DEARBORN — Thousands of visitors from around the country attended the 12th Annual Conference of the Holy Prophet Muhammad at the Adoba Hotel over the Memorial Day weekend. 

Hosted by the Universal Muslim Association of America (UMAA), the convention has attracted more than 3,000 individuals each year as it reaches out to Muslim American communities in order to address pressing contemporary topics as well as boost civic engagement in domestic and global issues. 

UMAA was established in 2002 in an attempt to help Americans better understand Islam following the 2001 terrorist attacks, when the religion attracted negative media attention. 

This marks the second year in a row the event was held in Dearborn. Previously, the convention had established a yearly presence in the Washington D.C. area. During one year, organizers had hosted the event in Toronto, serving the large community there that had been attending the conference for years. 

This year, many Toronto-based Muslims attended. Additionally, others flew in from New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Texas, Illinois and Georgia, among other states. 

Organizers have been able to pay the costs for the convention by charging an attendance fee. Individuals paid $65 per ticket, while families were able to purchase a package deal for $125. Students were given a discounted price for just $35. Meals were also served throughout the conference by local food vendors.

This year’s three-day event was jam-packed with ceremonies, workshops and career fairs that began in the mornings and went into the evenings.

Local guest speakers included Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini, leader of the Islamic Center of America; Council on American-Islamic Relations of Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid; 20th District Court Judge David Turfe and The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani.

Out-of-town guest speakers included religious figures Abather Al Halwachi and Nazar Alqatari; international lecturer Shaykh Hanif Mohammed; Dr. Hassan Abbas, chair of the Department of Regional and Analytical Studies at National Defense University; and UMAA President Dr. Ethisham Abidi, among others. 

Saturday’s events included a career fair for Muslim youths in high school and college, co-sponsored by Educare, a local tutoring company. 

Careers highlighted during the fair included non-traditional avenues such as journalism, culinary arts and architecture, along with medical and educational fields. Local professionals from the Detroit metro area were present to assist and answer questions from attendees. Students from Harvard University and professionals from across the country were also present.

Hussein Hachem, founder of Educare and co-organizer of the career fair, said the conference left a lasting impression on the local community; and that he hopes UMAA considers returning to Dearborn in the future.

“It was great to bring people from all over the country and making Dearborn the center of attraction,” said Hachem. “This event was very much needed for the youth, because they discussed topics ranging from social problems, to educational problems, to religious problems in a very understanding and educational manner. UMAA held a very professional and proficient event. They did a fantastic job.”

Aba Thar Alkudari, who sits on a local committee that helped assist the organizing of the event, said he was stunned by the turnout and participation from the local Arab American community. He secured participation from the local Arab and Muslim community and said both the local Lebanese and Iraqi communities had a lively presence at the event. 

Akudari added that the convention succeeded in highlighting the diversity and make-up of Muslims across the world, as many attendees were from varying sects, ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. He estimates 4,500 participants from around the nation took part in the conference over the course of the weekend.

“One of the true remarkable things we seen over the weekend was that we had all the different Muslims with different affiliations and professional backgrounds come together under one theme to unify the Muslim community,” Alkrudari said. “We had a huge turnout from Dearborn, even though it was Memorial Day weekend. The attendance was just fascinating.”

For more info on the conference or to contact UMAA, visit www.umaamerica.net.