The below piece first appeared on Dawn News’ blog today. It was my first in a series of pieces on “Muslims in America,” where I attempt to show how Muslim-Americans are working to change perceptions and challenge stereotypes in the United States. You can read the Dawn piece here.
New York City is not only home to a significant Muslim population, the community is also a reflection of the city itself – vibrant, diverse, and colorful. Muslims in New York are South Asian, Middle Eastern, African, East Asian, European, and African-American, all speaking an array of languages and practicing Islam in their own culturally nuanced ways.
Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq, two young South Asian Muslims living in New York City, decided to explore the diversity within New York City’s Muslim community, visiting a different mosque each day during Ramadan – from Malcolm X’s mosque in Harlem to the Bosnian Cultural Center to the Islamic Center at New York University. Their journey, documented at 30 Mosques in 30 Days, gained an enormous following, with up to 1,500 people visiting the website each day to learn of the previous night’s discoveries. Towards the end of the month, they had reached their goal of 20,000 unique visits to the blog.
When asked what inspired 30 Mosques, Aman noted the project began as a simple personal experiment, since there were so many mosques he and Bassam wanted to explore in the New York area. They were overwhelmed with the unexpected number of responses they received from both Muslims and non-Muslims around the world, writing in to express their desire to pursue a similar experiment in their own cities or communities. What started as an innovative personal adventure soon became a way of connecting people throughout the world.
The two young Muslims wanted the experience to be as natural as possible, despite the subsequent media attention their website received as the month progressed. Ultimately, Aman and Bassam wanted to document what treatment any Muslim would receive walking into a mosque in the city. The overwhelming hospitality they received at each place surprised them both. On Day 28, Aman visited a mosque in the Bronx that had burned down the night before. Despite the tragedy, the congregation was united in their resilience. Aman, in his post, wrote,
Bilal [a man in the congregation] brought up one of my favorite sayings from Prophet Muhammad that really captured the mood in the air tonight. That the Muslim community is like a body. When one part of the body is in pain, the entire body is in pain. In other words, when one of us suffers we all feel the pain. But Bilal brought up an interesting point. He said this saying also applies to happiness. When one of us is feeling good, the rest of us should feel the same as well. He told me this was not a time for us to be sad and depressed. Instead, this is a time for us to smile and be thankful that everyone is here to support each other during the end of this blessed month.
On Day 9, Bassam blogged about the Masjid Aqsa, a predominately West African mosque in his neighborhood. He told me how a man insisted he stay after his prayers to eat, making sure everyone there knew he was a guest and should be welcomed. In the corresponding post, he wrote, “The hospitality during Ramadan has been unbelievable. There’s something in the air, and the weather only seems to get better.”
Each post on 30 Days further cements this notion – that despite their ethnic, cultural, and sectarian differences, the Muslims Aman and Bassam encountered were universally hospitable and inclusive.
Aman told me, “The Islamic Center at NYU was built by college students, while one mosque on Staten Island was established by a guy who worked in a factory during World War II. Each one of these threads make up the Muslim-American narrative –we are united by the belief in Allah, hospitality, and welcoming others.”
For both of them, these stories are instrumental in showing what the Muslim community in the United States has to offer, and how Muslims in America fit into the broader American identity. Aman asserted, “In America, we have different races, ethnicities, and religions, and for the most part live peacefully side by side. The prejudice and “clash” that occurred after 9/11 stemmed from ignorance and misunderstanding. One of the reasons we did this project was to show people that Muslims aren’t two dimensional characters…that such anecdotes humanize us.”
Although Aman and Bassam’s spiritual journey to 30 Mosques was only a modest attempt to break perceptions, their subsequent narrative indicates how easy it can be to break barriers, to challenge stereotypes, and get to know one another. Bassam, who recently met the great Abdul Sattar Edhi, said when asked to autograph his book, the renowned Pakistani philanthropist wrote, “Love human beings.” That simple message, Bassam noted, “is what it’s all about.”
[…] You can read the Dawn piece here. New York City is not only home […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan bassam, challenge stereotypes, dawn news, east asian, islamic center, malcolm x, media […]
so today a fellow reporter was using a computer and got called away for something…so I got on their computer..and when I got on the computer guess what they were reading?your dawn blog!hahahahahah…thought you’d like to know that….i think knowing that a colleague of mine was spontaneously reading your blog is better than getting a comment it!hahahahahahhaa..good job on the piece!congrats…
Surreal!! Hahaha!
Very touching post. It made sums everything up so simply…”love human beings.”
ummmm…mesh..is that even a sentence?
haha…obviously I was at a loss for words. That’s how awesome the article is!
agreed..and then i suppose you are forgiven for the incoherence as well..
Great piece Kalsoom! I am so glad you included the quote by Edhi at the end. Keep up the good work!
Aman and Bassam’s touching stories beautifully told by Kalsoom, brought back memories of a day during Ramadan in Madina. We would go to the mosque each day to break our fast, pray and come back to the hotel to eat. On one such day, a young mother with two small children, insisted on sharing a piece of bread and a cup of yogurt with me just because she noticed I had only a glass of water to break my fast with. I was completely shaken by this touching and heart warming gesture. This young woman and many more such women I met during our stay, didn’t have much but reached out with whatever little they had.
On their personal spiritual journey, Aman and Bassam were lucky to capture the important essence of Ramadan….this strong sense of sharing….whether it be “pain” or “happiness”.
Very moving! Thank you Kalsoom for sharing this wonderful story.
While hospitality should come as no surprise from individuals present in a mosque during Ramadan, your blog (and the original blog by the two individuals) was a very pleasant and uplifting read.
Mecca and Medina are two places that are absolutely overflowing with affection, sincerity and hospitality during Ramadan. People are literally begging you to join them as they open their fast. Everyone brings dates, water, bread, yoghurt, and labban as they seek people that have been fasting so that they can eat together.
A big thanks and congratulations to Bassam and Aman for increasing awareness and attracting so many visitors to their site.
Rini and 510,
Both of you made good points about hospitality during Ramadan, and that’s one of the questions I asked during the interview with Bassam and Aman – whether or not people were overly hospitable and welcoming because of the month. Their feelings were that people were extra welcoming, but that hospitality extended throughout the year. I particularly liked the hospitality angle of the interview 🙂
Great to see you collabarate with Dawn! Must go and comment there as well 😉
Thank you for sharing this story! What they did was really courageous. I wonder if there were any initial hesitation in exploring mosques in the stereotypical “dangerous” parts of New York. It just shows that tolerance, compassion, and understanding is found everywhere as long as we approach with genuine interest.
I think the hospitality genuinely surprised them – they really weren’t expecting how welcoming everyone would be. So I’m sure there was a little bit of hesitation initially.
Forgot to mention the great quote by Edhi. There is no kinder, greater and more generous Pakistani than Edhi. He is someone that asks for no recognition or power however the more recognition we give him the more awareness we raise to his cause.
I can totally relate to what Aman said: ‘The hospitality during Ramadan….. There’s something in the air, and the weather only seems to get better.”
You definitely feel that in Pakistan and its amazing to hear that he could feel that in the US too.
Love the positivity in the article!
Great piece Kalsoom!
Excellent Work by Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq. 30 Mosque in 30 Days is going to inspire many other young pioneers to venture to visit different communities and promote growth and understanding and Love and Friendship.
As for Abdul Sattar Edhi.. He is a living Icon. Really deserves the Noble Prize and Let’s start his Fan Club.
Their story is amazing and is a eye-opener to Muslim life in NYC. Having read their entries this entire month, I hope that they continue next Ramadan!
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