Warikoo

2011-12-28T18:09:00.004-05:00

Hi. Thanks for visiting. I'm the Religion Reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Contact me at nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter.com/nwarikoo

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Chabad Lubavitch pushes for good after Mumbai tragedy

2009-01-13T02:21:00.005-05:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about Chabad Lubavitch commemorating Hanukkah in light of the Mumbai tragedy. Niraj Warikoo interviews members of Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish group, for the story and attends a bar mitzvah of a boy whose father encouraged the crowd to perform good deeds. Click here to read Niraj Warikoo's story.

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2008-05-06T22:13:00.002-04:00

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Niraj Warikoo speaks at national convention in Miami

2008-02-11T02:39:00.000-05:00

Niraj Warikoo was an invited panel speaker at the annual AAJA convention in Miami, Florida. He spoke about covering Islam. Click here to see him at a convention event speaking with other journalists.

Latinos grow in the suburbs; find new life, with some tensions

2008-02-09T09:58:00.000-05:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about the growing Latino population in the suburbs, a nationwide trend. Some are finding peace, while others face racism. With immigration a hot topic, some feel they have been unfairly targted. Warikoo interviewed Latino families moving to the suburbs and leaders in the Catholic Church. Click here to read his story.

And click here to read an accompanying story by Niraj Warikoo on a white priest who has worked heard to reach out to his church's growing Spanish-speaking congregation in a suburb of Detroit.

Lebanese-Americans remember Rafic Hariri

2008-02-09T09:50:00.000-05:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about commemorations marking the third anniversary of the assasinatin of Rafic Hariri, Lebanon's former Prime Minister. Michigan has one of the biggest Lebanese communities outside the Middle East. Click here to read Warikoo's story.

American Muslims prepare for Hajj pilgrimage; some concerned about problems

2008-02-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about how American Muslims are preparing to go on hajj, the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. In Michigan and across the U.S., Muslims are increasingly enrolling in Hajj classes to prepare. Some Shi'ite Muslims are concerned they might get harassed while on hajj by Saudi religions police. Warikoo interviewed several pilgrims and sat it on Hajj classes for his report. Click here to read Niraj Warikoo's full story.

Legal immigrants can't get Driver's Licenses in Michigan

2008-02-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about a new Michigan policy that doesn't allow legal immigrants here temporarily from getting driver's licenses. The new policy could affect up to 400,000 legal immigrants in Michigan. Warikoo interviewed state officials and business leaders about the controversial new policy. Click here to read Warikoo's report.

License ban hits legal workers
Changes could affect 400,000 in state
February 5, 2008

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Immigrants and business leaders across Michigan are concerned that a new state policy prohibiting legal temporary workers and students from getting driver's licenses will hurt the state's economy and drive away investment.

Attorney General Michael Cox ruled Dec. 27 that illegal immigrants can't get driver's licenses. But a little-noticed part of his ruling also said that temporary legal immigrants, too, are prohibited from getting driver's licenses.

Two weeks ago, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced the changes as a result of Cox's ruling and ordered her branch offices to prevent legal immigrants who are not in Michigan permanently from applying for licenses.
The changes could affect up to 400,000 temporary workers and students in Michigan, say business leaders.

Many of them are highly skilled workers who are needed to keep the state's economy going, said Sarah Hubbard, with the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Almost 15,000 students at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University also would be affected, she said.

Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer testified about the policy change Thursday in Lansing, saying it will hurt Michigan.

Also Monday, the state Senate transportation committee tentatively approved legislation, based on a proposal by Land, that would change the policy. It has yet to be approved by the full Senate and state House.

State Rep. Steve Tobocman, D-Detroit, agrees the policy needs to be changed, but he and other legislators have some concerns about the bill Land supports. They said it would not cover all legal temporary immigrants.

Kelly Chesney, a spokeswoman for Land, said she hopes the legislation passes swiftly because the current policy "has the ability to affect so many different sectors of the economy."

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at 248-351-2998 or warikoo@freepress.com.

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Imam Hassan Qazwini writes a new book on Islam and America

2008-02-03T13:01:00.000-05:00

Imam Hassan Qazwini, head of one of the largest mosques in the U.S., has written a new book published by Random House. Niraj Warikoo interviewed Imam Hassan Qazwini and wrote a story about the new book, which details Qazwini's meetings with top leaders, including Presidnet George W. Bush. Click here to read Niraj Warikoo's story on Imam Qazwini.

Sharing his story
Muslim cleric writes a book about Islam and his family's suffering in Iraq
December 31, 2007

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Born into a prestigious Iraqi family descended from Islam's prophet, Imam Hassan Qazwini started life anew when he moved to the United States in 1992.

He knew little English, was unfamiliar with American culture and uncertain about his future.

But now, Qazwini of Dearborn heads one the largest U.S. mosques -- the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn -- and has become a nationally known figure who has advised President George W. Bush, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Muslims from metro Detroit to Baghdad.
His compelling life story -- with details about his influence with top leaders -- is told in a book he wrote that was published recently by Random House.

Titled "American Crescent," the memoir starts with his family's suffering at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime and how some of them escaped to Kuwait, including Qazwini.

From there Qazwini moved to Iran in 1980, and then to California with the blessing of his father, a major Shi'ite Muslim cleric. In 1997, Qazwini became the imam at the Islamic Center, which was in Detroit.

The idea for the book came out of his efforts to reach non-Muslims after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"My main goal was to educate non-Muslim readers about Islam," said Qazwini, 43. "We have been witnessing widespread misconceptions about our faith. ... We've been bombarded with negative views about Islam."

"If you want to learn about Islam," he writes in the book, "turn off the TV."

Also in the book Qazwini describes meetings with Bush, including one in 2000 that was held weeks before the presidential election. Qazwini writes that Bush told him and others at the meeting that it was wrong to stereotype Muslims as extremists.

Bush also talked about his love of Lebanese food, Qazwini wrote, and said there was no division between Muslims and Christians.

"There are some Muslims who create trouble, but the majority are good people, just as there are some Christians who create trouble even though most are good," Qazwini quoted Bush as saying. "People talk of Muslim extremists? Come with me to Texas, and I'll show you the Christian extremists."

In the same meeting, Qazwini said he asked Bush to name a liaison to the Muslim community if he were to be elected. Bush replied that he would appoint Spencer Abraham, a Lebanese-American Christian who was then a U.S. senator from Michigan.

"He will be your key to the White House," Qazwini wrote, quoting Bush.

After the election, Bush named Abraham as his secretary of energy.

"The president had kept his word," Qazwini wrote.

But despite Qazwini's influence, he -- like some other Muslim Americans -- still suffers from religious profiling. He writes that he's been questioned at random by federal agents in airports and at the U.S.-Canada border, faulting the U.S. Patriot Act for allowing such bias.

Iraq is a major theme in the book, as are Sunni-Shi'ite relations. In one chapter, Qazwini recalls when a group of visitors from Saudi Arabia refused to pray in his Dearborn mosque because it was Shi'ite.

Qazwini's grandfather, a respected Shi'ite cleric, was killed during Hussein's regime. After Hussein's government was overthrown in 2003, Qazwini's father, Ayatollah Sayed Mortadha Qazwini, returned to his hometown of Karbala, Iraq, to preach again near the shrine of Imam Husayn, a Muslim leader slain centuries ago who is revered by Shi'ites.

In an emotional passage in the book, Qazwini remembers returning to Husayn's shrine in 2005 after 26 years.

"As I entered ... his presence overpowered me," Qazwini wrote. "I felt a ... rapture bordering on paralysis. For some time I wept in peace before his tomb."

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at 248-351-2998 or warikoo@freepress.com.

Find this article at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS05/712310378

Muslims concerned about campaign talk by Presidential candidates

2008-02-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about the concerns of Muslim-Americans about political talk on the campaign trail they say attacks their religion. Sen. John McCain recently made fun of a style of Muslim dress even though McCain's daughter is from a Muslim country, Bangladesh. Warikoo spoke with Muslims and interviewed Sen. McCain at a rally about the concerns of Muslims. Click here to read Niraj Warikoo's story.

ELECTION 2008

Political ads make Muslims uneasy
Campaigns sound bigoted, some say
January 13, 2008

By NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Victor Ghalib Begg has long been an active Republican. The 60-year-old furniture store owner from Bloomfield Hills campaigned hard for President George W. Bush and former Gov. John Engler, cutting them and other Republicans numerous fat checks over the years.

But as the race for president heats up, he has become disturbed by what he sees as growing anti-Muslim rhetoric from candidates.

"They're all falling over each other to demonize Muslims and Islam," Begg said. "They're trying to appeal to the power of prejudice and hate. ... And it's brainless. Everybody knows we have a problem with terrorism. Let's focus on how to deal with it, instead of focusing on a faith or a people."
It's a view shared by many in Michigan's sizable Muslim and Arab-American communities. As the Republican candidates campaign in the state in advance of Tuesday's primary, local Muslims are closely watching the race. But they feel under siege as candidates scramble to bolster their national security credentials with words Muslims say slander their religion.

In a recent TV ad for former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, images of angry Muslim men and women appear on screen with a voice-over warning of "a people perverted."

Sen. John McCain of Arizona told the Free Press last month that "the challenge of radical Islam" is what drives him to run. And in a campaign video, McCain declares: "The transcendent issue of the 21st Century is the struggle against radical Islamic extremism. "

Begg and others say they have no problems with talk of fighting terrorists, but argue that Republican candidates are consistently equating Islam with terrorism and crossing the line into bigotry. During last Thursday night's debate in South Carolina, for example, McCain said:

"I'm not interested in trading with Al Qaeda. All they want to trade is burqas," he quipped, referring to a type of dress some Muslim women wear.

Local Muslims say that criticizing Al Qaeda is legitimate, but wonder why he would make a snide remark. The remark was especially bothersome, some said, considering that McCain's adopted daughter, Bridget McCain, is from a Muslim country, Bangladesh.

"Bashing Muslims excites certain kinds of bases," said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab-American News in Dearborn.

McCain said Saturday after a rally in Clawson that he respects Islam. "I want to assure the Muslim community in Michigan and around this country that we respect an honorable religion," he said.

Muslims are especially bothered by Giuliani, who has hired advisers they say are prejudiced against them.

Ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney suggested last year he probably would rule out a Muslim cabinet member. And some of the candidates repeatedly have used terms like "Islamo-fascism" during debates, which Muslims say is an absurd phrase that wrongly equates their religion with tyranny.

"Radical Islamic fascists have declared war on our country and our way of life," former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says on his Web site. "They have sworn to annihilate each of us who believe in a free society, all in the name of a perversion of religion and an impersonal god."

The tone this election season is a marked change from eight years ago, when Republican candidate George W. Bush actively courted the Muslim and Arab vote in Michigan.

Siblani, who once backed Bush, remembers watching with excitement when the future president said during a national debate with then-Vice President Al Gore that Arab Americans were being unfairly profiled.

Twenty years ago, some Republicans used TV ads that denigrated African Americans -- such as the infamous Willie Horton ad run by former President George Bush.

Now, Muslims say, they are the scapegoats.

"Most of it is based on demagoguery, an easy way to score political points," said Tarek Baydoun, 23, of Dearborn.

The head of the Michigan Republican Party, Saul Anuzis, says that Muslims -- because of their religiosity, family values and belief in small government -- are natural fits for his party. He's concerned that some may be offended by the talk on the campaign trail.

Anuzis defended the major Republican candidates, saying they have drawn distinctions between jihadists and all Muslims. But he acknowledged the concerns of Muslims and immigrants.

"There is an apprehension because of the political rhetoric," Anuzis said. "And sometimes, being sloppy with the vocabulary ... we have to be more careful in how we talk ... because the overwhelming majority of Muslims are good people."

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at 248-351-2998 or n warikoo@freepress.com.

Find this article at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080113/NEWS15/801130615

Warikoo writes about an Iraqi-American racially harassed at work

2008-02-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

Warikoo writes about the case of an Iraqi-American bus mechanic who was repeatedly harassed at work because of his ethnicity. Click here to read the story of Mazyn Barash. Warikoo attended the civil rights hearing on Jan. 31, 2008 and wrote about it.

Employee testifies of racial abuse at hearing
January 31, 2008

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A mechanic with SMART testified Thursday at a civil rights hearing that one of his co-workers was racially abused at work because of his ethnicity. And he claimed that supervisors did not move to stop or investigate the abuse.

Joseph Mathis, who works for the metro bus system SMART, said at a hearing in Detroit that one co-worker said racial insults such as "raghead" and "towelhead" in front of a co-worker who was an Iraqi-American.

At other times, the co-worker made violent remarks about Iraqis, said "Where's my camel?" and would sing "I'm Ahab, the A-rab," Mathis said.
Mathis' testimony was part of a hearing Thursday at the Michigan Civil Rights Commission over a complaint filed by Mazyn (Mike) Barash, of Farmington Hills.

After the hearing is over, a hearing officer will make a recommendation on the case to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, which will then rule on the claim of Barash. The commission has the authority to order compensatory damages.

Barash, a bus mechanic at SMART who is an Iraqi-American Chaldean, said he was repeatedly harassed at work because of his ethnicity and national background. The harassment got worse after the start of the Iraq war.

At one time, the employee said of Barash that "he would like to see him all blown up," Mathis said.

At another time, the worker said of Iraqis:

"I wish they would blow that thing up off the earth already."

When Mathis and others complained, they were called "a bunch of Iraqi lovers," by an employee.

Mathis said that managers ignored his complaints.

"Our complaints we took to management were never dealt with," he said.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights found sufficient evidence in Barash's complaint to hold a hearing on the case.

Avery Gordon, general counsel for SMART, said he could not comment on the specific case. But he stressed that SMART does not allow discrimination and takes seriously any allegations of bias.

"We don't tolerate discriminatory behavior," Gordon said. "We have policies and procedures in place that prohibit discriminatory behavior should it occur."

Gordon said that SMART has an internal program that allows SMART employees to report allegations of abuse anonymously through a phone number.

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at warikoo@freepress.com

Find this article at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/NEWS05/80131075

2007-09-15T12:28:00.000-04:00

Niraj Warikoo writes about a new immigration bill. Click here to read.

2007-08-07T11:41:00.000-04:00

Story by Niraj Warikoo on the government's reasons behind the raids of two Muslim charities

DETROIT FREE PRESS
Agents target charity offices
Raiders look for links to Mideast terrorism

August 7, 2007

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Federal agents were looking for information on terrorist operations and Hizballah activity when they raided two Muslim charities last month, court records show.

The agents hauled away computers, files, money and other items from the Dearborn offices of Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization and Goodwill Charitable Organization, two Shi'ite Muslim groups that raised money in metro Detroit.

On the same day, July 24, the U.S. Treasury Department said Goodwill was a front group for Hizballah and froze its assets, but Al-Mabarrat was not labeled, charged or placed on any terrorism list.

According to an affidavit filed with the search warrant for the raids, agents were looking for financial ties to "foreign Lebanese or Iranian affiliated charitable organizations" as well as "anti-United States or anti-Israel propaganda."

Hizballah, based in Lebanon, is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department, but some Muslims in metro Detroit see it as a legitimate group that resisted Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

Agents also raided the homes of two men on the same day as the raids. As with the charities, agents were looking for material "dealing with Hizballah, martyrdom, suicide operations, bombings or other terrorist attacks," the affidavit says.

The men were listed as Mike or Majed Safiedine of Dearborn Heights, who is president of Goodwill, according to 2005 tax records the group filed, and Ahmed Ali Ghosn of Dearborn.

From the home of Safiedine, agents seized computers, checks, an Al-Mabarrat receipt, a Goodwill memo and a portrait of the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

A woman who answered the phone at Safiedine's home said the family was not available to comment; Ghosn could not be reached.

Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said, "we're concerned about Al-Mabarrat being able to function, being allowed due process and not being tried in the court of public opinion."

He added, "Al-Mabarrat emphatically denies any connection to Hizballah."

Regarding the photo of Khomeini, Muslim leaders said that's protected under the Constitution.

"Having a picture or book related to a figure does not equal full endorsement," Walid said.

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at 248-351-2998 or nwarikoo@freepress.com.

Find this article by Niraj Warikoo at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070807/NEWS05/708070390

2007-08-02T12:02:00.000-04:00

Story by Niraj Warikoo on Iraqi refugees arriving in Detroit.

Safety, love embrace Iraqi refugees
First wave of new arrivals in Detroit

August 2, 2007

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Nursing a glass of whiskey between bites of fava beans, Ibrahim Dawood sat inside his new home in Sterling Heights and gazed at a quiet backyard. After years of turmoil in Turkey and Iraq, this new scene was hard to imagine.

"I can't even believe I'm here," said Dawood, 57, as his U.S. cousins gathered around him in the living room. "I want to stay and live in peace."

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That desire was shared by 13 other Iraqi natives who arrived in Detroit on Wednesday, part of the first wave of refugees that is expected to come to Michigan this year from a land racked with violence.

They were exhausted -- some spent 40 hours on their journey from Turkey -- but also relieved to find a haven in the United States.

The refugees arrive at a time of intense debate about the Iraq war and how many refugees Michigan can handle. About 2,000 may arrive in the United States by the end of September.

But on Wednesday, the focus was on family, not politics.

Dawood, his wife, and three sons teared up as they hugged their cousins after landing at Metro Airport just after 10:30 a.m.

They fled Iraq and went to Turkey in 2003, after suffering under the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Two of Dawood's fingers were chopped off by police after he was once jailed in the 1980s for political reasons, he said.

"Praises to God," some family members said in Arabic as they embraced and kissed each other on the cheek.

The members of Dawood's family are Chaldean, Iraqi Catholics, who make up a sizable part of metro Detroit's Iraqi-American communities.

Many fear for their relatives inside Iraq and for those who have fled to nearby countries.

The sixth member of the group that arrived Wednesday morning was Ismail Ahmed Hamed, 25, who is Muslim and will live for now in an apartment in Dearborn.

"I feel good because I'm in the U.S. now," said Hamed.

He once studied biology at a university in Baghdad. But in 2005, Hamed fled for Turkey because he was worried about the rise of extremists groups in his native land.

"I'd like to finish my studies" in Michigan, he said. Hamed would like to be a doctor.

"It's my future -- I hope," he said.

Hamed and others were greeted at the Smith Terminal inside the airport by members of refugee and social service groups.

Lutheran Social Services of Michigan works with the federal government to help resettle refugees, and they will work with the Iraqis in coming weeks to help find them housing and jobs.

Joseph Kassab, a West Bloomfield scientist who is overseeing the refugee influx as executive director of the Chaldean Federation of America, was also at the airport, helping to coordinate the arrivals.

"It's all about family reunification," said Kassab, who works to publicize the plight of Christians inside Iraq.

A second group of refugees, eight members of one family, arrived in the afternoon. They, too, are Chaldean and will live with relatives in Sterling Heights.

Katrina Gorgis, 41, of Sterling Heights crumpled in tears when she saw her sister's family walk toward her.

"I've wanted to come to this country for a long time," said Sargon Ablahad, 18, Gorgis' nephew.

In Turkey, life was rough. Ablahad and other refugee children said that they had to drop out of school to work and support their families.

It "was not easy to make rent," Ablahad said.

In coming weeks, the families will work to find jobs.

Dawood taught geography at a high school in Iraq for 26 years, and Ablahad's father was a taxi driver. Both are unsure if they can find similar jobs here, but said that they are thankful to the U.S. government for giving them a second chance.

For now, they're enjoying the love.

Dawood relaxed Wednesday afternoon in a chair at the home of his brother-in-law, Nabil Hanna, 51, of Sterling Heights.

In the corner was a festive spread of Iraqi specialties including potato fritters, scented rice heaped with chicken lamb and rows of shish kebabs.

"As you can see, everybody is happy here," Hanna said. "We're so happy to see them."

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at 248-351-2998 or nwarikoo@freepress

Find this article at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS05/708020409/1007

2007-07-27T21:33:00.000-04:00

Story by Niraj Warikoo on the raids of two Muslim charities in Dearborn. Click here to read story.

Detroit Free Press

Muslims upset by FBI raid of charity
It's not on terror list; Dingell gave $100

July 26, 2007

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

For $500 a year, you could sponsor a needy orphan in Lebanon through the Dearborn office of the Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization.

And many metro Detroiters did -- through fund-raisers in mosques and boxes at Dearborn restaurants that read "Orphan's happiness depends on your donation."

Even some politicians gave money, including U.S. Rep. John Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat. His chief of staff said Wednesday that the congressman cut a check of about $100 to the group during a Ramadan dinner in October 2004.

And so the raid of Al-Mabarrat has unnerved many in metro Detroit's Muslim communities, some of whom met Wednesday to discuss how to deal with it.

Al-Mabarrat and another Shi'ite Muslim group, Goodwill Charitable Organization, were raided by the FBI and other federal agencies Tuesday, the same day the U.S. Treasury Department declared Goodwill Charitable to be a front for Hizballah and froze its assets.

But the Treasury Department did not name Al-Mabarrat as a terrorist group, leaving many Muslims confused about the government's actions. Al-Mabarrat is still allowed to operate, though agents hauled away its documents and computers, making it difficult to function, Muslim leaders said.

"This is a clean, lawful group with the utmost integrity," said Tarek Baydoun of Dearborn, who has helped raise money for it. "They're not going to find anything."

Al-Mabarrat officials have decided not to comment on the case for now because they're afraid of saying the wrong thing, said Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Walid said the group would like to have its computers and documents back.

"If they're not being closed, they should be allowed to operate at full capacity," Walid said.

Al-Mabarrat's plight is similar to what happened to another Muslim charity, Life for Relief and Development. Its Southfield headquarters was raided in September, but the group was not placed on any terrorism list.

The raid "made it much harder for us to raise money," said Ihsan Alkhatib, an attorney with the charity. "It required us to do more work."

He and other Muslims said raids hamper their ability to donate, as Islamic law requires.

"The religion is being singled out," said Akil Fahd, 37, of Detroit. "We're fearful."

The FBI did not comment on what was behind the Al-Mabarrat raid. But the government alleged in previous cases that the charity had ties to terrorism.

Last year, federal prosecutors said that Talal Chahine, owner of the La Shish restaurants, met with Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a cleric in Lebanon who heads Al-Mabarrat, and gave money to his group. Chahine was never charged with any terrorism crimes but was accused of tax fraud. He is believed to be in Lebanon.

The U.S. government claims that Fadlallah is the spiritual leader of Hizballah and designates him as a terrorist.

Metro Detroit Muslims say he's not connected to Hizballah and has no ties to terrorism.

Dingell donated to Al-Mabarrat during a fund-raiser at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge in Dearborn, said Michael Robbins, Dingell's chief of staff.

"The case of Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization is in the hands of federal authorities," Robbins said in an e-mail. "His contribution in 2004 was to help the organization with its stated purpose of helping orphans and poor children. ... He ... will work to ensure fairness and justice in the investigation."

Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at nwarikoo@freepress.com.

Find this article at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NEWS02/707260415

2004-05-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

2004-05-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

2002-08-01T20:14:00.000-04:00

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2002-06-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

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2002-06-15T20:44:00.001-04:00

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2002-06-15T20:44:00.000-04:00

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2002-03-02T18:17:00.000-05:00

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