[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 320-321]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        TRIBUTE TO AHMED SAMAWI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 1999

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, on October 19, 1998, the Greater Cincinnati 
religious community lost one of its finest leaders. Ahmed Samawi, a 
friend and a man who treasured his faith and the freedom to worship 
without consequence, passed away at the age of 65. A devoted family man 
and successful businessman, he will perhaps be best remembered for his 
vision of better understanding and closer relations between the 
Christian, Islamic, and Jewish communities.
  Born in Damascus, Syria, Mr. Samawi realized that simple 
misunderstandings could create problems among people of different 
religions. His dream was to build an Islamic Center in the Cincinnati 
area to help bring an end to those misunderstandings. He spent his own 
resources and the last years of his life working towards that goal. His 
dream became a reality in 1995. What began as a plan for a modest 
meeting place blossomed into a glorious building. However, it was not 
the building for which he will be remembered for, but rather his vision 
for a better understanding of the Islamic religion.
  One of the Center's missions, in addition to providing a place of 
worship for Muslims in the Cincinnati area, is to reach out to area 
Christians and Jews. Mr. Samawi felt that the Islamic faith was plagued 
by misunderstanding. He spent a great deal of his life trying to remove 
the barriers of misunderstanding so that

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all faithful people could live together. When he passed away, he was 
working toward expanding the Center to include a museum, library, and 
school. He wanted to create a place that Muslims would be proud of, and 
Christians and Jews would be comfortable exploring.
  Mr. Samawi has inspired us all with his vision for a more spiritually 
united Greater Cincinnati. He will be missed by the entire religious 
community.

                          ____________________