12/5/12: Islamic House of Wisdom Elects New Board Members

Wednesday, December 5, 2012- The Islamic House of Wisdom Board of Trustees elected new officers during its special meeting last Wednesday evening, Dec. 5, 2012.

The board elected Hajj Dave Abdallah Chairman, Hajja Vicki Ashkar 1st Vice Chair and Hajj Tarek Chami 2nd Vice Chair. The recently formed board is composed of 17 members, and it presides over one of the leading Islamic organizations in North America.

Chairman Abdallah thanked the board and pledged to work together in serving the Islamic House of Wisdom and the community. The Chairman emphasized on responsibility, proficiency, and punctuality of the members and called on the board to maximize the meaningfulness of their discussion and be strong and productive.

The board embarked on selecting various committees to evaluate programs, increase membership and coordinate fundraising and public relations campaigns.

This is the first time in the history of local Islamic centers a woman is elected as a 1st Vice Chair. This demonstrates the vision of IHW on the importance of involvement of Muslim women in the leadership and decision making processes in the community. The choice of a young new attorney as a Vice Chair indicates the importance of outreach to the new generation in the community.

Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi praised the elections and welcomed the new enthusiasm and dynamism that the new board brings to the House of Wisdom and community, especially the young generation. Imam considered membership in the house of God an honorable covenant with the Lord and asked the trustees to fulfill their covenant faithfully and firmly. The imam called IHW a center of sincerity, service and unity. He encouraged the members to keep the legacy of openness in any board discussion, since the main mission of IHW is to educate about Islam and serve  the community.

Imam Elahi honored the founding members and those who served in the previous boards since the establishment of IHW in 1995.

Islamic House of Wisdom has a successful history in serving the community and is an active leader in interfaith dialogue and progressive programs.

It is located at 22575 Ann Arbor Trail in Dearborn Heights and it encourages community members to help the new board with their time, talent, and participation in IHW programs.