For 43 years, the Ungers have lived in the same home in the eastern part of Dearborn. The couple said they like their neighbors, the sense of community and the growing diversity of an area that has one of the highest percentages of Arab Americans in Michigan.
But a couple of years ago in 2023, their peace was disturbed when they started hearing what they said is a loud call to prayer broadcast outdoors through a loudspeaker at a mosque on Schaefer Road, a few blocks west of their house. At least twice a day and during other times, Mike and Andrea Unger would hear the Islamic call to prayer in Arabic, known as the adhan, even when their windows were closed. The Ungers, who are Christian, stress that they like their Muslim neighbors and respect freedom of religion, but feel some in Dearborn are imposing their faith on them.
“This is the first time since we’ve lived here that this has happened,” Mike Unger wrote in a letter in August 2023 to Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and City Council members, asking for help. “We live a quarter of a mile away and it can be heard clearly and loudly at our house. … My wife has called several departments in the City of Dearborn about this issue and has gotten various answers.”…