Historic Jummah Prayer and Eid al-Fitr Celebration at the Massachusetts State House
By Tahir Ali
Boston

Second Generation Muslims in the USA are definitely taking the lead in civic engagement and are making a positive impact at the local and national levels. Says Aliya Khalidi, Assistance District Attorney, Middlesex County: "In the past 11 years I have done 100 cases on behalf of the public. Like many cases you have to announce your name upfront." In one instant Aliya recalled that the defense lawyer was also a Muslim lady. "So how interesting it was that you would think, two Muslim attorneys in the same courtroom, let alone on the opposite side."

Aliya at length pondered, "All in all we wonder if anyone hears about this in the community - whether our contributions are valued," she asked rhetorically. "Today's event answers these questions with a resounding 'yes',  events like these matter," she affirmed.  

Aliya, the daughter of activist Omar Khalidi today (April 28) appeared to be as articulate as her late father (like father like daughter). 

Today's event was just that. Aliya was referring to the Eid Al-Fitr celebration and Jumma Prayer at the Massachusetts State House, where she was one of the speakers. The event was organized mainly by JETPAC Resource Center in collaboration with several Muslim Organizations and Islamic Centers in Massachusetts.

Mohammed Missouri of JETPAC, evidently happy with the overwhelming response and the turnout, added proudly: "It's the first ever Eid celebrations and Jummah prayer at the State House." He was grateful to other invited speakers: State Senator Jamie Eldridge, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, State Representative Vanna Howard, Boston city councilor Tania F. Anderson, Newbury City councilor Afroz Khan, and Yusufi Vali from the office of Boston's Mayor Wu. The speakers were respectfully introduced by the emcees: Said Abdikarim and Safiyah Maryam Bey.

Sarah Shamsuddin, the first American Muslim woman elected to the Westborough School Committee, gave an account of how she ran for the office, and how she wants to give back to the town, where she and her children grew up. "My father [Farooq Ansari] was the first American Muslim elected as the District Delegate. He stressed the importance of civic engagement. Ever since, Civil Engagement has always become the central part of my life." She lived up to her father's expectation and realized 'the importance of political participation' and decided to run for the office: "I was pleasantly surprised to see the tremendous support from my community members." she recalled.   (Like father like daughter).

Asima Silva of Wachusett's Regional School District Committee is an active member of the community and she started off with saying "it is my responsibility to give back to the community. We are blessed to live in the commonwealth of Massachusetts where efforts are made by our legislatures like Senator Eldridge and Representative Howard in promoting the right and inclusion of our Muslim-Americans in the Commonwealth." She recollected herself and added, "I believe they are and will continue to make a positive contribution to society."  

Yusufi Vali, Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor of Boston, started off by praising and honoring the contributions made by Mohammad Ali Salaam. He echoed Ali Salaam's words, "It's our civic responsibility to look out for the whole city." He recalled when Ali Salaam met with Governor Weld (in the Muslim delegation that yours truly led) and had Eid recognized as a holiday. Yusufi gave Ali Salaam the credit for the building of ISBCC as well. I remember that also as I had the honor of sharing the shovel at the groundbreaking of ISBCC with Ali Salaam. He rightly dubbed Ali Salaam as "the Ameer of the Boston Mumineen."

I first met Senator Jamie Eldridge in the early 90's at one of the American Muslim Alliance (AMA) leadership conferences run by none other than Dr Agha Saeed (the national Muslim leader who started the Muslim-American political empowerment movement in the US)

Senator Eldridge, one of the hosts at today's event, was instrumental in getting this event put together at the State House. He addressed the community saying, "It is an immense honor to stand before you today as we celebrate the first ever Eid-al-Fitr at the State House. This historic moment highlights the beauty of celebrating our shared religions and cultures and serves as a reminder of the power of diversity in our society. The Muslim community is an integral part of our society, and their contributions have been immense. Today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is home to 131,000 Muslims, and the Muslim community is one of the most racially diverse faith groups across the country." Amidst many loud applause breaks he added, " I was proud to file a resolution to commemorate the start of Ramadan that passed earlier this month, and I am grateful to many legislators who have signed on to the resolution." The guests were on their feet applauding. 

It was a real nice gathering with many Muslim leaders and activists under one roof: Humayun Kabeer of HHRD, Waqar Haider and Muhammad Afzal representing ICNA who were busy mingling with the crowd and inviting folks to attend the ICNA-MAS 48th Annual Convention in Baltimore in the memorial weekend. Dr Saleem Bajwa and Imam Talib, both synonymous with the Islamic Council of New England, were proudly representing the council. Kemal Bozkurt, originally from Turkey, was content that he was also a part of this historical day. 

But this is not to rest on, but to build upon.

(Tahir Ali is author of the book Muslim Vote Counts and Recounts)