One of the oldest and largest annual Muslim gatherings in the U.S. is coming to downtown Detroit for the first time in a dozen years, with more than 20,000 expected to attend the convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) over Labor Day weekend at Huntington Place.
The convention, which will feature several Muslim speakers from metro Detroit, comes at a time of hope for the community, with more Muslim candidates running for political office, but also of anxiety amid an increase in hateful targeting of Muslim communities, as seen in recent protests in Dearborn.
The ISNA convention's theme this year is "Persevere, Interconnect, Be God Conscious, Strengthen Each Other for True Prosperity." It's a topic of numerous panel discussions
set for Sept. 4-7 that touch upon faith, health and social justice issues. There will be 500 booths with books, educational materials, clothes, and cultural items, especially those popular in South Asian communities, as well as sports activities and matrimonial events to help people find spouses.
"We hope and we pray that this convention is beneficial for everyone," ISNA CEO Azhar Azeez told the Detroit Free Press. "This will be a great opportunity for Muslims to build bridges with people of other faiths and continue with the good work. And it will also be an opportunity for us to explain and remove any kind of misunderstandings or misconceptions. I know there is a lot of misinformation that is out there. People sometimes use this word 'sharia' (Islamic law) to scare people, and they do it for cheap political gains. But at the end of the day, we are proud Americans; we are proud Muslims. We are contributing every single day towards the betterment of our beloved nation, and we will continue with this work, and we will not get distracted by a handful of individuals who are trying to divide us. ... We are very optimistic that we will overcome this challenge."
All backgrounds, ethnicities turning out for event
ISNA has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, founded largely by Muslim immigrants from Pakistan and India, but the speakers at the convention are from all backgrounds and ethnicities. ISNA was formally founded in the early 1980s, but has its roots in a Muslim student group formed in Illinois in 1963; the Detroit convention will be the 63rd annual gathering of the group.
Azeez estimates that about 22,000 to 25,000 are expected to attend the convention during the three days; it's open to the public, who can register at isna.net. Almost 200 volunteers from Michigan have been working tirelessly in recent months to help organize the convention. Dr. Muzammil Ahmed, an active Muslim leader on the board of the Michigan Muslim Community Council, is the chair of the convention's steering committee. One of the panels, titled "Cultivating God Awareness in a Turmoiled America," will include Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. They and other panelists will talk about taqwa, an Islamic term that means 'God awareness,' and how it relates to the challenges facing society.
"ISNA meets the moment by framing taqwa (God Awareness) not only as personal piety but as a public strategy for success," reads the panel description on ISNA's program."It urges the Muslim community to mobilize taqwa to uphold unity, ethical integrity, and an uncompromised commitment to justice."
Several local clerics are also expected to speak, including some prominent leaders, such as Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini of the Islamic Institute of America, a Dearborn Heights mosque, and Imam Mustapha Elturk of the Islamic Organization of North America, a Warren mosque, who will talk on a panel titled "Strengthening Shia Sunni Unity: How to Build Healthy Relationships." ISNA is led by Sunni Muslims, but includes Shia Muslims at its conventions.
"We not only promote interfaith work, we are a strong proponent of intrafaith work," Azeez said.
Robert Brutell, an interfaith leader in metro Detroit, will be among the award recipients at the convention for his work on fostering dialogue among diverse faiths and being an advocate for minority religions in Michigan.
"At our convention, everybody is welcome," Azeez said. "We get a lot of our friends from the Christian and Jewish faiths. ... So we are really excited. We are looking forward to welcome everyone. We are grateful to the Michigan community for hosting us."
'Everybody is welcome'
There was a small controversy earlier this month when Tariq Masood, a conservative cleric in Pakistan who's been criticized by women's rights groups, was scheduled to speak on a panel, according to some social media posts on ISNA accounts later removed. But Azeez said he's not speaking.
"ISNA never invited him," Azeez said. "It was a local group, a group of local community members who felt that he should be invited, but he's not speaking at the convention."
Many women are scheduled to be speakers at the convention. The last time ISNA held its convention in Detroit, in 2014, former President Jimmy Carter spoke, calling for an end to abuse of women and “peace, freedom and justice" for Palestinians. Gov. Rick Snyder also spoke at the convention, which has drawn politicians and government leaders from both parties over the decades.
ISNA is working with Detroit Police and private security to ensure a peaceful event.
"We are fully cognizant of some of the disturbing events that happened in recent times here, especially very recently at the Dearborn City Hall and some other places," Azeez said. "Our security team and the police department will take care of that."
ISNA, which is headquartered in Indiana and often holds its convention in Chicago, has close ties to Michigan. El-Sayed's father-in-law, Dr. Jukaku Tayeb, is a longtime leader with ISNA, part of its Founders Committee.
"Some of the oldest Muslim communities in the country are from the state of Michigan," Azeez said. "Some of the early immigrants, 50 years, 75 years back, they moved to this part of the country. They have been associated with ISNA for many years. I know a few families, four generations of people, have been connected and associated with ISNA. And we take great pride in the fact that year after year, so many people identified themselves with this organization. This organization was there when there were no mosques, no other organizations. ISNA was there, so people have a very strong bond with this organization."
To register and for more information on ISNA's convention in Detroit, visit isna.net.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Thousands attending Muslim convention in Detroit to 'build bridges'
