DEARBORN — It was a weekend of remembrance in the city as events were held all weekend long to commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks on America and also to reflect on and discuss the issues brought to light in the ten years since. 

Rabbi David A. Nelson of Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak Park, Rev. Francis Hayes of Littlefield Presbyterian Church in Dearborn, and Imam Mohammad Mardini of the American Muslim Center in Dearborn light candles at The Henry Ford for a community commemoration in unity for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. PHOTO: Tariq Abdel Wahid/TAAN

On the evening of Sunday, Sept. 11, a Remembrance and Unity Vigil was held outside The Henry Ford in Dearborn with several dignitaries in attendance including Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Mayor Jack O’Reilly, civic leaders and representatives from the local Arab American and  American Muslim communities. 

Snyder urged the crowd to rise above pointing fingers at each other whether over politics, religion, ethnicity or other factors that may become divisive while also praising the strength of diversity in America. 

“It’s a time for unity. It’s a time for understanding. It’s a time to find common ground,” Snyder said. 

Earlier in the day, imams from across metro Detroit also gathered at the continent’s largest mosque, the Islamic Center of America, for a press conference mourning the victims of 9/11 and also condemning extremism and terrorism in all its forms. 

Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan Founder Victor Ghalib Begg, who is also the co-founder of the Interfaith Leadership Council of  Metro Detroit, spoke about the importance of building bridges and creating unity within faith communities and referenced a recent Gallup poll which showed that American Muslims are loyal Americans who are more likely to reject violence than other faiths. 

Also on Sunday, the “U.S. Rising: Emerging Voices in Post-9/11 America” four-day conference hosted by ACCESS culminated in an event of remembering through service as about 800 people representing various faiths including Muslims, Christians and more volunteered at Focus: HOPE in Detroit, cleaning up parks, streets and neighborhoods near the social services agency. 

The goal was to preach unity as well according to Begg, who was quoted in local reports. 

Interfaith prayer services were also held at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit and St. John Episcopal Church in Royal Oak on the day to continue the themes of unity and remembrance.