Mohamad Jawad Chirri
| Mohamad Jawad Chirri | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 1, 1905 Lebanon |
| Died |
November 10, 1994 Dearborn, MI |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri (Arabic: محمد جواد شري; October 1, 1905 – November 10, 1994) was the founder and director of the Islamic Center of America[1] until his death..
Books authored
In addition to writing The Shi'ites Under Attack:
Books about Islamic jurisprudence and its basis:
- Al-Riyad in the Basis of Jurisprudence
- Al-Taharah (the purity)
- Fasting
- The Book of Prayer
- The Islamic Wills-
A book about the caliphate:
- The Caliphate in the Islamic Constitution.
Books in English about Islam:
- Muslim Practice
- The Faith of Islam
- Inquiries About Islam
- Imam Hussein, Leader of the Martyrs
- The Brother of the Prophet Muhammad (the Imam Ali). (He also wrote this book in Arabic and named it Amir al-Mu'minin)]
Narrative
Imam Chirri’s goal was to spread Islam in a country that had not known it and to a community that he felt was starving for it. The sizable Muslim community in the Dearborn/Detroit metro area can serve as an example of his influence. His foundation provided security for those that were thinking of immigrating to North America and the influx of immigrants influenced the foundation of several other Islamic institutions to act similarly, allowing many other Muslim clergy to immigrate to the Americas.
The new Islamic Center of America on Ford Road opened its doors in 2005 and marked the 10th anniversary of the passing of the late Imam.
Education, Social and Political contributions
Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri traveled to the United States of America in 1948 at the request of the then small Muslim community in the Detroit area to "...bring guidance and purpose". The community then was made up of mostly Lebanese immigrants from as early as the turn of the 20th Century and their first- and second-generation offspring. Imam Chirri was able to transform a community that had lived and almost assimilated into a Christian culture into a community that found solidarity under the Islamic Center Foundation Society in Highland Park, Michigan.
Building the Islamic Center of Detroit
In 1959, Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri traveled to the United Arab Republic (Egypt) to meet with President Jamal Abdul Nasser to seek financial assistance in building a new mosque in America. Imam Chirri also took the opportunity to meet with Imam Mahmoud Shaltout of the Al-Azhar University to discuss similarities between the Sunni and She’ah Jaa’fari schools of thought. After the dialogues, Imam Shaltout made an announcement that the Sunni and She’ah sects are both sound schools of thought, and they both share equal legitimacy in Islam. Imam Chirri was also able to convince President Nasser to help his foundation purchase a parcel of land on Joy Road and Greenfield. With community donations, the Islamic Center of Detroit was built and opened in 1962.