DEARBORN, Mich. - The 2012 Arab International Festival has drawn thousands of visitors to the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, as well as attracting some anti-Muslim protesters.
The festival opened Friday and ends Sunday in Dearborn, a community with large Arab-American and Muslim populations. About 300,000 people in southeastern Michigan have roots in the Arab world.
The festival includes concerts by more than a dozen Arab musicians and a range of Middle Eastern foods and products.
A number of Christian missionaries have picketed the festival. One brought a pig's head Friday.
One group called the Bible Believers held signs saying "Islam is a religion of blood and murder" and "Muhammad is a ... liar."
The Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/LeAf99 ) says horse-mounted Wayne County sheriff's deputies kept young Arab Americans away from the protesters.
