Az-Zahra Islamic Center

The Al-Zahraa Islamic Center, sometimes referred to as the Al-Zahra Center, is located in Detroit in a
building that formerly served as the Islamic Center of America [1].

Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini led Friday prayers at the Center [2], until 2015 when left to found The Islamic
Institute of America [3].  Al-Qazwini, who formerly served as Imam of the Islamic Center of America,
has boasted of his closeness to Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, a spiritual leader of Hezbollah. While
serving as Imam for ICA, Al-Qazwini orchestrated a memorial service for Fadlallah when he died in 2010
[4].

Al-Qazwini has claimed that ISIS was created by Israel [5]; that Trump shares attributes similar to ISIS
[6]; that Bernie Sanders was “an honorable man, even though he is a Jew”; [7]; and that the French
Government was creating a breeding ground for terrorism [8].

Imam Bassem Al-Sheraa currently serves as the mosques spiritual leader. In February 2019, a video of
Al-Sheraa, posted to Al Zahraa’s YouTube channel, where he accuses Jews of employing “tricks and
fraud in matters of religion and morality,” claim Jewish culture is a “culture of usury,” and that Jews
established “the brothels of Europe.” [9]

Sources:
[1] Alzahraa Islamic Center Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/alzahraaIslamiccenter (Accessed
May 20, 2018)
[2] Warikoo, Niraj, “Longtime leader of Dearborn mosque leaves amid split,” The Detroit Free Press,
June 5, 2015, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/06/05/imam-qazwini-
resigns-dearborn-mosque/28581129/
[3] Islamic Institute of America webpage, About Us, https://www.iiofa.org/about-1/
[4] Svirsky, Meira, “Michigan Governor to Speak at Extremist Islamist Conference,” Clarion Project,
August 26, 2014, https://clarionprojstg.wpengine.com/michigan-governor-speak-extremist-islamist-conference-2/
[5] Islamic Institute of America, “Connection Between ISIS and Israel? – Imam Hassan Qazwini,”
YouTube, November 20, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTvbEy3UnpM&feature=youtu.be
[6] Islamic Institute of America, “Donald Trump: The ISIS of America – Imam Hassan Qazwini,”
YouTube, December 11, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qar9AHAW_ec&feature=youtu.be
[7] Transcript, “Detroit Friday Sermon on U.S. Military Aid Package to Israel: The Pro-Israel Lobby Uses
the United States as a Cash Cow,” MEMRI TV, September 15, 2016, https://www.memri.org/tv/detroit-
friday-sermon-us-military-aid-package-israel-pro-israel-lobby-uses-united-states-cash-cow/transcript
[8] Transcript, “Detroit Friday Sermon on Burkini Ban: The French Government Is Creating Breeding
Ground for Terrorism,” MEMRI TV, August 26, 2016, https://www.memri.org/tv/detroit-friday-sermon-
burkini-ban-french-government-creating-breeding-ground-terrorism/transcript
[9] “Detroit Shi’ite Imam Bassem Al-Sheraa: The Jews Prostituted Their Women, Killed Prophets,
Employed Usury To Gain Power,” The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), February 12,
2019, https://www.memri.org/reports/detroit-shiite-imam-bassem-al-sheraa-jews-prostituted-their-
women-killed-prophets-employed