4 minSociety
Inauguration pastor says Dearborn Christians fear speaking out
Pastor Lorenzo Sewell claims Christians in Dearborn, Michigan, are afraid to express their faith and accuses local officials of preferential treatment toward Muslims. City officials deny the allegations.
A Detroit pastor who prayed at President Donald Trump's inauguration says Christians in Dearborn, Michigan, have privately told him they are afraid to publicly express their faith, while accusing local officials of running a "two-tiered justice system" that favors Muslims.
Lorenzo Sewell, senior pastor of 180 Church in Detroit, said in an interview that Dearborn city officials give Muslim residents preferential treatment. He cited what he described as a pattern of police failing to act when Christians are assaulted, and pointed to city policies he said reflect Islamic practices rather than American law.
"Right now, the city officials in Dearborn specifically, they are giving Muslims preferential treatment," Sewell said. He argued that Dearborn police know how to enforce the law, referencing his experience as a Black man in Detroit, but that "when someone's being assaulted and the police choose to look the other way, you can see clearly a two-tiered justice system."
Sewell's remarks follow a town hall appearance in Dearborn where he said, "America, we have lost this city. This is a city that is no longer up under American laws; we are up under Sharia law. We will not have it anymore." The comments went viral after he attended the "Christian Crusader March" led by conservative activist Jake Lang, which took place near a Dearborn City Council meeting.
Dearborn police said they made 22 arrests following that march. Police Chief Issa Shahin defended the department's response, saying officers "met a challenging and rapidly evolving situation with the professionalism this community expects, keeping everyone safe, protecting the constitutional rights of those who came to be heard, and allowing the City Council to complete its business."
Sewell pointed to several local practices as evidence of what he called Sharia law influence. He cited a 2023 Hamtramck City Council vote allowing animal sacrifice, the serving of halal-certified meat in Dearborn public schools, and the public call to prayer. The Dearborn Public Schools website states that "all meats served in our schools are certified Halal."
"I see the city council upholding Sharia law through things like the call to prayer, through things like halal meat, through having more Arab writing than they do actually English," Sewell said. He also claimed his wife received a death threat and that police did not act despite having the suspect's information.
Sewell said Dearborn Christians have reached out to him since his comments went viral. "I've had Dearborn Christians come out from the north, south, east, and west, and they're afraid," he said. "I'm having people say, 'I'm with you, but I'm afraid to say it.'"
Dearborn City Council President Mike Sareini rejected the pastor's claims. "The City of Dearborn is an American city governed by the U.S. Constitution, the laws of the state of Michigan, and the charter of the city of Dearborn," Sareini said, calling the allegations false.
