Meeting with Honorable Senator Debbie Stabenow, Very Meaningful

and Promising!

What did Imam Elahi say to our Senator?

"It was a pleasure this morning to meet with Senator Debbie Stabenow and a group of Muslim religious leaders at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.

In addition to chairman, Dr. Nouroddin Saab, Dr. Ned Fawaz, and Imam Kazerouni from ICOA, all other participants got a chance to share their concerns, especially on the issues related to our community including president Trump and his Islamophobic statements and expressions.

I addressed the meeting and spoke to Senator Stabenow of my concerns on immigration issues and the problem related to hundreds of Iraqis in Michigan who are detained for many months and are in the danger of deportation.

I also expressed my disappointment of president Trump's troubling tweets which continue to create chaos and confrontation all over the world. I mentioned that the president's declaration of Jerusalem was not only an attack at the Palestinians but also an insult to the Muslims, Christians and Jews all over the world who consider Jerusalem as spiritual capital of three Abrahamic traditions and in particular the capital for Palestinians.
I called presidents tweets on the recent Iranian demonstrations very embarrassing. Of course every community and nation has the right to demonstrate peacefully against their leader's policies but for Trump to ban Iranians from traveling to the US and call them a terrorist nation and then all the sudden call them good and wise for opposing their political system? That is so cheap and dishonest!

Would the president also praise the demonstrations of the Palestinians in Jerusalem against the Israeli government, or the Saudis and Bahrainis against their kingdoms or the Yemenis who are going through a daily genocide by the Saudi ruthless bombardments?

How, if millions of Americans demonstrate against president Trump, he would call it fake news and condemns it, while he would praise it if it's against someone he doesn't like?

I concluded that these kinds of polices in this global village would hurt the integrity of America and we need to turn this embarrassing situation to an opportunity of bridge building, working together and make America truly great again. My last word was about the tragedy of Myanmar and the need to support UN in its effort to stop that horrible ethnic cleansing!
I announced the preparation of Muslim Imams to meet with president Trump to convey our concerns, something I doubt he would ever agree!
Honorable Senator Debbie Stabenow listened passionately to all of our comments and questions, explained what she had already done on some of those issues and promised to do her best to follow up with the details of this morning friendly conversation.

No doubt this kind of outreach matters a lot and it's up to our communities to take it very seriously!

1/5/18: Meeting with Honorable Senator Debbie Stabenow, Very Meaningful!