A Community Unites against Hate
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The terrorist attack in New Zealand recently has sent shock waves throughout the world. Sacramento, California, and its nearby cities too felt the pain and the horror as one community. United against Islamophobia and all kinds of hate, the region expressed the sentiment that this kind of behavior cannot, and will not, be tolerated. There were so many events both large and small related to the attack on the two Mosques in Christchurch that it was just not possible to keep up. This report will highlight just a couple of them and focus on one which this writer could attend. This is the kind of occurrence which one hopes not to report on but what happened just cannot be ignored.
Immediately after this mass execution of innocent human beings in New Zealand, the local community gathered here on March 15, 2019 at an event arranged under the umbrella of The Council of Sacramento Valley Islamic Organizations (COSVIO) at SALAM and called for an end to all violence and hate. Speakers included Basim Elkarra, (CAIR Sacramento Valley), Waseem Bawa (Chairman of SALAM Center), US Attorney McGregor Scott, Gabriela Herrera (from the Office of Congresswoman Doris Matsui), Willie Recht (Jewish Federation), Amar Shergill (American Sikh Public Affairs Association), Pastor Joy Johnson (Sacramento ACT), Rabbi Seth Castleman, Rev. Kevin Ross (Unity Center of Sacramento), Lynn Berkeley-Baskin (NAACP), Sergeant Vance Chandler (Sacramento Police Department) and Sergeant Shaun Hampton(Sacramento Sheriff Department).
One can add that US Attorney McGregor Scott responded to the concerns of the local Muslims immediately and issued a strong statement of support which was received through local friends. Quoting just a few lines from his statement - “Friends, Please accept my deepest sympathies in the wake of the senseless acts of terror at the Al Noor and Linwood Mosques in New Zealand. Although the attacks occurred half a world away, they were no less an unthinkable assault on our collective humanity.” He also added, “Please know that the members of my office are actively working with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of the community, to provide additional proactive patrols in neighborhoods with Mosques and other religious institutions, and to reach out to consult with religious leaders to enhance security and maintain open lines of communication.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly were also quick to respond with messages of deep concern and sympathy. There was also a “Solidarity with Muslims in Wake of Christchurch Mosque Attacks” gathering at Southside Park on March 16th hosted by Lamaia Coleman. And this, by no means, is a complete list.
On March 23rd, a much larger gathering was held at the Sacramento State University Union Ballroom where COSVIO, MSA CSUS, CAIR Sacramento Valley, ICNA Sacramento, MAS - Social Services Foundation, AMALA Youth Hotline, local leaders, members of the community and area Mosques joined together. The event titled “A Night of Hope & Healing” focused on the need for all of us to handle this horrible episode as best possible.
Event Emcee Dr Masood Cajee first invited Mohamed Mohamed for the invocation. CAIR Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim Elkarra spoke next and said that we are here tonight to support one another. Tonight we remember the victims of the New Zealand attacks and all victims of hate, he added. He asked for the names of the victims to be displayed on the screen and asked for a moment of silence for them. Basim also read out a list of prominent attendees at this event. Dr Irfan Haq, Chair of COSVIO, next addressed the gathering. He said that he hoped that this event would prove to be a source of healing for everyone. He was followed by Robert S. Nelsen, President of Sacramento State University, who also spoke about healing and said that it was important to him that that the students take the front stage. It is very unfortunate that we are here tonight, he added. It is wrong that we are here tonight. President of Sacramento State MSA Abdelrahman Mohamed also said a few words. He said that he wished and prayed that something like this (New Zealand tragedy) does not happen again.
Sacramento City Mayor Darrell Steinberg spoke next. Going straight to the point he said, “As your Mayor, I grieve with you. As your Mayor, the City of Sacramento will be there for you. As your Mayor, the city of Sacramento will do what it can and will always be there to protect you.” He thanked CAIR for reaching out to the local police departments on the night of the attack for coordinating the protection of the Mosques. He also thanked the Sacramento Police Department for stepping up in protecting our houses of worship. Our community needs to appreciate Darrell once again too. Mayor Steinberg is Jewish and it should come as no surprise that he remains extremely popular amongst the area Muslim community.
Imam Aamir Nazir of the Muslim Community of Folsom also added his words of wisdom. He said that fear is a unique emotion. It can either be paralyzing/destructive or it can make a person very productive. He spoke of fear as a test for the believers, and it depends on how an individual reacts. He also quoted from the scriptures on this subject.
Dr Hammad Khan came up to the stage next. He coordinated a panel discussion on the mental health approach to the healing process accompanied by Nailah El-Amin, Dr Magi Aurora and Dr Zola Chihombori Quao. Hammad spoke on the topic of “What is the Role of ‘Mental Health’ in our Healing?” The panel discussion was in-depth and offered valuable advice to the community at large on what to do when tragedy strikes. Lucky for Sacramento, we have the Muslim American Society – Social Services Foundation (MAS-SSF) that was represented by Gulshan Yusufzai on stage. She elaborated on the various services that are offered by the organization in many languages including various dialects of Arabic, Dari Persian and Pashto (Urdu is available too). One can report that our Muslim community is not the only one that tries to hide mental health issues, but the issues are real and just cannot be ignored. Organizations like MAS-SSF are providing a much needed service, so please contact them for help if you need it.
The closing prayer was conducted by Imam Azeez of the Tarbiya Institute. He started with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an. He said that if you struggle with a calamity, you need to look forward to a moment of relief. When you are enjoying bliss and prosperity, you also need to brace yourself for a trial. The only unchangeable entity in this universe is God himself. He added a great deal more but space constraints limit more details here.
In closing, our sincere best to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who has shown the world how to correctly handle a tragedy of this kind. And the entire Sacramento, California community can pat itself on the back too because people from all faiths and backgrounds were in attendance at this event (at Sacramento State). But we cannot let our guard down. Hate is still present in many forms around us. It is best to be ready to face it with kindness and unity.
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