Dearborn Heights Iman criticizes announced U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Iman Mohammad Ali Elahi is an Iranian-American who has been working as an interfaith leader in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, for more than 30 years.
"The intention was to bring closeness and build bridges of friendship and relationship," Elahi, who works with the Islamic House of Wisdom, said. "But unfortunately, with this coup against our Constitution, against the United Nations charter, against international law, and this war and violence, unfortunately, we get more hatred and more separation. Shouldn't be that way. It's very, very sad. It's very tragic."
He calls the announced U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites immoral, illegal and a betrayal.
"What really is sad and surprising is that we have a president who kept telling the nation, 'America first,' but then we ended up [with] 'Netanyahu is first' and 'Military Industries first, corporations first,' and that is a coup against trust and confidence," Elahi said.
Political science expert and Oakland University Professor Peter Trumbore was also surprised by what he describes as an "act of war."
"According to our own intelligence services, Iran was not on the verge of achieving nuclear weapons, and so in that regard, it was unwarranted," Trumbore said. "It wasn't necessary. And I think it's a mistake as well, because this now is going to make the region less secure."
The White House said this week that Iran has everything it needs to build a nuclear weapon, and an approval from Iran's supreme leader would enable Iran to ready a nuclear weapon within weeks.
Trumbore says there are 40,000 American service personnel in the region with a bullseye on their backs now.
Iran's parliament has voted in favor of closing the Straits of Hormuz, which would impact the global oil supply and economy, but the ultimate decision lies with the country's Supreme National Security Council.
"Anytime oil prices skyrocket, that affects everything. That affects our industrial base, it affects the ability of consumers to make purchases, including automobiles. Everything becomes more expensive when the price of oil goes up. Assuming that that's one of the consequences of this, then I think that we'll feel that primarily in our pocketbooks, before we feel it in sort of a physical security sense," Trumbore said.
Meanwhile, Elahi says some people in the Arab American community around Metro Detroit who voted for the president are disappointed.
"He got so much attention of people because they were tired of hearing the news of genocide in Gaza every day and war in Lebanon, and in Yemen, and Ukraine and all these wars, and he said, 'If I'm president in 24 hours, I end all these wars and I make peace.' So unfortunately, not only he didn't stop it, but things got worse and worse and worse," Elahi said. "Unfortunately, people of power, they are so arrogant of the power, they think that might is right, and the ends justify the means, and just because we have a mighty military, we don't have to listen, we don't have to talk, we don't have to care. So instead of mobilizing an army of compassion, army of love and army of justice, they are making all this violence. This is not victory. This is violence, and it brings more hatred."
He says he prays for peace and justice every day.
