[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4865-S4866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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          IN RECOGNITION OF THE NEW ISLAMIC CENTER OF AMERICA

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to pay tribute to The Islamic Center of America, one of the 
first Islamic institutions in North America. On May 12, the Center will 
celebrate the completion of its new mosque complex in Dearborn, which 
will have the distinction of being the largest mosque in the United 
States. The festivities will continue with a grand banquet to be held 
on May 14. These events will bring together Muslims, as well as many 
others, from Michigan and around the country.
  The Islamic Center of America traces its origin to the 1940s when 
Muslim immigrants from Lebanon and Syria began settling in Detroit and 
thus sought to bring a religious leader from the Middle East to the 
Detroit area to serve their community. A young author and scholar, Imam 
Mohammed Jawas Chirri, was the choice, arriving from Lebanon in 
February 1949. When the newly-formed Islamic Center Foundation Society 
was established in 1954, Imam Chirri became its new leader and soon 
after they decided to build a new religious center.
  In his efforts to raise funds for the new center, Imam Chirri visited 
Egypt in 1959 and successfully secured support for the project. The 
Society purchased land owned by the Ford Motor Company located on Joy 
Road and Greenfield in Detroit. On September 20, 1963, the Islamic 
Center of America first opened its doors. The building consisted of a 
large domed prayer room, lecture hall, kitchen, offices, and two 
classrooms. Following the opening of the mosque, families of the 
Islamic Center began to move into the area. By 1967, the Center had 
already outgrown

[[Page S4866]]

this space. Additional classrooms, an enlarged social hall, and a 
minaret were added to serve the growing membership.
  In 1997, Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, his wife and their three children 
moved from California to Detroit to join The Islamic Center of America. 
Under his leadership and guidance, the Center has continued to 
flourish. Outgrowing the location on Joy Road, the Center began 
construction of a new religious center on Ford Road in Dearborn in 
1999, near the Center's existing grade school, the Muslim American 
Youth Academy. The new mosque, which is located along a stretch of Ford 
Road that is home to several churches, including St. Sarkis Armenian 
Apostolic Church, St. Clement Ohridski Orthodox Church, Warrendale 
Community Church, St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church, and Prince 
of Peace Lutheran Church, which is also home to People of the Book Arab 
Christian Church, will be the largest in the United States. At an 
estimated cost of between $8,000,000 and $10,000,000, the new mosque 
complex will accommodate 1,000 individuals at prayer time, and will 
house a large auditorium, social hall, and 14 additional rooms for the 
school.
  I know my colleagues join me in congratulating The Islamic Center of 
America on this significant achievement and in recognizing its many 
years of service to the Muslim American community in Michigan.

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