
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