Detroit

Overview

Detroit was the industrial powerhouse of the 20th Century, drawing large numbers of immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Middle East to man the “Big Three’s” automotive assembly lines.  Now, in the 21st Century, Metro Detroit is home to the 2nd largest Arab population outside of the Middle East, with estimates of over 300,000!  Dearborn, a city on Detroit’s southwest side and home to Ford’s International Headquarters, has the largest proportion of Arabs in North America and the densest Muslim population in the area.  Hamtramck, once home to the mighty Dodge Main Plant and a legendary Polish enclave, is now the nation’s only Muslim-majority city with large populations of least-reached Yemeni and Bangladeshi Muslims.  On the streets of East Dearborn and Hamtramck, one can hear the Muslim call to prayer echo from a mosque, read street signs in Arabic and Bangla, and smell the spices of Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking. According to the Global Gates North America Unreached People Group Matrix, 5 of the top 100 unreached people group communities most in need of missionaries are in Metro Detroit.