An Islamic Center has every country. The Islamic Center of America is a Shia mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. Although the institution dates back to 1964, the new mosque on Ford Road in Dearborn opened in 2005. It is the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shia mosque in the United States. With its large Shia Arab population (consisting mostly of Lebanese), Dearborn is often called the "heart of Sufism" in the United States.
On January 24, 2011, an Imperial Beach, California man named Roger Stockham was arrested and charged with terrorism after attempting to blow up the Islamic Center of America. Stockham was reported to be a convert to Islam who was targeting the Shiite community,[8] and had a history of mental illness and firearms offenses
The Islamic Center of America is located at 19500 Ford Road in Dearborn. The institution was founded in 1962 by Muhammad Jawad Chirri, who remained its director until his death in 1994.
The mosque was vandalized in January 2007 with anti-Shia graffiti. Many in the community believed that the vandalism was the result of recurrent sectarian tensions with the American Sunni Muslim community over the Iraq war and its Shia-Sunni conflict.
Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, who led services at the mosque for 18 years, resigned stating that the board of the Islamic Center had failed to reform itself by not implementing term limits, promoting nepotism, lacked female members, and failed to discipline those who acted improperly, all of which was disputed by the Board of the Islamic Center. Members of the Board accused Al-Qazwini of diverting community funds and conspiring to take over control of the Mosque. After resigning publicly during a Friday Prayer he stated he would only return if the Board resigned and only the founders allowed to stay on. Al-Qazwini, of Iraqi descent, also accused the board of wanting to limit the mosque membership to Lebanese-Americans. Al-Qazwini was suspended for two months in February by the board because of the continuing conflict and in order to help resolve their differences
On April 21, 2011, the day before the scheduled appearance of Pastor Terry Jones, hundreds of people from different faiths gathered in a show of solidarity. Jews, Christians and other faith groups stood side by side with interlocked arms in opposition to Jones' planned protest.
Youth Academy of Muslim in America
The mosque operates the Muslim American Youth Academy (MAYA), an Islamic elementary and middle school.
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Dearborn, Michigan |
| Geographic coordinates | 42.329965°N 83.229761°W Coordinates: 42.329965°N 83.229761°W |
| Affiliation | Shia Islam |
| Year consecrated | 1964 2005 |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | David Donnellon |
| Architectural type | Islamic architecture |
| Construction cost | $14 million |
| Specifications | |
| Dome height (outer) | 150-feet |
| Minaret(s) | 2 |
| Minaret height | 10 stories tall |
