A small American town is fearing a Muslim takeover after being transformed by mass migration.
Locals in Warren, Michigan, said waves of Middle Eastern migrants in the 1990s and 2000s have now left their hometown into "chaos" - and now fear it will resemble nearby Dearborn, commonly known as America's "first Muslim city".
Justin Tye, 57, said that ever since an 80-year-old Lutheran church was converted into a mosque, he and his neighbours are feeling pushed out.
"They'll turn anything into a mosque," he told Fox News.
Within just a few miles of his neighbourhood, there are now five mosques.
Buildings converted into Muslim places of worship include a former oil industrial machinery business and a former Baptist church.
Mr Tye also pointed out a residential home the Muslim community sought to turn into a mosque resulting in a bitter planning battle, with Warren City Council eventually deciding against the change.
He said he remembers how the former Lutheran church - now the Al-Ihsaan Islamic Centre - used to be the centrepiece of the community, where local children would gather on the lawn to play.
Now, he claims the town has changed dramatically.
Justin Tye said the neighbourhood transformed after a Lutheran church turned into a Muslim mosque
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Locals fear Warren will turn into Dearborn, Michigan (pictured) - America's 'first Muslim city'
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"It all started when they bought the mosque, roughly six years ago," he said.
"After Ramadan, they would have their prayer service. It was unannounced. We didn't know anything," he added.
"All of a sudden, we were just woken up to 100-plus people behind the mosque, with an imam on a podium with big amplifier speakers, belting out his prayer service. So it woke up the whole neighborhood."
Mr Tye's longtime neighbour, Wendy Schneider, accused new migrant residents of not fully understanding the rules of the road, making driving in the town increasingly risky.
She said: "One thing that I've found is that the driving conditions around here are very dangerous, and especially on their Friday, I make no appointments.
Masjid Al-Fath Islamic Centre of Warren was formerly an oil industrial machinery business
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"Because it's too dangerous to try to leave my house."
Another resident who was not named and has lived in the city of 139,387 since 1971, said the influx of migrants has disrupted their way of life, saying that "every restaurant that closes up - American restaurant - there's a Muslim restaurant that opens up".
And a fourth neighbour, who also asked not to be named, said he was "normally laid back"."
"But it's like, this is my neighborhood and they're just taking it over, and that's what bothers me," he said. "And they don't care."
Mr Tye then listed the ways the "whole neighbourhood has been flipped", noting that Democratic Mayor Lori Stone, who previously served in the Michigan House, has refused to speak with them.
Warren City Hall (pictured) ruled against the conversion of a residential home to a mosque
WIKIMEDIA / AJAY_SURESH
"Disrespecting the neighbourhood, disrespecting the people who live here, parking in our driveways, blocking our driveways, parking on our lawns," he said, rattling off examples of how life have changed.
The mayor's office told Fox News she was "not aware" of any issues brought up by residents and said her administration "takes resident concerns seriously and works diligently to support the community by addressing issues and assisting with problem-solving".
She also said in a statement that the claims were "broad and lack sufficient information for the City to verify or investigate the alleged incidents".
"To date, my office has not received the complaints or concerns outlined in your email, nor has the Warren Police Department provided any updates indicating problems related to the matters you describe," she added.
The Warren Police Department, meanwhile, said it took all "quality-of-life concerns, including parking and noise complaints, seriously".
It added: "In previous years when officers responded to calls in the area, they consistently found that while vehicle volume can be high, all vehicles were legally parked.
"In the past, noise complaints associated with the area were primarily reported during the daytime, which fall outside the restrictions of the city's general noise ordinances."

By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-21 00:00:59 | Updated at 2026-09-21 01:13:08
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