By Aysha Jamali, Press & Guide Newspapers

DEARBORN — Hijab, the religious head-covering worn by many Muslim women, is often seen as a strange, oppressive symbol by those unfamiliar with its significance.

After growing religious tensions between some Christian missionaries and local Muslims, the annual Arab International Festival in Dearborn has been canceled for this year, organizers said Friday.

by Garibaldi

John Brennan‘s appointment to head the CIA reached the senate floor in a final phase that was supposed to witness a quick “stamp of approval” but in a stunning move Sen. Rand Paul announced that he would filibuster the appointment…

Florida pastor Terry Jones got the world’s attention back in 2010 when he set fire to the Quran, the Islamic holy book. His screeds gained national prominence during the whole debate over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” that year.

In April 2011, pastor Terry Jones burned a Koran in Gainesville, Florida, sparking deadly clashes in Afghanistan and Pakistan. One year later, he burned a Koran again, and no one paid any attention. That same month he came to Dearborn, Michigan, to protest in front of the Islamic Center of America, the nation’s largest mosque.

Earlier this year I wrote a excruciatingly detailed feature article describing how Wretched TV had deceptively edited footage of some Christian streetpreachers at the Arabfest in Dearborn Michigan in order to portray the Muslims in attendance as violent, bloodthirsty foreigners.

You might not think of Detroit as an epicenter of insight about the changing roles of Muslim women in the United States. It’s best known to the world as the home of Motown Music and the U.S. auto industry, with Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Chrysler all headquartered here.

Over the weekend, Jerry Boykin was interviewed on a radio program out of Bakersfield, California ahead of a scheduled appearance at a local church early next week where he will undoubtedly promote his anti-Islam conspiracy theories.

Reading today about the behavior of the fanatical Christian missionary zealots who showed up to provoke crowds for the fourth year in a row at an Arab Internationl Festival in Dearborn, Michigan got me thinking. What was their purpose?

Yesterday in Dearborn, Michigan, noted anti-Muslim activists Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer hosted a conference promising to advocate for “human rights” in one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States.