To dispel the “misconceptions” that Islam is a violent cult. Good luck with that.
Via Detroit News:
Inside a former church on Ford Road is a room that soon will be filled with high-tech equipment to broadcast the message of Islam to the world.
The room will be stocked with computers, video cameras and other media equipment to produce online sermons, radio programs and a comprehensive website aimed at reaching Muslims here and around the English-speaking Islamic world.
The project is part of the Islamic Institute of America, a new mosque in Dearborn Heights led by Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini — one of Metro Detroit’s most prominent Muslim leaders. Hundreds of people attended the first Friday prayers at the mosque last week.
Al-Qazwini, 52, led the region’s most prominent mosque, the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, until resigning nearly two years ago amid controversy. Now he has ambitious plans for a new community. […]
Most important is Al-Qazwini’s new mantra: “Islam for All.” It’s a message he intends to spread especially to non-Muslims who may be familiar with the religion only through news coverage of Islamic extremist groups and federal policies such as the Trump administration’s travel ban.
“We as Muslims owe it to the American people to tell them what Islam is,” Al-Qazwini said. “Islam is not a cult. It is a religion followed by over 1.6 billion people around the world. … Yet many Americans don’t know basically anything about Islam. Many Americans have not met a Muslim in their life.
“There are so many misconceptions about Islam. We are bombarded in the media outlets; we are shown images of violence and graphic images of terrorists beheading people and unfortunately that is being done in the name of Islam.
“So it is right to educate, to dispel the misconceptions, fight the propaganda and to tell people you have to discern between Islam as a peaceful religion and fringe groups that are trying to hijack the religion for their political gain.”