06/25/07: CBN Comments

CBN News- June 25, 2007

As we give Erick Stakelbeck the benefit of doubt that he has been trying to write objectively,  there are some unfair attacks, accusations and ill quotes from a Jewish woman whom we doubt represents necessarily the Jewish community, who intended to launch a character assignation against Imam Elahi who sincerely sat down with CBN correspondent to clarify the airs of misinformation about Islam and the Muslim community!

“Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.”   

The Holy Quran 39-18

As we give Erick Stakelbeck the benefit of doubt that he has been trying to write objectively,  there are some unfair attacks, accusations and ill quotes from a Jewish woman whom we doubt represents necessarily the Jewish community, who intended to launch a character assignation against Imam Elahi who sincerely sat down with CBN correspondent to clarify the airs of misinformation about Islam and the Muslim community!

Imam Elahi: Loyal U.S. Citizen or Friend of Radical Islam?

By Erick Stakelbeck 
Terror Analyst 

CBN.com – ,  - For many in  a heavily Arab and Muslim suburb of , Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi is a true American-Muslim success story.

A native of , Elahi worked for the Iranian Navy, and was wounded by Saddam Hussein's forces during the Iran/Iraq War in the 1980s. He arrived in the  in 1991, and he is now an American citizen.

 “When I took the American citizenship and took the vows associated with loyalty to this country, I meant it. So I'm not [an] ambassador of  or any other country,” Elahi said.

Elahi meets frequently with  Jewish and Christian leaders and political figures. He also speaks at various U.N. events, and has even met with former President Bill Clinton. But most of his time is spent at the Islamic House of Wisdom, a popular mosque located just outside .

The Islamic House of Wisdom used to be a church. Now it is one of the largest mosques in the . As its leader, Imam Elahi holds considerable influence over's Muslim community. But critics say he has misusing that influence to promote an anti-Israel, pro-Iran agenda.

Debbie Schlussel, a Detroit-based columnist and attorney, was the first to call attention to Elahi's ties to Iranian government officials.

“Mr. Elahi, I believe, is an agent of the government in . Not only does he have sympathies for them, but he did work for them. And I believe he's still working for them,” Schlussel said. “I went to his Web site, and I found even more outrageous pictures of him with Ayatollah Khomeini, who we know held many Americans hostage for 444 days…We have pictures of him delivering prayers to the Iranian parliament. We have pictures of him with the former President of Iran, Mr. Khatami. We have pictures of him with Mr. Karrubi, who is the speaker of the house of the Iranian parliament.”

Elahi does not hide these photos--in fact, they are posted on the Islamic House of Wisdom's Web site. So is a shot of Elahi with former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani. In addition, a recent issue of the Islamic House of Wisdom's newsletter featured a photo of Elahi meeting with Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, spiritual leader of the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah.

“We need to have another interview, of talking about Hezbollah,” Elahi said, “whether that is a terrorist organization or not. I know that--legally--in the  now, Hezbollah is on that list. And whether we agree with the law, or disagree, we have to follow the law of the land.”

 intelligence officials say Hezbollah receives up to $100 million per year from the Iranian government. But Elahi praises Hezbollah's role in fighting Israeli forces in.

Elahi said, “They were resisting against occupation. I think that is something that is supported even by our government.”

But aside from al-Qaeda, no terrorist group has killed more Americans than Hezbollah. One of the group's most notorious attacks was the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in, which killed 243 U.S. Marines. Nevertheless, Schlussel says 's Muslim community is a hotbed of support for both Hezbollah and the Palestinian terror group Hamas. 

But what about Elahi?

A research paper for the U.S. Institute of Peace stated that, "In 1991, Mohammad Ali Elahi received a four-month visa which enabled him to inspect American branches of Hizbullah (Tehran's network of agents) and to reinforce Tehran's influence on Shi'ite communities (in Dearborn)." 

And a 1995 Arab-American news article quoted Elahi as saying, "If my blood would help the liberation of , I would give my blood to liberate ."

 “This man is a danger to ,” Schlussel said.  “I think that his citizenship needs to be stripped, and he needs to be deported.”

But instead of deporting Elahi, the  government is meeting with him. Daniel Roberts is special agent-in-charge of the FBI's  bureau. He meets with Elahi as part of an fbi outreach program to Muslims called "Bridges."

“What we're looking for here is people who are well respected in the community, that we can build a relationship with them and they can trust us, that we're telling them the straight story,” Roberts said. “And by and large, they've been outstanding individuals that we've had a chance to meet with through the Bridges program.”

Roberts could not discuss his meetings with Elahi on camera, but he did say he did not believe radicalism or anti-Semitism were problems in .

“Obviously, if they were supporting terrorism in any way, shape or form, then no, we wouldn't reach out to them,” Roberts said. “That's not in our mission. But if they were just exercising their First Amendment right on a particular political issue, that's their right. And we don't stop them from doing that. And we would probably still reach out to them.”

Elahi's First Amendment rights are also on display in one of 's leading newspapers. He writes a monthly column for the Detroit News that generates frequent controversy.

Regarding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent call to wipe  off the map, Elahi wrote:

--"It is very clear that Mr. Ahmadinejad was not making an anti-Semitic statement."

--"The Iranian president's quip can best be understood in the context of the Declaration of Independence."

--and, " must stop instigating violent conflicts in the Muslim world." 

Another Elahi column described Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin as a "Palestinian spiritual leader, (who) had a heart full of love for humanity." Yet another compared the Iranian constitution to that of the . 

Some Detroit-area Jewish groups have called Elahi's column Islamist propaganda. They want the Detroit News to pull it. But the paper's editorial page editor, Nolan Finley, notes that Elahi is considered a moderate in 's Muslim community.

“Extreme from our point of view and extreme from mainstream 's point of view? Perhaps.” Finley said. “Extreme for that community? I'm not sure. I think he has a very large following--in fact, I know he has a very large following in that community, and speaks for a very large segment of that community.”

Elahi said he wants "wonderful relations" with Jews around the world. But his views on the  are not likely to win him many Jewish friends. 

 “It is very obvious that there is no justification for suicide bombings in ,” Elahi said. “We wish to have the same situation in Israeli/Palestinian situation--that there would be no need for people to go through this suffering for themselves and for other people.”

Elahi denies that he is an agent of the Iranian government. But he says  is a democracy--and that the  should have supported the 1979 Iranian revolution, the same revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini and Islamic Sharia law to power.

“That was what people wanted,” Elahi said, “and they stood for it. I mean, that was a revolution made by the people.”

And what about 9/11? According to a 2001 upi article, Elahi suggested that the Israeli Mossad was behind the attacks on the . Elahi says he was misquoted. But he still is not convinced that al-Qaeda carried out the attacks alone.

“Honestly, in my heart? I don't have an answer for that,” Elahi said. “Maybe, and maybe not. They may have done it just by themselves, or they may have had some help from some others.”  

But Elahi said he is still not sure whether  was involved in the attacks.

Osama Siblani publishes the Arab-American News. Based in , it is the largest Arab-American newspaper in the .

Siblani said, “Imam Elahi is not a radical imam. If people call Imam Elahi a radical imam, they have not seen radicalism, apparently.” 

Siblani said Elahi merely reflects the views of his constituents in . Views like this, on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “It's a genocide against the Palestinians--I am telling you this,” Siblani asserted. “I am not Imam Elahi, and I am telling you that what the Israelis are doing against the Palestinians is genocide.”

Was it even worse than the Holocaust? Yes, Siblani affirms, “It is worse than the Holocaust, of course.”

When asked if Hezbollah is a terrorist group, Siblani replies, “No, They are not terrorists. Absolutely not. No. They are freedom fighters.”

And what about Hamas? “Freedom fighters as well,” Siblani said.

Schlussel said views like these reflect a much larger problem in . And that by denying Imam Elahi a platform,  government officials would gain a victory against radical Islam. 

“This is a man they should be investigating--not pandering to,” Schlussel warned.

When it comes to Imam Elahi, one thing is clear: He is extremely popular in , and the majority of Muslims here consider his views mainstream. Whether that is a good thing for the rest of us is open for debate.