Imam Ayman Soliman has been released from an Ohio jail after the federal government dropped its deportation case against him and fully reinstated the asylum status he was granted in 2018.
The former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain and Egyptian immigrant was freed Sept. 19 after 72 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for unfounded accusations of terrorist activity in Iraq and in his native country.
Imam Ayman Soliman
But Soliman said “this fascist government” may have succeeded in its false case against him had it not been for the national attention generated by his lawyers and the advocacy of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other religious communities after his July 9 arrest during a routine ICE check-in.
“Brave advocates like you, when you raise your voice, can make a difference. Don’t underestimate your voice. Don’t underestimate a post on social media. Don’t underestimate a phone call to one of our representatives,” Soliman said during a news conference livestreamed from the Clifton Mosque in Cincinnati soon after his release.
“I’m free today because of this advocacy and Islam, my faith. Our Prophet Muhammad said you can’t be thankful to God until you are thankful to people, first. So, for every effort you made I am thankful.”
“Brave advocates like you, when you raise your voice, can make a difference.”
Soliman’s legal team was notified around 11 a.m. Sept. 19 that the case “has been dropped in immigration court, the removal proceedings have been terminated completely and that his asylum has been reinstated,” attorney Nazly Mamedova said. “Because the termination of asylum has been rescinded, his name has been completely cleared and his asylum is now back in status.”
The sudden turn of events for the man known as “the interfaith imam” began with the termination of the asylum he was granted after being tortured for engaging in pro-democracy activities in Egypt.
Then upon Soliman’s arrest by the Trump administration,, the Department of Homeland Security opened a deportation case based on unproved allegations, including a claim he was wanted for murder and terrorism in Iraq — a country he never had been to, his attorneys said.
Led by his mosque, the Ohio Immigrant Coalition and numerous faith communities, Soliman’s supporters organized rallies, prayer vigils and press conferences and delivered a letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine urging his intervention in the case.
Activists and attorneys warned deporting Soliman to Egypt would expose him to certain torture and possibly even death at the hands of authorities he once protested.
Adam Allen
It is important to remember other immigrants facing deportation without the benefit of the public support Soliman enjoyed, said Adam Allen, a Mennonite chaplain fired by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for attending a rally for the then-incarcerated imam. “I pray we do not wait until it’s one of our friends before we do something,” he said.
Allen urged people of faith not to fear the potential legal consequences of rallying in support of detained immigrants, explaining he and others had been arrested at one point during Soliman’s detention.
“What the devil intended to use to stop justice only gave more power to Iman’s story. What was meant to crush hope instead galvanized our resolve. People of all faiths came together to do the hard work of justice.”
Soliman’s release is also a reminder of the injustices being suffered by immigrants under the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, said Victoria Hickcox of Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action, a Muslim-led social justice organization.
“Seeking asylum is not a crime. Wanting safety for your family is not a crime. And yet every day in Ohio and across the country, people like Ayman are targeted, detained and threatened with deportation simply for being immigrants, for being Muslim and for daring to exist with dignity in this country.”
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