A judge wants to review more information before deciding whether to dismiss charges against four missionaries accused of inciting a crowd while videotaping themselves evangelizing at the Dearborn Arab International Festival in June.
Judge Marks Somers of 19th District Court in Dearborn heard arguments Monday after Robert Muise, attorney for the missionaries, filed a motion questioning the constitutionality of the charges. If the motion is denied, a trial is to be held Sept. 20.
“My clients should not stand trial for exercising their First Amendment rights,” Muise said.
Nabeel Qureshi of Virginia, Negeen Mayel of California and Paul Rezkalla and David Wood, both of New York, were charged in July with disorderly conduct after police said they received a complaint from a Christian volunteer working at the festival who said he was harassed by the group. Mayel also was charged with failure to obey a police officer’s order.
The missionaries, members of a Christian group called Acts 17 Apologetics, said they did not harass anyone.
The group caused a similar controversy at last year’s festival and posted a video on YouTube showing a dispute with security.
Police said the group’s actions at the June 18 festival were a public safety issue because they caused a large number of people to gather in a small place.
“The crowd was coming up to us. We did not engage anyone,” Qureshi said.
Muise questioned the validity of some of the witness statements, citing three inconsistencies as well as the motives of the police.
“The judge is going through this with great detail and looking at it closely, and I appreciate that,” Muise said.