An American Ramadan
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Muslim Community
Association (MCA) of the San Francisco Bay Area
facility in Santa Clara, California, became the
focal point of a sharing of faiths and much more.
Over 400 people from diverse backgrounds participated
in the traditional Islamic ritual of the breaking
of the fast during Ramadan called the “Iftar”
here on Saturday, October 23, 2004.
L
to R :Fouad Khatib,Imam Tahir Anwar,Razi Mohiuddin,Rick
Rocamora and Robert Davis
As guests of three
organizations namely, the Council on American
Islamic Relations or (CAIR), the South Bay Islamic
Iftar
dinner |
Association (SBIA)
and the MCA, a wide spectrum of invited non-Muslims
got a chance to witness Islamic beliefs and practices
during this blessed month of fasting so that this
sharing could result in the widening of trans-religious
understanding which the perpetrators of the horrors
of 9/11/2001 sought to prevent.
The proceedings
began with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an
followed by its English translation by 12-year-old
Lana Almari, currently a student at the Granada
School at this MCA facility. Lana’s only
departure from the norm here was that she was
reciting for a very diverse group this time where
non-Muslims might actually have been in the majority.
Another interesting difference was the backdrop,
dominated by the superb photography of Rick Rocamora
whose “Freedom and Fear: Bay Area Muslims
after 9/11” exhibit has recently received
much scrutiny and critical acclaim.
Santa
Clara interfaith Iftar |
MCA President Razi
Mohiuddin began the speech segment with words
of welcome as the site host. “Only through
getting together do we build bridges of understanding,”
he said. Razi continued to explain to the guests
how Ramadan fasting was a time of deep spirituality
for Muslims, and beyond that an opportunity to
empathize with the less fortunate in society (who
frequently experience hunger). Giving the guests
a glimpse of what the MCA provides, its president
explained that this large 80,000 square foot facility
was the center of the organization where the Islamic
Center and School are located. Another site, the
Masjid An- Noor was also an MCA location. He informed
everyone that the services that this organization
offers include counseling, game room activities
and adult education (to name a few). “We
have a global village here,” he said, pointing
to the fact that people from 40 different ethnicities
frequent the MCA.
CAIR California
Chairman Fouad Khatib spoke next. He explained
to the guests that there were 6 to 7 million Muslims
in the US whose numbers could basically be split
three ways: 1) Middle Easterners (Arab etc.),
2) South Asians (from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan),
and 3) African-Americans. Fouad added that Muslims
were well represented in educated, middle-class
America and happened to be quite family-oriented.
%20with%20friends.jpg)
Chief
Robert Davis with friends
|
He also went on
to say that Muslims have been in this country
for a long time starting with African-American
slaves. The first record of a mosque in this country
was in the 19th century. He spoke of the 100,000
plus Muslim population in the San Francisco Bay
area where 30 mosques are active. Fouad also provided
a background of CAIR as a 10-year-old organization
headquartered in Washington, DC which promotes
an understanding of Islam, encourages dialogue
with other faiths, and promotes civil liberties
(and justice for all).
Imam Tahir Anwar
spoke on behalf of the SBIA. He said that the
organization was founded in 1977 in San Jose and
covered Southern Santa Clara County, including
the Evergreen area. The young Imam got the opportunity
to speak to the gathering till the time to break
the fast. He gave an overview of Islam, its 1.2
billion following worldwide and its beliefs and
practices. Islam means peace achieved through
submission to God.
Islam does not differentiate
amongst races, national origins and wealth. The
roots of Islam find commonality with other monotheistic
faiths like Judaism and Christianity. Its Holy
book is the unaltered Qur’an and it also
incorporates other writings called the Hadith.
“Allah is the Arabic word for God,”
said the Imam. He also gave a moving picture of
the Hajj and presented a brief introduction to”the
five pillars” of the Islamic faith for the
benefit of the non-Muslims present, including
an introduction to Ramadan fasting during which
even water cannot be consumed (depending on the
sunrise time and sunset). Imam Anwar also explained
the Islamic months and their lunar dependency.
That the SBIA has to rent the Santa Clara Fairgrounds
facility in advance for two days at a time for
Eid gatherings brought many a smile within the
gathering (because we do not know till the night
before on which day the Eid holiday dependent
on the moon sighting will be celebrated).
And now to the breaking
of the fast or “Iftar” and the final
speaker, San Jose Police Chief Robert Davis who
has made quite an impact in this region by making
a most unusual gesture towards the Muslim community
in San Jose and the surrounding area. He has decided
to fast for the entire month of Ramadan as a part
of his outreach effort to develop an understanding
with the followers of the Islamic faith. “You
are a vibrant part of our community,” said
Chief Davis. “We are really all alike. We
are all the children of God. Ramadan Mubarak,”
he added
It was a joyous
occasion to be breaking bread and sharing dates
with not just a fasting Chief of Police but the
Mayor of Santa Clara, Patricia Mahan and Andrew
and Karen Ratermann (Andrew is a Member of the
School Board in the Santa Clara Unified School
District), along with The Rev. Canon Charles Gibbs
(of the United Religions Initiative) and a host
of other notables and the aspiring (this was the
final pre-election week).
Samina Fahim of the AMV, Omar Ahmad of CAIR and
Athar Siddiqee also appeared to be hard at work
in the area of social networking. The event was
very well planned all the way down to the table
setting and the “Salaam Cola” which
is making more frequent appearances at Muslim
gatherings. CAIR, MCA and the SBIA can all be
proud of this effort.
And now some thoughts
that come to mind after attending this event.
Ramadan is certainly a deeply spiritual month
for Muslims worldwide. It is also a source of
joy when non-Muslims make an effort to share this
month with us by attending an “Iftar”
gathering like this one. No one can doubt the
fact that 9/11 has had a huge negative impact
on the perception of Islam in America. But whatever
the instruments of terror wanted to accomplish,
people like Chief Robert Davis are successfully
throwing into the dustbin with their outreach
effort. And with all the reports going around
about FBI visits and midnight knocks by Homeland
Security and the questioning of Muslims in this
country (one can almost be sure that representatives
of these organizations were present at this gathering),
a final comment: With a few more people like Chief
Davis in our midst, the security apparatus in
this country will not need to contact the Muslim
community for leads. The Muslim community will
be contacting them.
