Islamic House of Worship (IHW)

Background

The Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW) was founded in 1995 by Mohammad Ali Elahi to serve as an educational organization for the Muslim community in the Detroit area. IHW claims to advocate for providing a place for interfaith dialogue and resources for journalists, researchers, and the public on Islamic issues and topics. The IHW has also previously participated in in the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Leadership Symposium organized by the National Conference for Community and Justice in 1998. ³

Detroit-Area Initiatives

The Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW) claims to organize and provide educational initiatives for Muslim and non-Muslim communities within the Detroit area. In addition to Friday prayer services, the center also operates a Saturday Arabic and Islamic school for pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade to teach about Arabic language as well as Islamic culture and history. ⁴

IHW also claims to provide community services including homeless outreach programs, food drives, childcare, financial counseling, marriage ceremonies, and foster care. ^{5 6 7}

IHW works with several left-of-center activist groups in the Detroit area including Detroit Metropolitan Interfaith, Common World Alliance, and Michigan United.  ⁸

Activities

Political Advocacy

In 2007, the Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW) and its Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi criticized the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for conducting a series of raids and investigations into two Dearborn-based Muslim charity organizations as potential financiers of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. Elahi claimed that the investigations were politically motivated and anti-Islamic. ⁹

Anti-Israeli Advocacy

In January 2024, IHW was one of several signers of an open letter by the March on Washington for Gaza addressed to President Joe Biden advocating against U.S military support for the State of Israel following the October 7, 2023 terror attacks against it by the terror group Hamas. The letter claimed to oppose what it considered the “Israeli government’s genocidal war crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.” ² In May 2024, Elahi made a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account criticizing president Biden for sending $1 billion in arms to Israel. The post called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war-criminal” and alleged Biden providing arms to Israel proved that the U.S believed “genocide is OK.” ¹⁰ In a February 2024 sermon at the IHW, Elahi claimed that Prime Minister Netanyahu is “like a Hitler of the 21st century.” ¹¹

Controversy

Alleged Ties to Iran

In 2015, Elahi allegedly met with Amir Hekmati, an ex-United States Marine being held in Iran on charges of being a CIA spy. ¹² In 2017, Elahi met with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, whom he called a friend of nearly 30 years. ¹³ IHW and Elahi also publicly mourned the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. ¹⁴ The center also mourned the death of Hezbollah military leader and advocate of suicide bombing Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in 2010. ^{15 16}

Leadership

Mohammad Ali Elahi is the imam and director of the Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW). Elahi was born in Iran and began seminary at the age of 12. He holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of Michigan and a M.A. from Wayne State University in Detroit. ¹⁷ Elahi previously served in the Iranian navy ¹⁸ and in 1986, Elahi traveled to London for a year of language and culture studies. By 1990, Elahi was invited as an Islamic scholar to the World Religious Assembly in San Francisco, California. Following the conference, he visited several American states including Michigan, where he was asked to join the Islamic Center of America (ICOA). In 1991, Elahi moved to Michigan and served as religious director of ICOA till 1995, when he founded the Islamic House of Wisdom. ¹⁷ Elahi also serves as co-chair of the Imams Council of Michigan. ¹⁹

Finances

In 2022, the Islamic House of Wisdom reported $419,482 in revenue, $591,957 in expenses, and $1,661,258 in net assets. ²⁰

In 2020, the Islamic House of Wisdom received a $20,000 grant from the DTE Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Detroit-based company DTE Energy company. ²¹

From 2019 to 2022, the Islamic House of Wisdom also received several donations from Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. In 2019, the Islamic House of Wisdom received a grant for $8,000, as well as $11,000 in 2021, and $14,500 in 2022.  ^{22 23 24}