DEARBORN— The Bint Jebail Cultural Center was vandalized with graffiti-sprayed statements, relating to Sayed Hassan Qazwini, who has been hosting Ramadan evenings at the banquet hall.

“The Qazwini and Iraq Club,” the graffiti read in Arabic on the exterior of the center. Similar statements, which also attack the center’s founder, were sprayed across hall’s doors and walls.

The vandalism follows an anonymous letter condemning Mohammed Turfe, the founder of the Bint Jebail Center, for hosting Qazwini.

Qazwini resigned as the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of America in January, after he was attacked by similar anonymous letters that accused him of financial irregularities. The sayed denied the allegations and held members of the ICA board responsible for them. 

The feud between Qazwini and members of the board turned into a controversy that divided the community for months. 

Qazwini is Iraqi American, while most board members are Lebanese American. The sayed alleges that his adversaries on the board are playing the national origin card. Qazwini’s critics say he was the one trying to make the dispute appear as a conflict between Lebanese and Iraqi Americans. The Beint Jbail Center was established by expatriates from the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbail. 

“We hold Mohammed Turfe fully responsible for the unprecedented act of hosting Qazwini, and we ask him to ban Qazwini from the center to save the community from controversy and divisions,” the letter, which was sent on June 17, read.

The letter also claimed that Turfe hates the ICA and its late founder, Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri.

Turfe told The Arab American News that the conflict between Qazwini and the ICA was resolved and the Bint Jebail Center was simply renting out the hall to the sayed, not taking sides in the controversy.

“Sayed Qazwini resigned from the Islamic Center, and that’s it; it was over,” he said. “A group of people wanted to host Ramadan evenings at our center, we rented the hall to them. Our place is up for rent. We do not discriminate.”

However, Turfe said he would not accuse anybody of being behind attacking the center because he does not have all the facts. 

“We called the authorities and they are investigating,” he said. “We are also turning the matter to the FBI after some hateful statements were made by certain individuals in the community.”

Turfe added that the perpetrators must be enemies of the community, who want to cause rift among Arab Americans.

“Somebody wants us to be divided,” he said. “I ask the community, for the sake of this holy month, to pray for those people to come to their senses, so god can help them.”

Qazwini will hold Eid prayers on July 18 and 19 at Bint Jebail Cultural Center.