ROYAL OAK — The Imam’s Committee, a branch of the Michigan Muslim Community Council, focuses on local issues between Islamic centers and communities. With the growing sectarianism in the Middle East, the Imam’s Committee is committed to acting as a bridge between local mosques and communities to promote unity. 

The committee is comprised of 25 imams and meets monthly to discuss issues within the local Muslim community, such as youth guidance, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce and civil and legal rights. 

Religious divorce remains an issue in the Arab community. The imams in the Council are against all forms of abuse between married couples, including domestic violence. 

Members say they disagree with men in the community who refuse to grant their wives a religious divorce and have discussed measures that could be taken to handle such cases properly during one meeting last year. 

In May 2007 members of the Council signed a “Code of Honor” that symbolizes peace, respect and cooperation with one another. The council is comprised of both Sunni and Shi’a imams. 

The code states that there should be a mutual respect between Muslims and the act of takfir (branding others as nonbelievers) is not acceptable.   

The Imams in the committee face a lot of challenges in the community, including the tendency many have to associate only primarily with people of the same nationality and cultural backgrounds as them. 

“As Muslims, we’re obligated to make a contribution to the wellbeing of the community and that’s hard to do without knowing each other,” said MMCC Executive Director Dawood Zwink.

The committee also focuses on bringing communities together. Its goal is to strengthen the influence they have on social and political issues and well being of communities.

Another challenge is the absence of many community members in religious institutions. 

“Over the last two years we have been convening consultations with imams from different parts of the community on a regular basis, Zwink said. “We have been discussing challenges overseas and how it affects us here.”

Zwink stressed the importance of mutual respect between the Imams and the different practices in Islamic centers.  He explained that there is a lot of emotion involved when it comes to addressing certain issues and emphasized the importance of keeping Muslims of all backgrounds together and focusing on the core values of Islam they share. 

The MMCC was involved in the planning of the ISNA convention that took place in Detroit last month. The convention was a way to give Muslims of various backgrounds an opportunity to meet in one place. Council members say it was important for diversity to be reflected with the planning committee, speakers, and attendees of the conference. 

Amina Iqbal, the outreach director of MMCC, had multiple experiences with the Imam’s Council. 

“We like to organize efforts that will help organizations and communities grow and prosper,” she said. “MMCC’s Imam’s Council is a prime example of unity, values, and justice.”

“Having good goals and working for unity needs patience and sacrifice on both sides,” said Imam Mohammad Elahi, director of Islamic House of Wisdom and a member of the Imam’s Committee. “We need to have dialogue; and in some cases, agree to disagree.”

The Imam’s Council has also taken action to speak out against extremist groups, one of them being the “Islamic State” or “ISIS.” They believe it is important to dispel any misconceptions regarding the Islam, since extremists are killing people in the name of their religion. 

The imams from the MMCC held a candlelight vigil outside of Dearborn City Hall on August 25 to speak out against ISIS. 

 “We hope and pray to be able to provide an authentic voice for the Islamic presence in Michigan,” Zwink said.