Sacramento Mayor Visits Historic Mosque to Promote Measure U
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Mayor of the City of Sacramento, Darrell Steinberg, visited the Downtown Sacramento Muslim Mosque on Saturday, September 29, 2018 not only to see first-hand some of the continuing contributions that this place has made to the local community but also to promote his agenda and do some outreach work amongst members of this congregation.
A major agenda item is known as Measure U which was originally passed in Sacramento in November, 2012 “as a temporary ½-cent sales tax to restore and protect police and fire services, park maintenance, and other essential City services that were cut between 2008 and 2013. Between $40 million and $47 million in revenue per year comes from the existing Measure U tax.” This measure took effect on April 1st (no pun intended) 2013 and is set to expire next year on March 31st. Mayor Steinberg is now supporting a 1-cent sales tax (an additional 1/2-cent) with a new Measure U which will be on the ballot in the November 6, 2018 elections.
The Mayor arrived earlier than expected, ate lunch at the Imam’s office and then proceeded to greet people in the Mosque courtyard as they stepped out after Zuhr prayers around 2pm. He was also given a tour of the Shifa Community Clinic attached to this religious facility where one can receive health care in the Spanish, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, French, Korean, Telugu and Nepali languages. Established in 1994 this clinic has grown in both size and visibility as it provides the much needed services to the under-served and poor population of the area. The Mayor took his time at Shifa and appeared to be impressed by the young people volunteering here and by the overall contribution made to the people in this city by the Muslim community which initiated this effort.
Next, he moved up to the main Mosque where close to 100 people (including Muslim ladies) waited to hear from him. It should be noted that the Mayor is Jewish and the congregation gathered to hear him here was almost exclusively Muslim (the American experience is amazing). Imam Mumtaz Qasmi welcomed him as did Br Tahir Muhammad, the President of the Muslim Mosque Association. Area leader Brother Rashid Ahmed introduced him and proceeded to give our esteemed guest a background of the Muslim community of the region which was represented primarily by people of South Asian origins. Some of these pioneers even took part in India’s freedom struggle from the British and their graves can be found in the old cemeteries of Sacramento. The Downtown Sacramento Muslim Mosque was established in 1947 and is considered to be the oldest Muslim place of worship west of the Mississippi river in this country.
The Mayor, in his speech, highlighted the importance of building local community through the inclusion of its diversity. He also shared with us the reasons which attracted him to seek the Mayor’s office. He thanked everyone for their continued support and explained the merits of Measure U and why people in Sacramento should vote “Yes” on its passage in the upcoming November election. The money raised by this tax goes into the General Fund which benefits many programs including those helping area youth, parks, police and fire departments and the library. The Mayor’s efforts to target homelessness and mental health were also discussed. An absorbing question-and-answer session followed the Mayor’s speech.
Two things stood out at this event: 1) Mosques in America are more than places of worship, they are also a community. 2) That community is tied to the greater community around it and needs to participate within it. Additional taxes (even ½%) are not popular but what the tax is for is most important for the City of Sacramento. Please vote “Yes” on Measure U on November 6th.
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