Ramadan & Communal Harmony in Washington
By Dr. Syed Amir
Bethesda, MD
Through conversions, immigration and high birth rate, the Muslim population in the US has been fast growing. While the current estimate of Muslims in the US is five to seven millions (2%), their number in the Greater Washington area has more than doubled during the past decade.
Empirical evidence of the rapid growth of the Islamic community in and around the US capital is the number of mosques that have sprung up during recent years. The sight of a minaret and a dome is no longer a rare occurrence, while halal meat shops abound and ladies in Muslim attire are commonly in evidence.
The oldest mosque in the Washington region is the Islamic Center of Washington. A sublime specimen of architectural beauty that elegantly blends Turkish and Moorish styles, it was designed by the Italian architect Mario Rossi, completed and opened for prayers in 1957. In those days, the Muslim population in the metropolitan area was sparse and there was no formal place for communal worship. The acute need for a mosque was underscored when in 1944 the Turkish ambassador died and no place could be found in the entire Washington area to hold his funeral prayers. Planning for a mosque started soon thereafter, and most Islamic countries represented in Washington, including Pakistan, donated sums of money and craftsmanship towards its construction.
Located on Massachusetts Avenue, the street where many embassies are also located, the mosque attracts throngs of curious visitors, drawn by its soaring minaret and delicate blue-white arches, exquisitely decorated with Qur’anic inscriptions.
In the sixties, with the influx of many immigrants from the Islamic world, and with the growth of the indigenous Muslim population, the Washington mosque was no longer able to provide the space or facilities to meet their varied needs. Since then, a number of mosques, some catering to specific ethnic populations, have been built; most also run Sunday schools for religious instruction.
The advent of the holy month of Ramadan usually attracts attention to mosques and the community from both electronic and print media. A recent article in the Washington Post described some unorthodox measures the local members of the Muslim community had to adopt to accommodate the large numbers drawn to mosques and Islamic centers for evening prayers and Iftar. The existing facilities often fall short, as the number of people who can pray or congregate in a given space is strictly limited by the fire codes designed to ensure that, in an emergency, the building can be rapidly evacuated. Some area mosques have been desperate to find extra space to accommodate the increased number of attendees, especially during Ramadan or on Eid.
In response to the special needs, some area mosques have been renting convention halls and wedding spaces in big hotels. Notwithstanding these measures, the space problem seemed to be getting worse. In an extraordinary gesture of goodwill and generosity, last year the Jewish community in the Sterling area, a suburb of Washington, offered the community hall in their synagogue to the Islamic community for their prayer service. When some concerns were raised by a few members of the congregation, the Rabbi (religious director of the synagogue) overruled them, justifying his decision by citing religious texts that directed that the house of prayer should be open to all religions. Besides synagogues, some churches have also offered their community halls and parking spaces for use of the overflowing crowds.
The remarkable degree to which the diverse religious communities can coexist peacefully, even cooperating and participating in each other’s festivals and community gatherings, is a glowing testament to the success of the multicultural and pluralistic society in America. It is quite common during the month of Ramadan for mosques in the Washington area to open door to host Jewish and Christian members of the community to share the Iftar dinner. There is an ongoing outreach program aimed at promotion of interfaith harmony and appreciation of different cultural and religious traditions and practices. As part of this program, members of the Islamic Centers are invited to visit Jewish and Christian places of worship that offer an opportunity to meet and interact with followers of other faiths. There has also been recognition of Ramadan at the US Government level. For some years, the White House and State Department have been hosting Iftar parties for American Muslims and diplomats from Islamic countries. This year, the event was hosted by President Obama on September 1.
The bonds forged across religious and ethnic division have served the Muslim communities well. We often hear about the incidences of atrocious religious profiling and exasperating checks and delays at the airports for returning American-Muslims, and, while true, these outrageous actions don’t affect us exclusively. Even some Congressman and prominent white Americans have been detained at the airport for verification of their identities. The admirable tradition of interfaith coexistence came under severe strain after the dark days following 9/11, when the media portrayed Muslims as jihadists and terrorists. But even then, except for isolated incidents of violence there were no large scale hostilities perpetrated against Arabs or Muslims and in many instances religious leaders, Jewish and Christian, stood up in defense of American Muslims.
We can gain a little better appreciation of the tradition of religious tolerance in this country if we consider the record of some others. To start, the history of our own country of origin, Pakistan, is not that commendable. There have been numerous incidences of persecution of minorities, Christians, Shias, and Ahmadis, involving murder and arson by fanatic mobs. Because of the established democratic institutions, the situation in India has been improving lately, but their overall record of treatment of minorities is also dismal. In European countries, where Muslim immigrants have settled on a large scale, Britain, France, Germany, there is covert and sometime overt discrimination against them in jobs, housing and the work places. Importantly, there has been an increase in the membership of far right parties in countries with large immigrant populations -- Belgium, Netherlands, Britain, and France. In France, which is home to a large number of immigrants from North Africa, there is a move to ban the Burqa as it is equated with the enslavement of women.
While we have benefited from the inclusive and pluralistic nature of our new, adopted country, we need to guard against the temptation to insulate ourselves into ethnic and religious enclaves, away from the mainstream, much like the Amish people, unless we are willing to take on their life style as well.
