Posted on 08/05/2026 6:07:32 AM PDT by Freeleesy
Dearborn mosque leader threatens to resign. Niraj Warikoo. Updated Jan. 25, 2015. The religious leader of the Islamic Center of America — a landmark religious institution in metro Detroit that's one of Michigan's biggest mosques — said Friday he would resign unless the board of trustees dissolves.
The dramatic announcement by Imam Hassan Qazwini to his packed congregation was met by cries of support from members pleading for him to stay and reflects an intense debate in one of the most notable mosques in the United States over finances and what is permissible under Islam.
Imam Hassan Qazwini's opponents have accused him of using donations to the mosque for family projects and of having an illicit relationship, charges he strongly denies.
A nationally known Muslim leader, Qazwini announced he was stepping down during his Friday afternoon sermon, the most popular gathering time for Muslims. Afterward, when members asked him to stay, Qazwini said he would reconsider if the board dissolves.
"The entire board has to be dissolved, with the exception of the founding fathers" of the mosque, Qazwini said, according to a recording of his sermon. "The entire system has to be dissolved. The by-laws have to be dissolved."
Qazwini's announcement came after a tumultuous past few months that saw anonymous letters accusing him of diverting mosque money for his father's projects in Iraq. Qazwini's critics want the money instead to retire the remaining debt of the mosque and to help for projects in other countries, such as Lebanon. A majority of the congregation is of Lebanese descent, while Qazwini is of Iraqi descent.
The letters also accused Qazwini, who is married, of having a relationship with a woman through an arrangement in Shia Islam known as mutah (temporary marriage), which allows a man away from his wife to have sex with another woman that may involve a payment.
At a packed event at the mosque Friday night where Qazwini was scheduled to speak to youth, he strongly denied both of the allegations contained in the letters, which were mailed last year to the homes of Muslims who attend the mosque.
"I'm not going to take it anymore," he said, adding that some Lebanese board members are racist toward Iraqis and called them "selfish."
"Remove this cancer," he said of the those board members. "We need to stand up."
There were three sets of letters, mailed from October to December, said mosque members. They also appeared on the windshields of cars parked outside the mosque during a religious service in November.
"Qazwini is the main obstacle which prevent the payment of all the debt," one of the letters reads in part. It said that Qazwini "takes the ... contributions and revenues" and gives them to his father, a religious leader in Iraq who runs a hospital and orphanage in Iraq.
The letters also criticized Qazwini for naming Ron Amen as chair of the board, saying he was not an observant Muslim. Amen and Kassem Allie, executive administrator of the mosque, did not return calls seeking comment.
On Nov. 28, supporters of Qazwini held a rally outside the mosque, which sits off Ford Road in Dearborn. It's one of the oldest Islamic congregations in Michigan and has become known as an icon of Islam in the United States.
After Qazwini announced Friday in Arabic he was leaving, some in the audience started to cry out their support, including Moussa Hamka, principal at Grosse Pointe South High School. Hamka then spoke at the mosque in support of Qazwini.
"The community rallied in support of him," Hamka said afterward. "There was an unprecedented amount of support at the Friday prayers. ... The community supports the imam. We're not going to allow the status quo to continue."
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Extremist Michigan Imam Who Hosted El-Sayed Urges Followers To Turn Out To Vote ..
August 3, 2026
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/extremist-michigan-imam-who-hosted-el-sayed-urges-followers-to-turn-out-to-vote-and-deal-the-zionist-a-blow-frames-primary-as-epic-fight-against-puppet-of-israel/
Sex and greed. Typical
A machete would do that.
Extremist Imams and Islamist Organizations in the West.
Dearborn Heights Shi’ite Scholar Hassan Qazwini On Khamenei’s Funeral: The Martyred Imam’s Blood Was Spilled Defending The Honor Of The Islamic Nation; Millions Honored A Leader Who Sacrificed Himself for Islam.
July 10, 2026.
https://www.memri.org/tv/hassan-qazwini-khamenei-funeral-martyred-imam-dearborn
https://www.memri.org/tv/subjects/sermons-by-imams-in-the-west
Imam Hassan Qazwini (Shown) has been accused of using mosque donations for personal family projects and of having an illicit relationship (strongly denied).
He aided and abetted el-sayed's candidacy....and frames his inclusion as an epic-fight-against the opposing candidate who he labeled "a puppet-of Israel."
The rewards for endorsing a winning candidate are many.....what will the Imam reap?
Call ICE...
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