STERLING HEIGHTS — The mosque controversy took an ugly turn this week after Mayor Michael Taylor publicly proclaimed his stance against the project, following concerns from residents that he and other city officials were leading an agenda against Chaldean residents.

Residents came out in droves in recent weeks to oppose the mosque at a city planning commission meeting and a city council meeting; as well as organizing a string of protests against the proposed site at 15 Mile and Ryan Road.

The proposal to build the multi-million dollar 23,000 square foot facility is being led by the American Islamic Community Center, which runs a mosque in the neighboring city of Madison Heights.

Residents in the neighborhood have claimed the proposed center would be a nuisance to the area, citing traffic issues as well as concerns regarding EMS response time; the mosque would be built across the street from a fire station.

Other residents have displayed questionable remarks since the proposal was brought to the table, leading local civil rights organizations to believe that Islamophobia is at the root of the conflict.

Some Chaldean residents in Sterling Heights have been at the forefront of the opposition, resulting in some brewing tensions between them and the Muslim American community in metro Detroit.

With election season in full swing in the city of Sterling Heights, many candidates have resorted to old-fashioned dirty politics to further their own platforms. Local candidates have used the mosque to embed fear among local residents, claiming that current city officials are in full support of a “pro-Islamic agenda.”

Mayor makes contradictory statements 

Earlier this week, Taylor took a stance on his Facebook page, assuring Chaldean residents that he was in opposition to the site on 15 Mile Road.

“Certain candidates for council this year are trying to scare Chaldean residents and business owners by telling them that the city has a pro-Muslim agenda,” Taylor said. “Meanwhile, those same candidates are complaining about the large influx of refugees to the United States. Sterling Heights welcomes and receives more Chaldean refugees than any other city in the world. In fact, it’s estimated that Sterling Heights has the largest Chaldean population of any city in the world outside of Baghdad.”

In a since-deleted Facebook post, Taylor further clarified his stance.

“My heart breaks for the Chaldeans in Iraq and throughout the world who are being terrorized by Islamic terrorists,” Taylor said. “I will do everything in my power to protect, support and defend the Chaldean population in Sterling Heights. I have nothing to do with the mosque and don’t want it built there.”

Taylor’s words received tremendous backlash across social media and from local civil rights groups, who were appalled that the mayor would link a mosque funded by local American Muslims to the crucifying of thousands of Iraqi Christians in the Middle East.

Taylor attempted to back-pedal his position, stating that he wasn’t in opposition to a mosque being built in Sterling Heights, but was only in conflict with the location due to several zoning issues brought to the forefront by local residents.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Michigan (CAIR-MI), which last week issued a statement condemning bigotry displayed by some Chaldean residents in Sterling Heights, did not take the mayor’s words lightly.

“Mayor Taylor’s public opposition to the mosque not only calls into question his commitment to the civil rights of all residents of Sterling Heights, but also his potentially wielding improper influence in upcoming proceedings relating to the mosque’s zoning,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

Walid also noted that CAIR-MI has contacted the Department of Justice about the opposition to the mosque as it relates to the potential violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalize Persons Act (RLUIPA).

Chaldean Nation, a radical Facebook group with a following of more than 17,000 members, has partaken in the initiative against the place of worship. In recent weeks, members of the page have attempted to rally Chaldean residents in Sterling Heights to turn out in opposition of “the insensitive mega mosque.”

The group demanded that Detroit Imam Hassan Qazwini apologize for a lecture he gave on Friday, August 28, where he called Chaldean residents opposing the center “hateful and bigoted,” comparing their behavior to that of ISIS.

Chaldean Nation, however, was quick to applaud Taylor when he drew parallels between American Muslims and Middle East terrorists in his social media remarks.

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor Michael Taylor, for your support of the Chaldean people,” Chaldean Nation said. “We will continue to protest this insensitive project that lacks respect to the majority of our local majority Chaldean community in Sterling Heights.”

Following heavy backlash, Taylor later attempted to clarify that he was not anti-Islamic. On Tuesday, The Arab American News tweeted The Justice Department and tagged Taylor in the post, stating “to build a place for worship is an indispensable part of religious freedom.”

Taylor responded to our tweet, posting “and I’m 100 percent in support of the AICC’s right to build a mosque in Sterling Heights.”

That same day, Taylor also responded to local metro Detroit residents on Facebook who called for him to formally condemn anti-Muslim bigotry in his city.

“I condemn anti-Muslim bigotry, without equivocation,” Taylor said.

Local Chaldeans weigh in

Since the issue in Sterling Heights spiraled into a media frenzy, many concerned Chaldean residents have come forward to state that it’s only a small minority of Iraqi Christians who are participating in the resistance to the mosque.

Caucasian residents have been at the forefront of the battle, as apparent by the YouTube videos of the city’s recent meetings being shared on the Internet.

Assyrian residents, who can often be mistaken as Chaldeans, have also been present at the meetings and protests. Like Chaldeans and Syriacs, Assyrians are Iraqi Christians who have traced their roots to different villages in northern Iraq.

Nabby Yono, vice president of community relations at the Arab American and Chaldean Council, told The Arab American News that he was not familiar with the Facebook group Chaldean Nation, but compared it to “Nazis and skinheads”, judging by its name.

Yono said many local Chaldean Americans in Metro Detroit don’t support the opposition being led in Sterling Heights.

“I’m opposed to what they are doing and I support the Muslim people in having a right to build a mosque,” Yono said. “Everybody is free to practice their religion, this is the American way. The Chaldeans built churches in Troy, Madison Heights, Shelby Township, West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills. The Muslims and Jews have the same rights. Personally, I am not sympathetic towards this opposition. They have to be told and taught that this is un-American.”

Yono noted that he sympathizes with Iraqi Christian immigrants who suffered turmoil back in their homeland. However, he said that many of them come to the U.S. with a construed mindset about Islam.

Yono said that Iraqi Christian immigrants tend to overlook the fact that ISIS has killed far more Muslims than Christians in their region.

“They come here thinking Muslims killed their people or Muslims denied them a living in Iraq,” Yono said. “That’s ISIS and it has nothing to do with Muslims. In fact, for every 1,000 Muslims, they’ve killed one Christian. The argument is really invalid and the facts show that.”

Nabil Roumayah, a Chaldean who lives in Troy, told The Arab American News that the conflict in Sterling Heights has been blown out of proportion. He noted that local Muslims should not assume that the majority of Chaldeans are opposing the center, as it will only add fuel to the fire.

“Some Chaldeans are opposing it and some in the Muslim community are reacting to that,” Roumayah said. “Taking it to this level is going to divide the Muslim and Christian communities and that will not benefit anyone. It’s actually reflecting what’s happening in Iraq and we don’t want to bring that into our cities here.”

Roumayah said there tends to be varying mindsets amongst the Chaldean community, noting that many have been established in metro Detroit for decades and have spent years building a relationship with the local Muslim community in Dearborn and its surrounding areas.

He urges both the Christian and Muslim communities to remain calm and let due process take its course.

“This should be settled through dialogue and understanding the needs of both sides,” Roumayah said. “We are living in America and American law tolerates religious freedoms and rights of speech, so both sides have the rights to do it. The city is listening and hopefully they will make a decision soon.”

Religious leaders meet to discuss issue

On Wednesday, Sept. 2 a delegation of Muslim religious leaders and the Consul General of Iraq, Al Manhal Al Saf, met with Chaldean Bishop Francis Kalabat. The Muslim religious leaders included Imam Basim Al Sharea, Imam Najah Al Husseini and Qazwini.

Bishop Francis leads the largest Chaldean Diocese in the country. The meeting was very positive and included discussions about the Sterling Heights mosque.

Both Muslim and Chaldean religious leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining healthy relations between the two communities. They also reiterated their long standing history of cooperation and mutual respect.

Additionally, Bishop Francis and the imams rejected all forms of bigotry and prejudice. They encouraged Muslims and Chaldeans to foster a spirit of tolerance and friendship towards one another.

The City Planning Commission is set to make a decision on the mosque on Thursday, September 10 at 7 p.m.