The Council views education as both a moral and social imperative. We act on this through experiential education, by connecting people with one another. Following the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), we promote the quest for knowledge in three primary ways: interfaith, intrafaith, and through our Islamic Schools Committee.
Our interfaith efforts are highlighted by our annual CIOM Statewide Open House each May. Last year, over 10 mosques participated in this coordination effort to educate people in Islam. Our interfaith efforts are not just one-way, though. We often join hands with various non-Muslim groups for service projects, church services, and the like. For instance, in November, 2010, we partnered with the Jewish Community Relations Council to host the First Annual Interfaith Health Fair at the Detroit Muslim Center. Most patients were Christian, and one can only imagine the genuine appreciation each Health Fair participant gained for the other.
Building bridges between Muslims of various sectarian, racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds has been central to CIOM’s efforts since its inception. CIOM’s Code of Honor signed on May 5th, 2007, by Governor Jennifer Granholm, 17 imams, and 10 others affirmed the mutual respect between the Sunni and Shi’a leadership of Michigan. This endeavor paved the way for similar Codes signed throughout the country. CIOM is also a proud partner of ISNA for the annual Diversity Forum, where we aim to start an honest discussion on racial, sectarian, and other issues with regards to diversity. In addition, CIOM has a street team of merging youth leaders who gather monthly to discuss issues pertaining to diversity.
Our Islamic Schools Committee aims to bring coordinate better exchange of ideas, resources, and experiences between our state’s Islamic schools. We have studied best practices and optimization models for such a committee, and hope for this to take our schools to the next level. ISNA is sharing its resources and expertise with us on this project as well.
For more information, or if you would simply to share your ideas with us, please do not hesitate to use the “Contact Us” page on our website, and we will connect with you the right people, God Willing.