DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Last Friday, September 6, Congressman John Dingell, who represents Michigan’s 12th congressional district, joined a group of religious and community leaders at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, to listen to their views on President Obama’s position on Syria.

Spiritual leader Imam Elahi expressed his opposition to any U.S. Military engagement in Syria, adding that this type of military strike would bring more chaos, death and destruction in the region. Elahi added that a U.S. intervention would just create further resentment against the U.S. from Middle Eastern countries and other nations who oppose the potential war.

Sayyed Mohammad Kashmirim, another spiritual leader, reminded the Congressman that if the U.S. government is interested in a democratic transition in the Middle East, the best place to start would be in countries ruled by dictatorship, such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where women don’t even have the right to drive.

After listening to everyone’s remarks, Congressman John Dingell said that he was glad he was able to hear the opinions of his constituents and that it was important for him to reach out to the community, in order to make a good sound decision over the conflict. 

Dingell, who is the longest serving member of Congress, has had a history of voting against war. Dingell stated that he would like to wait to see if President Obama’s administration would present solid evidence, before he makes a decision, telling media outlets this week that he believes George W. Bush lied before going to war with Iraq, and he doesn’t want a repeat of that.

Dingell says he’s heard every viewpoint from his constituents and considers history on these matters.

“I’ve been voting on these matters since the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and we made some terrible mistakes in that – I don’t want to replicate that. That is one of the votes that I made when I supported Johnson and I think I made a terrible mistake,” said Dingell.

Meanwhile Congressman John Conyers of the 13th congressional district, which covers a majority of Detroit, says he’s been thinking about what Dr. Martin Luther King would be doing in this situation.

“He would not ever chose a military solution without trying negotiation, economic strategy and other ways to deal with this,” said Conyers.