Saturday Afternoon with Congressman John Conyers at the Islamic House of Wisdom
Congressman John Conyers, fourteenth district Democratic Representative of Michigan and the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, visited the Islamic House of Wisdom for an informal meeting and discussion with leaders and activists of local mosques and community members. The Honorable Congressman was accompanied by his assistant, Mrs. Olivia (Liv) Boykins. The event took place on Saturday, May 19, 2007, at 3:00 p.m. and included a broad range of topics but mostly concentrating on specific issues currently of significance to the nation in general and to the local Muslim-American and Middle Eastern-American community in particular.
Founding Imam of IHW, Imam Mohamad Ali Elahi, welcomed the Honorable Congressman and his assistant and emphasized the mutual friendship long established between the Congressman and the Muslim community given the Congressman’s principles of upholding justice and peace. Also in attendance were several Imams from other local mosques. Imam Abdul Latif Berry of the Islamic Institute of Knowledge in Dearborn extended his respects to the Congressman, highlighting the need for further and more in depth dialogue and communications between the Congressman’s office and the local community; and suggested that such an interactive meeting take place every three months to establish such a dialogue deemed vital by our community and necessary for our government and nation. Shiek Hesham Hussein from the Karbala Center in Dearborn also reiterated the high respect this community has for the Congressman, bringing to his attention the ongoing repeated vandalism of local mosques, including the Karbala Center, which has received only a lukewarm response from the local FBI office, and the persistent misinformation and personal propaganda attacks by the paranoid Debbie Schlussel, the internet anti-Muslim, “anti-anyone-but-her” website.
Local community activists also participated in the discussion. Dr. Mohamad Bazzi, Chairman of the IHW, greeted the Honorable Congressman and emphasized that among all the victims of our foreign policies, our nation and our soldiers are first and foremost, stressing that such disastrous policies ought to be abandoned or amended for the sake of national and international relations with other nations and their people. As a member of IHW, Dr. Farhad Ghoddousi thanked the Honorable Congressman and hoped that any potential future U.S. committee set up to interact with the Iranian government should include Congressman Conyers due to his principles of justice and equity. Other local community members and their families also joined in the discussion, relating to the Honorable Congressman their personal issues de aling with the U.S. government biased approach to Constitutional issues.
The Honorable Congressman listened to all the questions and comments attentively, responding individually to each issue. He further highlighted his role as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, relating his stand on the current Washington upheaval involving Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the U.S. Attorneys. At the end of the meeting, Dr. Mohamad Bazzi presented the Honorable Congressman and his assistant, Mrs. Olivia Boykins, with translated copies of the Holy Quran, on behalf of Islamic House of Wisdom, Imam Mohamad Ali Elahi, and the community in general for his continual support and kindness.
The signed copy of the Holy Quran presented to Congressman John Conyers:
To The Honorable Congressman John Conyer,
Blessed are the Peace Makers.
Your voice and actions on Capital Hill are greatly admirable and certainly cherished by all of us who belong to God’s Humanity.
On behalf of Islamic House of Wisdom and Imam Mohamad Ali Elahi, May God bless you, your family, and your ever endeavoring mission in Washington.
Dr. Mohamad Bazzi
Chairman
Islamic House of Wisdom
5-19-2007