CINCINNATI — Sunday night, the pews were filled inside New Prospect Baptist Church, but it wasn't for a usual Sunday service. Religious leaders and community members from across the Cincinnati area came together for an interfaith prayer service dedicated to Imam Ayman Soliman.
"He knows about it and it means a lot when people continue to show him love and care, and we've definitely stressed that we are not giving up until he's free. I'm not sure that gives him the peace that we wish it did, but he knows he's not alone and that's really important," Elizabeth Diop, a friend and former coworker of Soliman, said.
Diop has spoken with Soliman while he has been detained inside the jail.
"The stress, the distress, the frustration and the fear, it feels like they're inching upward," Diop said when asked how Soliman is doing while behind bars.
Local pastors, rabbis, imams and other local leaders spent time at the podium, praying in their unique ways for Soliman as his legal battle continues.
Words were spoken in multiple languages, using prayers to inspire hope, faith and love among the audience.
"I feel very hopeful, hopeful about our community, particularly a community of faith," Pastor Lesley E. Jones said.
Watch to see religious communities from across the Cincinnati area unite in prayer for Imam Ayman Soliman
Jones helped lead the service for Imam Soliman and began the evening by sharing the story of when she first met him while he was serving as a hospital chaplain, praying over a member of her congregation.
The audience in the church clapped, sang, prayed and united in a candlelight moment of silence.
As WCPO 9 has reported for over a month, the former chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital was detained by ICE during a check-in at the agency's office in Blue Ash in July.
Soliman was granted asylum status in 2018, until he was informed in December 2024 that it was being revoked.
You can read more about why Soliman's asylum status was revoked by federal authorities at this link
Within the last week, WCPO 9 reported on court documents filed by Soliman's attorneys, alleging that he was in solitary confinement from around August 2 to August 5. Soliman's legal team also claimed that he was denied access to his legal counsel and the ability to worship freely.
I asked Jones how she reacted when she heard that update from Soliman's lawyers.
"For me, I was just vexed," Jones said.
Soliman's friend and colleague, as well as chairman of the Clifton Mosque, Tala Ali, talked through the next steps for Soliman in the federal legal system.
"His temporary restraining order expires on the 14th. And so we just look forward to continued, hopefully, rulings in his favor and on the side of justice and for when his individual hearing will be in here, in Cincinnati," Ali said.
As WCPO 9 previously reported, a judge has already said Soliman will remain at the Butler County Jail through at least August 12 as he awaits his next hearing in Cleveland Immigration Court.
