DEARBORN — Two days earlier at Byblos Banquets, local officials and leaders also came together to commemorate 10 years of the pioneering BRIDGES program, which was launched by former U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins, former FBI Special Agent in Charge John Bell and ADC-MI head and Sr. National Adviser Imad Hamad. The program set up regular meeting sessions between local Arab American, Muslim and Chaldean leaders with law enforcement officials to discuss key post-9/11 issues. 

Co-founders of the BRIDGES program John Bell, Jeffrey Collins and Imad Hamad receive a special recognition award from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade.   PHOTO: Nafeh AbuNab/TAAN

U.S. Congressman Carl Levin (D-Michigan), who helped begin the program as well when he suggested to Collins that he meet with community leaders following 9/11, during a time when many of the aforementioned minority members were under a huge amount of suspicion and facing discrimination, was among those who attended.

“It’s great to be here…we have emerged from the trauma of an event that had the potential to divide the country to create a group with the simple premise that the only way to confront these challenges was as one people, shoulder to shoulder.”

He also lauded immigrants much as Snyder has done recently, highlighting their contributions.

“Immigration strengthens this country and that should always be remembered,” he said before thanking the BRIDGES leaders.

Also in attendance were U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Dearborn), U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade, and Channel 7 anchor Diana Lewis who served as emcee.

ADC Advisory Board member Siham Awada Jaafar briefed guests at the sold-out hall about the issues tackled by BRIDGES including Border Patrol, TSA, no-fly list and charitable donations concerns following 9/11; many of them have continued to this day as the program has continued.

Department of Homeland Security Officer Margo Schlanger of Washington, D.C. said it was a privilege to be invited to the event and highlighted how the program became a national model. 

McQuade called the program “Democracy in action,” noting that Arabs and Muslims were “very much victims” themselves in the days, months and years following the attacks. 

Awards for the “Congress of Arab American Organizations Tribute of Appreciation” were given to McQuade and Collins presented by the CAAO members while Hamad, Collins and McQuade were given a “Special Recognition Award” by Dr. Ramsay Dass of the American Middle East Christians Congress. 

Dass said the Chaldean community and other local Middle Eastern Christian communities had similar but also somewhat different concerns in some areas following the attacks which led to the formation of the council. He said he remembers the attacks vividly and the discrimination that followed in his community as well and spoke about the contributions of the Middle Eastern community.

“As people of the United States we have contributed so much, together we can educate about race and religion,” he said. “Our people represent a proud 5,000 year-old civilization…this country is all about diversity, goodness and building bridges.” 

Osama Siblani of the CAAO urged the crowd to remember not only the success of post-9/11 dialogue but also to recognize the failures of the policies that emerged.

“It pays more to talk to us than to spy on us,” he said, referencing a successful plan enacted by Collins through BRIDGES dialogue which led to the FBI soliciting Arab Americans for voluntary interviews through letters rather than by knocking on doors. He also referenced the continued placement of informants in mosques and the erosion of civil liberties including the passing of the PATRIOT Act. 

“We want to help, just give us a chance…we want to help this country, to die for this country, let us join hands and look at our failures too to try to do something to fix them.”