Four Christian evangelists were arrested June 18 and charged with disorderly conduct at the Dearborn Arab International Festival in Michigan while trying to share their faith with Muslims.

The festival drew an estimated 300,000 people over three days. Authorities said they are not taking any sides and must keep the peace at a festival due to the large crowd.

Christian proselytizing at the festival has been a matter of dispute for several years. The evangelists, who are free on bond, insist they only spoke with people who wanted to speak with them.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, a federal appeals court has ruled that another evangelist, Pastor George Saieg, can distribute information on the festival's perimeter.

The ruling comes after a June 7 decision by Federal District Court Judge Paul D. Borman that upheld the Dearborn's policy of barring the distribution of religious material near the event.