(WXYZ) — Police are adding extra patrols around a Dearborn Heights mosque after receiving violent threats, while Jewish temples prepare for Yom Kippur services with heightened security measures after the horrific events that occurred Sunday in Grand Blanc Township.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
Places of worship are community staples to those who practice faith, serving as locations to peacefully come together, reflect, and pray. However, recently, these sacred spaces have become targets of threats and violence.
The Dearborn Heights Police Department has increased patrols around the Islamic Institute of America following threatening calls from an adult male living out of state. The threats targeted members of the center, its leaders, and the building itself.
"Any threat on any religious place of worship, whether it be a synagogue, a church, a mosque, a temple — it's an attack against religion and it's an attack against humanity," said Detective Sergeant Ahmad Mazloum of the Dearborn Heights Police Department.
According to Mazloum, the threatening calls became more violent after Sunday's events at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, where a shooting occurred and the church burned down. He confirmed that the caller threatened to burn down the Islamic center.
"And for you to have your hate drive so deep into your soul where you want to come and threaten people who are innocently worshiping god, shame on you," Mazloum added.
The department is now working with federal authorities and has identified a person of interest, though no one is in custody.
The city of Dearborn is also increasing security across all areas of worship in the city. They posted the following message on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Jewish temples are setting up security measures for Yom Kippur, which begins Wednesday evening.
"It's a day where probably more Jewish people will attend services at their temples and synagogues than any other on the calendar," said David Kurzmann, Senior Director of Community Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Detroit.
Kurzmann noted that the federation remains in constant communication with places of worship to ensure they have the necessary security resources, especially following Sunday's events in Grand Blanc.
"In light of events like that, we double down on all of the measures in place to keep our community safe," Kurzmann said.
Local agencies and faith leaders emphasize the importance of vigilance, encouraging community members to report suspicious activity. They stress that keeping each other safe requires everyone's participation.
—————————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
