HAZEL CREST, Ill.—Dozens of residents from Chicago and surrounding suburbs gathered Sept. 5 in Hazel Crest, Ill., to pay tribute to the late Imam W. Deen Mohammed, son of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
The outdoor ceremony marked an official “day of recognition” the village observes every Sept. 3rd for the work Imam Mohammed did in the communities.
The gathering was held Sept. 5, because Friday Jumu’ah prayer service would allow for more participation, organizers said.
“Following the passing of Imam Mohammed in 2009, the village of Hazel Crest passed a resolution to create Imam W. Deen Mohammed Day to be observed September 3rd of each year,” said Rod Bashir, a former village trustee who worked to pass the resolution.
He said former Mayor Robert Donaldson was impressed with Imam Mohammed after hearing him speak and supported the resolution.
Imam Mohammed’s Mosque Cares organization is headquartered in the village.
The event included a kutbah message from Imam Tariq El Amin, a welcome from Hazel Crest Mayor Sandra Alexander, words from Maryum “May May” Ali, daughter of boxing champ Muhammad Ali, and Laila Mohammed, daughter of Imam Mohammed, among others. Vendors and food were also available.
“It is a blessing to be present with our family on a day that is recognizing an important contribution to our people,” said Nation of Islam Student National Imam Sultan Rahman Muhammad, Imam Mohammed’s nephew, who attended the ceremony.
He continued, “In remembering the legacy of Imam Mohammed, we are reminded of the womb (the Honorable Elijah Muhammad) that bore a Nation to advance the mission within our hearts to establish freedom, justice and equality for all, regardless of creed, class or color.
“Although Imam W. D. Mohammed held differing views than his father, they never impeded his desire and work for community, not only in the Muslim world and the family of religions,” but between the Nation of Islam and the Imam’s community, he added.
There were various occasions in which the Imam and Minister Farrakhan came together at public events in a sign of unity between the two communities including a Nation of Islam Saviours’ Day in 2001 when they embraced one another.