Aya Saab, 13, of Dearborn, left, rides the Freak Out with Hawraa Tehfe, 10, of Dearborn during the Arab International Festival, Sunday, June 17, 2012 in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Mandi Wright)
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.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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