Some members of the United States Congress met with a controversial Iranian-born American imam accused of having close ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran just a few months after he praised Hezbollah and its leaders.
Democratic Congressman Debbie Dingell of Michigan’s 6th Congressional District, who also serves as the Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), met with Dearborn-based Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom on March 8th. Elahi is often considered a central figure in the American Shia Muslim community and has been known to maintain close relations with the Iranian regime.
Representative Dingell met with Elahi alongside her fellow Michigan Congressman, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of the state’s 12th Congressional District. The three met at the Islamic House of Wisdom, and photos of the meeting were posted on the imam’s Facebook page, where he said that “following Haj Nassib Fawaz’s initiative, community activists convened for the second time to discuss the ongoing crisis in Lebanon and the broader regional situation.“
“During a one-hour conversation at IHW with Congresswomen Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib, community members voiced their deep frustration over Israel’s continuous violations of the ceasefire, disregard for Lebanon’s sovereignty, targeted assassinations, and the systematic destruction of towns and villages in southern Lebanon,“ the post read.
“The participants urged the Congresswomen to take a stand and publicly condemn these ongoing Israeli aggressions against Lebanon,“ the post concluded.
Elahi, who addressed but did not deny allegations from a CIA report that he had previously served as head of the Iranian Navy’s political-ideological office in 1982, made several controversial remarks in the past, including his past praise for Hezbollah and his description of Zionists as “enemies of peace.“
Last February, the imam posted about the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was slain following an Israeli airstrike last September 2024, saying it was an "indescribable day" in Lebanon’s history and further called it “a day of victory for morality, truth, justice, and humanity."
In a speech during a fundraising event for families displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Elahi said it was a blessing to have "known" and been "attached with" the terrorist group’s assassinated leader, adding that he and "the people who sacrificed in Lebanon and Yemen to support the cause of the oppressed in Gaza" were the "real winners of 2024."
He also made several antisemitic statements, such as in September 2024, when he described Zionists during a Friday sermon as “enemies of peace“ who love war, fighting, and blood. Elahi also cited verses from the Quran that described the mischief and treachery of Jewish people.
Elahi not only expressed his support for the Iranian regime and its proxies but also met with senior Iranian officials, including Iran’s Supreme Leader himself, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Dingell and Tlaib were not the only senior US officials who met with the imam. Other US political figures, such as former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State John Kerry, also met and even took photos with the imam.
