Ron Amen speaking at the ICA fundraiser

DEARBORN —The Islamic Center of America’s Spring Fundraiser on May 17 was a statement about the continuity of the institution after the resignation earlier this year of Sayed Hassan Qazwini. Various speakers took the podium, highlighting the large turnout at the dinner as an indicator of the community’s support for the ICA board.

At the end of the ceremony, board member Ned Fawaz announced a $25,000 donation honoring Hiam Brinjikji, an educator who successfully sued the Crestwood Board of Education for discriminating against English Language Learners (ELL).

According to ICA Chairman Ron Amen, the dinner raised close to $200,000, which is an average tally for the Spring Fundraiser.

Amen said there were people who predicted the event would be a failure and worked to make their predictions come true by calling for a boycott of the fundraiser.

“Let me say to those people, may Allah forgive you and guide you back to his righteous path,” he said on Sunday. 

He added that former members of the congregation who are trying to “bring harm to Allah’s house” are the children and grandchildren of people who worked diligently to build the ICA.

“A few people, a very small group of people, have confused their love for a fellow man with their love for Allah,” he said, referring to Qazwini’s supporters. “This is Allah’s house and it belongs to no one, save Allah. Human beings are born. They live and they will die. Allah is everlasting, and his house will be here long after we are all gone.”

Qazwini announced his resignation on Jan. 23 after attacks by anonymous letters and feuds with board members. 

Amen announced plans expand the MAYA school, building an auditorium and establishing a high school.

Throughout his speech, Amen referred to the ICA as “your center.”

The ICA chairman said Sheikh Ahmad Hammoud will be a permanent member of the center’s religious staff. Hammoud will be one of three imams leading religious services at the center.

Amen also outlined recent changes to improve to the center’s bylaws. He said term limits on board members were implemented a few years ago. Trustees can only run for two three-year terms and have to take a year off before running again.

He added that board members over the age of 80 will be given honorary status but will no longer have voting rights; and trustees who have served more than 12 years on the board are also encouraged to give up their seats. 

“These changes will reduce the size of the board, as well as inject new ideas into the operation of the center,” he continued. “The board will be looking to the center’s youths to replace those who have stepped aside. These and several other amendments to the center’s bylaws will allow for a smaller and faster-reacting board.”

Sheikh Hammoud delivered a spiritual message in Arabic, urging Muslims to follow the path of the Prophet Mohamad.

“One of the most challenging moments of my life is to carry this responsibility,” he said of becoming a permanent imam at the center. 

He added that his main concern was that he be working for both God’s and the believers’ acceptance.

Hammoud addressed the Qazwini controversy without going into details. He said organizations are founded to serve society, not individuals.

“People leave, but the organizations will remain for the future generations,” he said.

Fawaz reiterated the message that the center is bigger than one imam. 

“No one person owns this center; you own this center,” he said.

However, Qazwini was not mentioned by name until the end of the program, when Amen took the podium to thank him for his 19 years of service.

“We wish him the very best of luck,” Amen said.  

Critics of the board accused Fawaz of giving away free tickets to fill the hall, but he denied the accusations.

“I had one table for my friends and a few dignitaries,” he told The Arab American News. “Not a single person got a free ticket from me. If people were really given tickets, let them come forward and say so.”

Brinjikji honored

Brinjikji stressed the importance of education in Islam after accepting the “Commitment to Excellence Award.”

Brinjikji started a legal battle against the Crestwood School District in 2012 for failing to provide adequate services and materials to English Language Learners.  The lawsuit led to a settlement last year between the district and the Department of Justice, which required a series of steps to ensure efficient educational programs and resources for ELL students.

She referenced the first word that Muslims believe God sent to the Prophet Mohamad— “Read.”

“Because the first command in the Holy Quran concerns reading and learning, nothing can be more explicit,” she said. “While I am honored and humbled by the Islamic Center of America Community Service Award, I accept it on behalf of immigrant children in classrooms across America who struggle every day to learn to read and write English.”

The educator said as an immigrant child, she shared the struggles of immigrant students.

“Coming to America at the age of 7, I remember the frustration, confusion, isolation and embarrassment for not knowing how to read like the other kids of my school,” she said. “Education has opened the doors of opportunity for me and my family. We, together as a Muslim American community, must help keep those doors open to every child.” 

Amen said he served in the U.S. army for a year in Vietnam. 

“I don’t believe in that year in that country I ever ran across a more courageous person than the one who stands right here next to me today,” he said of Brinjikji.