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Late Friday evening, a jury of six Dearborn, Michigan residents returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of breach of the peace charges, which were brought by the Dearborn Police Department against four Christian evangelists as they were peacefully proselytizing to Muslim youths during the Arab International Festival on June 18, 2010.

The Thomas More Law Center, a national Christian public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, represented the evangelists, Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, Negeen Mayel and David Wood, at no charge. The jury returned its verdict after an hour and half of deliberations. Nageen Mayel was found guilty of failing to obey a police officer—a charge unrelated to the actual incident, which will most likely be reversed on appeal.

Robert Muise, the Law Center’s Senior Trial Counsel, handled the five-day trial. The prosecutor placed seven witnesses on the stand including Chief of Police, Ron Haddad.

Even after the acquittals, Dearborn’s mayor, Jack O’Reilly, continued his ongoing and unprecedented personal attacks on the Christian evangelists, accusing them of being anti–Muslim bigots. O’Reilly’s continuous anti-Christian rhetoric was clearly an attempt to curry favor with Dearborn’s large Muslim population, which also explains the Police Department’s alarming mobilization to arrest the four Christians.

Wood and Dr. Qureshi are co-founders of “Act 17 Apologetics,” a ministry group that defends the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On June 18, Mayel and Rezkalla joined them in their missionary work. Dr. Qureshi and Mayel are converts from Islam to Christianity. After the verdict, the group praised the Thomas More Law Center and particularly Robert Muise, whom they described as sharing their emotional burdens and investing more time on the issue than even they did.  The group claimed that without the Thomas More Law Center, they would not have been able to defend themselves from persecution by the City of Dearborn.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center, commented, “Rob 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.  The bottom line in the jury’s not guilty verdict: the Constitution, not Shariah law, still prevails in Dearborn, Michigan.”

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America.  The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

The 2011 Defense Authorization Bill, which contained a provision allowing open homosexuality in the armed services, failed today by a 56-43 vote.  Senate Republicans and two Democrats halted the 60 votes necessary to overcome any filibuster of the bill.

All four service chiefs opposed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), which bars open homosexuals from serving in the armed forces. In addition, over 160 top military officials advised against the repeal of DADT.

Over 1,150 distinguished retired Flag and General Officers of the military, including 51 four-star generals and admirals, strongly urge that the existing ban be maintained.  In a statement released last year, they expressed their great concern about the impact a repeal of the ban would have on “morale, discipline, unit cohesion, and overall readiness.”

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented: “Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ would ultimately destroy our military. An all-volunteer military would quickly degenerate to an all-homosexual military, as heterosexuals would eventually refuse to volunteer.”

If the ban were repealed, LGBT operatives would infiltrate the military, and backed by a brigade of ACLU lawyers, would push the homosexual agenda to the point of paralyzing the primary purpose of the military—winning wars.

Military men and women, our sons and daughters, should not be subjected to an involuntary social experiment; and our nation should not have to compromise its national security in order to allow satisfy promises made to militant homosexual groups.

From the Desk of Richard Thompson,
President & Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center

9/11: We Will Never Forget

September 11, 2010

Dear TMLC Friends and Supporters:

Today we remember the nearly 3,000 innocent victims murdered on 9/11 by Muslim terrorists in the name of Islam.   We also honor the firefighters, police officers, and others who were the first to courageously respond to the attacks—and ultimately gave their own lives.

It is often said that since our Nation’s founding, every generation has faced a defining challenge to America’s survival.  Today, the defining challenge is Radical Islam.  As Abraham Lincoln said to Congress in 1861, “The struggle of today is not altogether for today — it is for a vast future also. With a reliance on Providence, all the more firm and earnest, let us proceed in the great task which events have devolved upon us.”

Our great task lies in defeating the growing threat of Radical Islam and its attempt to impose Sharia Law on Americans.  It is up to this generation to preserve the memory of the victims of 9/11.

Radical Islam remembers September 11, 2001, as well—by planning to construct a victory mosque that towers over the ruins of the World Trade Center. Cloaking themselves in the garb of moderation and unity, Radical Muslims use America’s religious tolerance as a means to deceive and to advance their ultimate aim: a nation ruled under Sharia Law.

This is also a time to honor our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and all of our troops throughout the world. We must remember that freedom isn’t free; and it is because of their sacrifices since 9/11 that our nation’s liberty is secured. As we honor the victims and their families, we must vow to keep the flame of retribution burning strong until Radical Islam is soundly defeated.

 This is a time to pray for our Country and for all of our fighting men and women in harm’s way.  It is customary to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time)—the time of the first plane crash on September 11, 2001.

 May God continue to bless America.

Sincerely yours,

Richard Thompson
President & Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center

September 7, 2010

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed an important friend of the court brief last Thursday in support of the critical parts of Arizona’s immigration law (SB 1070). Federal District Court Judge Susan Bolton had held the law unconstitutional.

Also joining in the brief were the Society of Americans for National Existence and the Center for Security Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank dealing with matters relating to national security.

The central point of the friend of the court brief is that under our Constitution, “the State of Arizona retains the independent and paramount authority to enact and enforce laws related to illegal immigration, for the purpose of protecting its citizens;” and the executive branch has no authority to prevent Arizona from exercising this sovereign power by its policy of non-enforcement.  [Click here to read entire brief]

It is undisputed that Arizona is under assault by illegal immigrants, as evidenced by the federally advised “no-go zones” just miles outside of Arizona’s major metropolitan areas. It is also clear that the federal government refuses to carry out its responsibility to enforce the existing laws aimed at protecting America’s borders from the invasion of illegal immigrants that cross over from Mexico into Arizona and other border states.

Despite the federal government’s admission that it could not fulfill its congressionally- mandated responsibility of safeguarding America’s borders, on July 28, 2010 Judge Bolton ruled that federal law preempted Arizona’s own effort to protect its citizens from an epidemic of violent crimes caused by thousands of illegal immigrants within its borders.

Moreover, in an unprecedented insult to American citizens, and particularly to the citizens of Arizona,  the U.S. State Department cited the Arizona law as an example of America’s need to improve its record on “human rights,” in a first ever report to the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “It’s clear that for purely partisan political reasons, the Obama administration is doing everything it can to prevent Arizona from protecting its citizens from the onslaught of violence caused by illegal immigrants. This administration once again revealed its incompetence when Attorney General Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano accused Arizona of racial profiling and had to later admit they had not even read the immigration law.  It’s the duty of every patriotic American to support Arizona on this issue.”

The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life.  It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America.  The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization.  You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.