In a highly charged confrontation in Dearborn, Michigan, anti-Islam demonstrators clashed with pro-Muslim counter-protesters after a man identified as Jake Lang attempted to burn the Quran on Tuesday.
Lang, a participant in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, arrived on Michigan Avenue and attempted to set the holy book ablaze using a lighter, Fox News reported.
Visuals that surfaced online also showed him slapping the Quran with a slab of bacon, a deliberate act of insult given that a deliberate act of insult given that pork is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Dearborn just delivered a masterclass in shutting down hate: provocateur Jake Lane strutted in with a bacon-smeared Quran, lighter ready for his latest Islamophobic spectacle, only to have protesters surge forward, snatch the book from his hands mid-slap, and end his stunt before… pic.twitter.com/cO2hoJiXaW
— Laszlo Varga (@LaszloRealtor) November 18, 2025
Dearborn protests: One protestor arrested
The clash drew a heavy police presence, who established a perimeter around the sidewalks and Michigan Avenue, intervening when the situation intensified.
At least one protestor was also injured as Lang and his group proceeded to march toward City Hall ahead of a city council meeting. No other serious injuries were however reported.
Dearborn: Focal point for anti-Islam activists
Dearborn, home to one of US’ largest Muslim communities, has recently become a focal point for anti-Islam activists accusing the city of operating under ‘Sharia law’ over the years, a claim that has been widely disputed.
Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Anthony Hudson, who reportedly had planned his own anti-Muslim protests, retracted his previous concerns over what he had termed ‘Muslim infiltration’ in Dearborn after his recent visits to three local mosques.
“I can tell you in good faith right now today standing at a pulpit in a mosque that Sharia law does not exist in Dearborn, Michigan, nor do I believe it exists anywhere in the US,” Hudson said in a video posted from a Dearborn mosque.
‘Unacceptable act of hate’
Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel issued a statement, condemning Lang’s actions, labelling the attempted burning of a religious document as “an unacceptable act of hate.” Hertel emphasised that Dearborn is a beloved multicultural city with a diverse community of cherished neighbours.