Detroit prayer event puts community on edge

DETROIT (AP) ? An area with one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States is bracing itself for a 24-hour prayer rally by a group that counts Islam among the ills facing the nation.

The gathering in Detroit at Ford Field, the stadium where the Detroit Lions play, starts this evening and is designed to tackle issues such as the economy, racial strife, same-sex relationships and abortion.

But the decade-old organization known as TheCall has said Detroit is a ?microcosm of our national crisis? in all areas, including ?the rising tide of the Islamic movement.?

Leaders of TheCall believe a satanic spirit is shaping all parts of U.S. society, and it must be challenged through intensive Christian prayer and fasting. Such a demonic spirit has taken hold of specific areas, Detroit among them, organizers say.

Muslims aren?t the only ones concerned. A coalition of Detroit clergy plans to march to the football stadium and hold their own rally.

?We do not agree with the spread of a message of hate, but a message of peace and a message of love,? the Rev. Charles Williams II, pastor of Historic King Solomon Church in Detroit, said. ?We love our Muslim brothers. We love those who are homosexual and we are not scared ... to stand up when the time calls for us to.?