Building Bridges of Understanding in California’s Yolo County
By Ras H. Siddiqui
There are several ways by which people can get to know one another. With our very diverse population in the State of California, it should come as no surprise if your coworker, neighbor, doctor, or bus driver looks different, wears a turban, or a baseball cap, or worships differently. Religious freedom is enshrined in our laws, one of the main reasons that make our country a very attractive place to live in. But laws apparently are not enough. Just as antisemitism is addressed in America, one should also include Islamophobia. A Muslim woman wearing a hijab is no longer a novelty in our region and she should not feel intimidated while walking outside.
How does one counter Islamophobia? One great way is through education. And if we can add a meeting with a shared meal into the mix, something positive could happen. It was with this thought in mind that a “Muslim-American Community Dinner” was held at the Yolo County Office of Education in Woodland, California, on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. The event was co-sponsored by the American Muslim Voice Foundation (AMV), Yolo County Office of Education (YCOE), and the Woodland Mosque and Islamic Center. Promoted as “An evening of shared understanding, reflection, and community building with members of the Muslim community,” it was a sincere effort towards building bridges between people and faiths. It was quite well attended too with well over a hundred participants.
Upon request we received the following information from AMV: “As of 2025, 24 years after 9/11, Muslim Americans continue to face discrimination, misinformation, and bias. To combat this, American Muslim Voice (AMV)—founded by Samina Sundas and led by Khalid Saeed—has worked to build bridges with its motto: “From Fear to Friendship.” Longtime Woodland and Sacramento resident, AMV President Saeed, wants to thank a long list of people for making this event possible, especially Yolo County Superintendent of Schools, Dr Garth Lewis, Superintendent of Schools Admin Assistant Ms Yvette Seibert, and Information Officer Anthony Volkar. YCOE, which oversees 67 public schools across five districts, handled all the logistics.
The evening started with some spicy and delicious Pakistani food (provided by AMV) from Woodland’s own MAXTASTE Lahorain Grill Restaurant. It was noted that the spice level was a bit high for some, but that did not seem to damper consumption! Pakistani food has become quite common in this part of California and the Punjabi version originating from the city of Lahore continues to be in high demand and was welcomed here.
The emcee for the evening was Khalid Saeed who welcomed everyone and thanked the YCOE for hosting this event. He next introduced Yolo County Superintendent of Schools, Garth Lewis and invited him to speak. Garth thanked AMV for reaching out to YCOE and partnering with them in this important event. He also appreciated Khalid Saeed for his leadership and commitment to the local community. Garth pointed out that California has one of the largest populations of Muslim youth in the United States and some of them face challenges while attending schools. He added that here in the state and Yolo County we have a responsibility to make sure that all our students feel welcome and need to ensure that they feel that they are valued in our school system. Tonight is about listening and learning together, he said. Some students are victims of bullying and harassment, including young women who wear the Hijab. The Superintendent spoke about the need to create safe spaces in our school system for all students. Lewis also took the opportunity to recognize a few regional dignitaries present including elected officials and leaders in education.
The next speaker was Dr Mary Vixie Sandy, Chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. Mary has over 30 years of experience in policy, government, and working within higher education. She thanked Khalid Saeed and Muslim American neighbors for bringing us all together and officially welcomed everyone to the YCOE where some wonderful events have been held this month. Gatherings like this remind us that our community’s greatest strength is its diversity, people of different faiths, backgrounds, and experiences coming together with open hearts and open minds. And values like kindness and generosity, and a commitment to one another’s well-being. Tonight is an opportunity to listen, she added. To learn and celebrate what unites us. Mary also thanked the hosts and everyone who made the event possible. In Yolo County, everyone should feel at home, she added.
The next speaker was Aisha Sadiq a student who spoke from firsthand experience about encountering Islamophobia as a young Muslim female who wears the Hijab. She said that bullying is not always loud. Sometimes it is stares, exclusion, or whispered remarks. Other times it is outright mockery or hateful comments. In our schools, we are all equal. We are all human, with hearts, feelings, and minds, and most importantly, we are all Americans, she said. Every child should have a safe environment to learn and grow. Aisha also spoke about the difficulty that students have in speaking up against hate because they think that could make matters worse. She also shared that hate impacts a victim’s confidence and personal growth. Policies alone are not enough, said Aisha. Teachers need to model kindness and inclusivity.
The evening keynote speaker Imam M.A. Azeez. was introduced next and invited to the stage by Dr Jesse Ortiz, currently a Trustee of the Yuba County Community College District. Jesse has spent many years in various roles in education in Yolo County and is a well-known figure in the regional community. M. A. Azeez is the Senior Imam and co-founder of the Tarbiya Institute which has its headquarters in Roseville in nearby Placer County. Listening to him is always a learning experience for people, both inside and outside the Muslim community, and he once again had our attention this evening.
Imam Azeez came well-prepared as usual. After thanking our hosts he shared his own journey to the role which he has today in spite of his mother’s reservations about him not becoming a doctor. He spoke about the often-mentioned Judeo-Christian tradition in this country and then proceeded to connect the dots to what should be a Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition and then provided its history. From the fast rise of Islam from the Arabian desert soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (SWW) at a time when two powerful empires, Persia and Byzantium were weak from battling each other, Islam became the dominant force from Spain to India in a short time.
The expansion of Islam brought many cultures into its fold and in the process also enriched the desert Arabs themselves. And beyond the formation of an empire a cultural and scientific renaissance also took place which not only benefited the people at the time but left a lasting legacy in medicine, mathematics, and other sciences. The birth of Algorithm under Al-Khwarizmi, disease identification and transmission method identification by Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna (which became a cornerstone of modern medicine), and the father of optics Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham) who developed the lens, all have a Muslim imprint, said Imam Azeez.
That and the introduction of coffee that we drink today which came from Ethiopia to Yemen and was later introduced to the West by the Ottomans. Muslims have had quite an impact on Western civilization, and they cannot be separated from it, he said. We are all interconnected and the cultural world is not demarcated. Islamophobia happens because we do not get to know each other, said Imam Azeez.
That is what needs to change. We could try to clone Imam Azeez but that would not be realistic. Thankfully, the AMV Foundation and some other Muslim organizations realize that building relations with non-Muslims and educational institutions in America is extremely necessary. Millions of Muslims now live in Western countries including those in the United States and communication with non-Muslim communities needs to improve. Islam is thriving in America, including here in Yolo County as well. One of the largest new mosques in the region is set to officially open on Friday, February 28, 2025, in Woodland, and invitations have gone out to the public to join the Muslim community at the ceremony. This writer has visited the new Mosque, and it is certainly impressive. Some pictures of that visit are also shared here in this report.
Ramadan Mubarak to all our readers.
