Amir Hekmati

DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, the spiritual leader of the Islamic House of Wisdom, visited imprisoned American veteran Amir Hekmati in Tehran last month and lobbied Iranian officials to release him. 

Hekmati, 32, a former U.S. marine from Flint, is one of four Americans detained in Iran. He was arrested in 2011 while visiting his Iranian grandmother. Iranian authorities accused Hekmati of spying for the CIA. But his family maintains that he is not a spy and was not enlisted in the military at the time of his arrest.

Hekmati was originally sentenced to death, but his sentence was later reduced to 10 years. 

Elahi, who was visiting Iran for an international Islamic conference, arranged the meeting with Hekmati inside the prison after meeting Gholam Mohseni-Ejei, the first deputy of Chief Justice of Iran. 

The imam, who is Iranian American, said Hekmati was pleased to meet him and appeared in good health and high spirits.

Elahi urged Mohseni-Ejei to free Hekmati regardless of the validity of the charges against him because the former marine does not pose a threat to Islamic Republic. He said the response from the Iranian official was positive. 

“Mr. Ejei did not give me a fixed date, but in general, when we were talking about Amir’s family, he gave me a strong sense of optimism about the situation,” Elahi told The Arab American News. “I got the sense that Amir might be released soon.”

He added that Mohseni-Ejei agreed with him that sending Hekmati to the United States would not harm Iran. 

The imam said he inquired about the other American prisoners, but his time and limited political connections did not allow him to see them. 

Elahi said he conveyed to Iranian officials that Hekmati’s family is pained by his absence, especially that his father is suffering from a serious illness.

Elahi met Hekmati in Tehran’s Evin prison, where he, himself, was once jailed for political reasons in the late 1970’s. They were both alone in a room with a table and two chairs, according to Elahi.

The imam said Hekmati reasserted his innocence during their conversation. 

He added that the American prisoner sounded “spiritually mature” and was calm and hopeful about his freedom, especially after the nuclear agreement. 

The imam said he encouraged Hekmati to be a cultural bridge and carry a message of unity and forgiveness after his release.

“People respect those who go through suffering and asked for peace and reject violence, like Nelson Mandela,” Elahi said. “I told him to turn his experience into something positive, and he agreed with me.”

Elahi said he made Hekmati the focal point of his trip for 10 days. 

“I am not a politician,” Elahi said. “My visitation to Amir was a part of my job as an imam to serve my faith and serve the community. That’s what I do.”

Imams Council of Michigan, which is co-chaired by Elahi and Imam Steve Elturk, has handed two letters to the Iranian authorities requesting Hekmati’s release. 

Hekmati’s family commemorated the fourth anniversary of his arrest on Aug. 28. The Hekmatis urged the Iranians to release their son at an event attended by public officials in Bay City.

Secretary of State John Kerry also called on Iran to allow Hekmati to return to the United States. “We repeat our call on the Iranian government to release Amir on humanitarian grounds,” Kerry said in a statement last month. “The Hekmati family needs Amir — their brother, their son, their uncle — to be home where he belongs.”