Metro Muslims See Some Progress, Hope for More
Over the past decade, Eide Alawan, 70, estimates he’s helped host about 10,000 non-Muslims at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, one of the bigger mosques in Michigan.
And so when Alawan of Dearborn hears about the intense opposition to Islamic centers in New York and across the nation, or a Christian pastor who plans to burn Islam’s holy book, he’s concerned. But he sees all this as part of a trial process that other groups — African Americans, Japanese Americans and Catholics, among others — had to go through in the U.S.
“We will have to wait our time until Americans find out about what the faith of Islam really is,” said Alawan, who has worked for decades on interfaith cooperation. “Everyone has gone through it. And now, it’s our turn.”
Still, Alawan and other Muslims in metro Detroit see positive signs as America marks the nine-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, whose effects still linger for many.
Because metro Detroit has such a sizeable presence of Arab Americans — the state has the highest concentration, according to U.S. census figures — any backlash has been limited, local residents say.
Dr. Yahya Basha of West Bloomfield also continues to be active in the Muslim community, but he, too, has concerns when he hears leaders like Newt Gingrich make references to Nazis when declaring his opposition to the Ground Zero mosque.
And Shawn Mohammed, 40, of Dearborn says he is bothered by the planned burnings of the Quran in Florida and elsewhere. “It really upsets me,” Mohammed said. “We respect other religions. We expect others to respect ours.”
But in metro Detroit, the Muslim community is thriving.
Last Sunday, during all-night prayers, Basha noticed the mosque he attended in Bloomfield Hills was packed to capacity with worshipers.
“The U.S. is a great country,” Basha said. “The extremists are few.”
Like Alawan, Basha said that Muslims are going through a stage that other minority groups faced. By coincidence, Basha and other Arab-American leaders were previously scheduled to meet with White House officials on Sept. 11, 2001, to discuss their concerns about racial profiling.
Now, as emotions run high on the nine-year anniversary, Basha urges calm.
“We don’t want to become tense, negative,” Basha said.
Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press