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Welcome to IONA Masjid
Your place of worship and learning
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Welcome to IONA Masjid
Your place of worship and learning
IONA in the News
Metro Detroit
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm Meets Mosque Leaders (November 8, 2007)
Detroit, MI–One of the great benefits of Muslims uniting and working with each other is
the respect we garner from non-Muslims, particularly from the religious and political
communities. The Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM) has been
successful in bringing together representatives from most ethnic and cultural groups;
and especially Shia and Sunni groups. In Detroit, Michigan, 16 Imams from varying
communities joined Mr. Greg Roberts, liaison to the Governor in religious affairs, and
Gov. Granholm to discuss 3 concerns of the Muslim community and the economic
condition of Michigan.
Imam Mustafa Elturk, spokesman for the group, began with reading a statement relating
to Islamophobia, then addressed the Governor regarding the need for better
enforcement of Michigan’s Ethnic Intimidation Statute, the need for a statewide bill
banning racial profiling similar to a bill already approved by the City of Detroit’s, and
desire to work with the State to increase services for convicts, who are attempting to be
productive citizens upon the release from prison.
The Governor showed interests in sitting with the Muslim community to devise a plan to
proactively fight Islamophobia. Mr. Roberts stated that he would help coordinate the
effort with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan State Police inregards to the better policing and enforcement of Ethnic Intimidation as well as
coordinate a meeting with one of the mosques in regards to the Muslim community
working with the State regarding Housing & Land Development.
Dawud Walid, of CAIR-Michigan, mentioned to the Governor that the problem wasn’t
enforcement of the Ethnic Intimidation Statute but that it was weak, and gave an
example of how this charge was dropped in a case were a Muslim was beaten because
the prosecutor felt that Ethnic Intimidation Statute was useless. Imams Hassan Qazwini
and Ali Elahi gave very personal examples of Ethnic Intimidation recounting
experiences they had at airports in this country.
Imam Achmat Salie also presented an idea that the Gov. liked regarding having leaders
throughout the State (the Upper Peninsula especially) come to masajid to speak with
leaders in a way similar to the way that the US State Department brings in people from
other countries to come to masajid to learn about the community.
About IONA
IONA's objective is to help the Muslims of North America understand and fulfill their divinely ordained obligations, in order to please Allah (SWT) and thereby achieve success and salvation in the Hereafter.
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