Demand that the Solon Rotary Club Cuts Ties with the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center
Demand that the Solon Rotary Club Cuts Ties with the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center
The Issue
To the Board and Members of the Solon Rotary Club:
We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of Solon and the surrounding communities, respectfully call on the Solon Rotary Club to reassess and discontinue any formal or informal ties with the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center (CVIC) in light of serious concerns regarding the mosque’s conduct, affiliations, and community impact.
Parishioners of the Church of the Resurrection in Solon, which has hosted the Solon Rotary Club’s food pantry since the 1970’s, report that leaders of the mosque suddenly showed up to the church one day and declared that they would be taking over the food pantry operations. This is problematic for a number of reasons:
Our Concerns:
Promotion of Radicalism:
The CVIC has hosted events and distributed materials that community members have widely characterized as politically extreme. For example, the CVIC encouraged youth congregants to engage in an anti-Israel protest held in downtown Cleveland not even 2 weeks after the October 7th terrorist attacks, hosted by openly pro-Hamas groups such as CAIR, Al Awda, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Furthermore, mosque leaders and educators have shared numerous disturbing posts on social media, including openly justifying and supporting terrorism.
Ignoring the Demands of City Leaders To Condemn Hate
On October 21st, 2024, at a public Solon City Council meeting where CVIC leadership and supporters were present, numerous statements were made referring to Israel with inflammatory language (“Zionist entity”, “Free Palestine”, etc) and drawing applause without counterbalancing condemnation of antisemitism from CVIC leaders.
When privately asked by Solon City Council Members to issue a clear statement condemning antisemitism, CVIC leadership reportedly refused to do so. This refusal undermines confidence that the mosque unequivocally rejects antisemitism and other forms of prejudice.
Disrespect Toward Other Faiths:
The ongoing controversy around CVIC’s programming, messaging, and engagement with civic leaders has been a source of local tension, prompting protests, petitions, and sharp disagreements at public forums. For example, community members expressed their concerns regarding the CVIC’s featured guest speaker at the mosque’s Ramadan Fundraiser held in March 2025. Abdulhakim Mohamed, an imam based out of Nashville with ties to the 2009 Little Rock Army Recruitment Office shooter, has openly expressed anti-Jewish, anti-Christian, and anti-American views spanning as far back as 20 years ago. Furthermore, the Chagrin Valley Islamic center’s weekly newsletter has shared anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, and anti-Zoroastrian rhetoric.
For organizations like the Solon Rotary Club, which champion “Service Above Self,” civil goodwill, mutual respect, and community betterment, association with any group seen as fostering division undermines the ideals our community organizations should uphold.
What We Are Asking For:
We respectfully urge the Solon Rotary Club to:
Publicly acknowledge these concerns and engage in an open review of any past collaborations, speaker engagements, referrals, sponsorships, or partnerships with the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center.
Cease any future formal or informal affiliations with the CVIC unless and until the Center publicly commits to and demonstrates consistent repudiation of all forms of bigotry — including antisemitism and anti-Christian sentiment — and actively promotes respectful, inclusive dialogue.
Affirm the Rotary Club’s commitment to inclusivity, interfaith respect, and the values of tolerance and unity that Rotary International espouses.
We believe this action will help preserve the integrity and mission of the Solon Rotary Club as a civic leader dedicated to building bridges, not deepening divides, within our community.
Signed,
We The People Of Solon
Proof that Chagrin Valley Islamic Center leaders are using their involvement with the Solon Rotary Club to send money to Pakistan:
88
The Issue
To the Board and Members of the Solon Rotary Club:
We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of Solon and the surrounding communities, respectfully call on the Solon Rotary Club to reassess and discontinue any formal or informal ties with the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center (CVIC) in light of serious concerns regarding the mosque’s conduct, affiliations, and community impact.
Parishioners of the Church of the Resurrection in Solon, which has hosted the Solon Rotary Club’s food pantry since the 1970’s, report that leaders of the mosque suddenly showed up to the church one day and declared that they would be taking over the food pantry operations. This is problematic for a number of reasons:
Our Concerns:
Promotion of Radicalism:
The CVIC has hosted events and distributed materials that community members have widely characterized as politically extreme. For example, the CVIC encouraged youth congregants to engage in an anti-Israel protest held in downtown Cleveland not even 2 weeks after the October 7th terrorist attacks, hosted by openly pro-Hamas groups such as CAIR, Al Awda, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Furthermore, mosque leaders and educators have shared numerous disturbing posts on social media, including openly justifying and supporting terrorism.
Ignoring the Demands of City Leaders To Condemn Hate
On October 21st, 2024, at a public Solon City Council meeting where CVIC leadership and supporters were present, numerous statements were made referring to Israel with inflammatory language (“Zionist entity”, “Free Palestine”, etc) and drawing applause without counterbalancing condemnation of antisemitism from CVIC leaders.
When privately asked by Solon City Council Members to issue a clear statement condemning antisemitism, CVIC leadership reportedly refused to do so. This refusal undermines confidence that the mosque unequivocally rejects antisemitism and other forms of prejudice.
Disrespect Toward Other Faiths:
The ongoing controversy around CVIC’s programming, messaging, and engagement with civic leaders has been a source of local tension, prompting protests, petitions, and sharp disagreements at public forums. For example, community members expressed their concerns regarding the CVIC’s featured guest speaker at the mosque’s Ramadan Fundraiser held in March 2025. Abdulhakim Mohamed, an imam based out of Nashville with ties to the 2009 Little Rock Army Recruitment Office shooter, has openly expressed anti-Jewish, anti-Christian, and anti-American views spanning as far back as 20 years ago. Furthermore, the Chagrin Valley Islamic center’s weekly newsletter has shared anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, and anti-Zoroastrian rhetoric.
For organizations like the Solon Rotary Club, which champion “Service Above Self,” civil goodwill, mutual respect, and community betterment, association with any group seen as fostering division undermines the ideals our community organizations should uphold.
What We Are Asking For:
We respectfully urge the Solon Rotary Club to:
Publicly acknowledge these concerns and engage in an open review of any past collaborations, speaker engagements, referrals, sponsorships, or partnerships with the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center.
Cease any future formal or informal affiliations with the CVIC unless and until the Center publicly commits to and demonstrates consistent repudiation of all forms of bigotry — including antisemitism and anti-Christian sentiment — and actively promotes respectful, inclusive dialogue.
Affirm the Rotary Club’s commitment to inclusivity, interfaith respect, and the values of tolerance and unity that Rotary International espouses.
We believe this action will help preserve the integrity and mission of the Solon Rotary Club as a civic leader dedicated to building bridges, not deepening divides, within our community.
Signed,
We The People Of Solon
Proof that Chagrin Valley Islamic Center leaders are using their involvement with the Solon Rotary Club to send money to Pakistan:
88
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on January 7, 2026