
Little Mosque in the suburbs
  
  
     The story began in 1954 when 30 Palestinian-American families originally  from Beitunia started their 1000-mile journey to build a mosque in the Southside  of Chicago. The dream turned into a nightmare when extremists took over the  mosque in 1982.
     The Chicago Tribune conducted an investigation  into the history of the mosque.  I will copy a few excerpts: "Omar  Najib, a former mosque attorney who once helped hard-liners take control of the  mosque but now regrets what he did. “  I feel sorry," Najib said  recently.  "My faith has been hijacked by a few extremists.”  
 Moderate Muslims  still pray at the mosque, but some say conservatives have created an environment  that is overly political, too rigid in its interpretation of Islam and resistant  to open debate. These members also worry that the Muslim Brotherhood, a  controversial group with a violent past, has an undue influence over the mosque.  Despite these concerns, the critics largely remain silent, fearful of being  called "unIslamic" by mosque leaders
 
 Another mosque in Quincy, Massachusetts had a  similar struggle as the newly elected, extremist board pushed out the moderate  imam and replaced him with Imam who was later arrested on immigration fraud  charges.  The case is still pending.  The replacement  of the moderate imam was the tipping point that divided the community, after 41  years of being a cohesive, pluralistic, strong, and multiethnic community.                                   
 This battle has been happening in America, Canada,  and Australia for decades.  Extremists take over Mosques and  Islamic centers when they ripen.  Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, a Sufi  Cleric and the head of the Supreme Islamic Council of America has been  warning about such possibility for almost two decades.  His  warnings proved to be extraordinarily prescient.
  The story of extremist takeover is  now being repeated in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  This is an  affluent, diverse, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious community located among the  northwest suburbs of Detroit, Michigan.  The Muslim Unity Center  has been touted as an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming mosque.   This moderate center is heading rapidly into the extremist lane.  The  early signs are unmistakable, and clearly visible to the infrequent visitor.  Some regulars may miss the gradual change, but is very apparent.   There is an air of Puritanism.  One member told me: it feels  tense, less friendly; people do not greet you any more, it is really  scary”.  New imported members are replacing the original ones; the  new comers have no affinity to the ideals of the center, some have extremist  ideology; others are clearly living in the “old country” and have not made the  mental transformation of being an American.  I found that some  members attempt to masquerade the rising Puritanism it, but it is hard to miss.   The media is starting to notice and the buzz on the town is that  this center is on its way to be another rigid outdated institution for the Old  Guard. 
 The battle to take back Islam is at the heart of  all of these struggles.  A whole generation of Muslims have never  known or lived moderate Islam.  They have no frame of reference.   Saudi-sponsored propaganda saturates their heads, either through  books or through the teachings of their imams.  It is the duty of  all people of conscience to help the moderate Muslims everywhere, including at  the Muslim Unity center to maintain moderation, balance and adherence to  American Pluralism. 
 It is the duty of all people of conscience to help  the moderate force in Bloomfield Hills stand up to the extremists.   The future of Islam in America hinges on this battle. 
  
 Add your voice to the struggle for  moderation
 Tell the Leadership of the Unity Center to uphold the  genuine Islamic values of inclusiveness, love, compassion, equality, and social  engagement.
 Save the Unity Center.