Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters is pleased to announce the Michigan Muslim Community Council as the FBI Detroit’s Community Leadership Award recipient for 2020.

Annually, since 1990, each FBI field office presents the Director’s Community Leadership Award to an individual or organization in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the education and prevention of crime in their communities.

The Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) is a committed member of FBI Detroit’s multicultural engagement council and in that role has fostered dialogue between the FBI and Michigan’s large Muslim community. During the last year, the MMCC participated in virtual town halls during which leaders from the Muslim community and FBI Detroit discussed making communities safer by creating trust between law enforcement and the community. The MMCC also provided FBI information on COVID-19 schemes, elder fraud, and hate crimes to the Muslim community.

“The FBI’s mission is a heavy one: to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. And we can’t carry that weight alone. We can’t fully succeed without strong law enforcement, intelligence, business, and community partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters. “The MMCC has helped us learn and understand more about the people we serve and helped the community learn and understand more about the FBI. This is a key step in making our communities stronger and safer.”

In addition to its commitment to fostering open dialogue and encouraging relationships between law enforcement and Michigan’s diverse communities, the MMCC stepped up to assist law enforcement and first responders, health care workers, and the community at large throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the Holy Month of Ramadan overlapped with the early phases of the pandemic and the MMCC organized to provide delivery of halal meals to health care workers at hospitals in the metro Detroit area.

Additionally, MMCC led a humanitarian food relief effort spanning six counties and 12 cities in the State of Michigan that provided approximately 500,000 food boxes to more than 100,000 families. Hundreds of volunteers assisted with the no-contact distributions, including truck drivers, truck owners, students, professionals from various fields, elected officials, and law enforcement. These distribution events provided the FBI Detroit Field Office an opportunity to connect and engage with our diverse communities when it mattered most for our State.

“The FBI in Detroit is honored to be able to recognize and thank the MMCC for its service to the community and for helping the FBI better protect the people of Michigan,” said SAC Waters.

The commitment the MMCC has demonstrated to fostering open dialogue and encouraging relationships between law enforcement and Michigan’s diverse communities is laudable and worthy of this recognition. On behalf of the FBI Detroit Field Office, we are honored to present the Michigan Muslim Community Council with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2020.