The Congress of Islamic Organizations of Michgian was expected to hold a press conference in Detroit on Friday at 9:30 a.m. to reiterate condemnation of religious extemism.

Representatives of the Congress of Islamic Organizations of Michigan meet at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn on Monday to discuss plans for a press conference and rally condemning terrorism suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, scheduled for Friday Jan 8, the day of his arraignment in Detroit.                                           PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal

The coalition of local mosques and and Muslim groups planned to “voice their strong opposition to extremists,” on the day Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian charged with attempting to detonate an explosive device on Northwest Airlines flight 253 on Christmas Day, was scheduled to be arraigned in federal court.
“According to Islamic teachings, ‘killing one innocent person is like killing all of mankind,” the groups said in a statement released to The Arab American News ahead of the Friday press conference, scheduled to be held at the offices of the Michigan Round Table for Diversity & Inclusion.

“The Muslim American community condemns all acts of terrorism as crimes against humanity, and we support our law enforcement agencies in their efforts to protect our fellow citizens from such acts of violence while conserving civil rights. We stand together to defeat the threat of Al-Qaeda and are committed to the security of the people of this great nation.”

Victor Ghalib Begg, chair of the Congress of Islamic Organizations, said the purpose of the statement and press event was “to distance ourselves from people who commit murder in the name of our faith.”

The group held a meeting at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn on Monday to organize the event and debated whether or not to participate in a rally later in the day outised the court hearing.

Some said rallying against Abdulmutallab and going beyond issuing a statment of condemnation only strengthened public association of Muslims with extremists. As average Americans, taking ownership of Abdulmutallab, they said, was degrading.

Others do plan on attending the “Not in the Name of Islam” rally, organized by local attorney Majed Moughni, outside U.S. District Court, 231 W. Lafayette Blvd. in Detroit.

“We want people to know that we’re afraid of being blown up in airplanes, too,” said Detroit Imam Abdullah Al-Amin.