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Iraqi PM
al-Sudani
speaks
at
Dearborn
Heights
mosque
on April
18. -
Photo by
The Arab
American
News |
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Iraqi
Prime
Minister
visits
Metro
Detroit,
meets
with
diverse
religious
communities
By Walid
Kassan
tellusdetroit.com
DEARBORN
HEIGHTS
- This
week,
the
Iraqi
Prime
Minister
made a
brief
visit to
the
Detroit
area.
His
first
stops
included
the
Islamic
Institute
of
America
and a
mosque
in
Dearborn
Heights.
He then
went to
the
Shenandoah
Country
Club in
West
Bloomfield
for
dinner
with
local
Iraqi
Americans.
Wayne
County
Executive
Warren
Evans
welcomed
al-Sudani
as he
arrived
at
Detroit
Metro on
Iraqi
Airways
with a
large
delegation
on
Thursday
evening.
He said,
"His
visit is
particularly
significant
because
Wayne
County
is home
to a
vibrant
Iraqi
American
community.
Tens of
thousands
of Iraqi
Americans
have
established
themselves
here,
contributing
to the
thriving
local
culture
and
embodying
the
spirit
of the
American
Dream."
Despite
not
being
publicly
announced,
local
leaders
said the
visit
highlighted
the
influence
of Metro
Detroit's
Middle
Eastern
community.
Imam
Sayed
Hassan
Qazwini,
of Iraqi
descent,
runs the
Dearborn
Heights
mosque,
and the
country
club
visit
aimed to
reach
out to
the
local
Chaldean
community.
Chaldeans
are
Eastern
Rite
Catholics,
and many
are of
Iraqi
descent.
Iraqi-Americans
are part
of the
large
and
influential
Arab
American
community
in
Southeast
Michigan.
Wayne
County
alone
has an
estimated
population
of over
250,000
Arab
Americans.
Deputy
County
Executive
Assad
Turfe,
along
with
other
Iraqi
and Arab
American
leaders,
welcomed
the
Prime
Minister
as he
arrived.
Turfe
said,
"The
county,
in
general,
and the
state of
Michigan,
in
particular,
have a
very
thriving
Iraqi
community
that has
done
very
well
since
they
arrived
here in
the
early
'90s
after
the Gulf
War."
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