Oldest Mosque In Michigan Celebrates 70 Years

May 13, 2009

Author: Gregg Krupa

Source: The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090513/METRO/905130358/1041/LIFESTYLE04/Oldest-mosque-in-Michigan-celebrates-70-years

The prayers feel a bit more fervent, these days, at the American Moslem Society, Muslims say. And there is much gratitude.

This week, congregants, neighbors and visitors celebrate the 70th year of the oldest mosque in Michigan.

The American Moslem Society stands as a beacon in Muslim America and Metro Detroit. Its roots proceed from the first mosque in Michigan, established in Highland Park in 1921. Experts and Islamic scholars believe the Highland Park Mosque, which lasted only for a year or two, was the first mosque in the United States.

"This mosque is the seed of all other mosques in the state of Michigan," said Mahdi Ali, the president of the American Moslem Society. "We have been called upon many times by people in other areas of the country for assistance with their mosques, even outside of Michigan," Ali said.