Thousands gather in Villa Park for funeral of Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Thousands gather in Villa Park for funeral of Imam W. Deen Mohammed
Thousands who attended funeral for W. Deen Mohammed are example of his teachings, they say
By Margaret Ramirez and Noreen Ahmed-Ullah Chicago Tribune reporters
11:29 PM CDT, September 11, 2008

As they raised the silver coffin holding the body of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, about 8,000 Muslims who gathered Thursday for the outdoor funeral service prayed in one voice, "Allahu Akbar, God is great!"

The momentous event to pay final respects to one of the nation's most prominent Muslim leaders began with mourning. But by the time their leader's body had been laid to rest, the diverse crowd of Muslims said longtime divisions felt healed and they had been united, at least for one day, by the man who spent his life trying to connect them.

"I'm compelled by his legacy to be here today . . . . He personally brought me to where I am today," said Imam Siraj Wahhaj, spiritual leader of the Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, N.Y. "He means so much to Islam in America. No doubt about it. He represents the bridge from the old Nation of Islam to orthodox Islam."

Mohammed, 74, was the son of the late Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. In 1975, he boldly denounced his father's black nationalist teachings and converted thousands of African-Americans to mainstream Islam. He became known as a pioneer for his outspokenness on integrating the Muslim religion with the American identity. One of his major concerns was uniting the African-American and immigrant Muslim communities.
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