Zahra Ayoub wants to dispel any ideas that Dearborn operates under sharia law, the edicts of Islam.
She does so with humor. She says the city is under shawarma lw, a reference to the popular, Middle Eastern pita roll-up, writes Ann Zaniewski of the Detroit Free Press.
To spread the word, she organizes Shawarma Law dinners around her hometown.
"Dearborn is a beautiful city where you can do a lot of things," the 42-year-old tells the Freep. "I want to spread the word that there's no reason to fear coming to Dearborn."
The next dinner is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at the La Pita restaurant at 22681 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.
In 2013, the National Report website published a satirical article that said the city had enacted sharia law. The city quickly dispelled that, but some people still believe it.
"Dearborn, Michigan, yes, we're Muslim here," Ayoub said. "But I've been living in the city for 25 years. I have never seen somebody get stoned to death. … I have never seen a woman get beat up for not being covered."
