'We are the same': North Jersey mosques are inviting their neighbors for Ramadan

Hannan Adely
NorthJersey
Thousands of North Jersey Muslims attended prayer services on Eid at the Islamic Center of Passaic County on Monday.

In the wake of the terrorist attack that killed 22 people in Manchester, England, mosques in New Jersey are opening their doors to neighbors and members of other faith groups for evening meals to show their respect and love for their communities.

They say the community gatherings – to mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that begins this weekend – are as important as ever to remind the public that terrorism is an ugly distortion of Islam.

Leaders hope the gatherings over the next month will also serve to unite people against discrimination at a time when hate crimes are on the rise, including a rash of vandalism and arson targeting mosques.

“We need to connect at a human level,” said Imam Mohammad Moutaz Charaf, spiritual leader of the El-Zahra Islamic Center in Midland Park.

“People who come realize we are similar, that we are the same," he said. "Some who come with misunderstandings -- they leave with a better picture and clearer picture.”

Mohammad Moutaz Charaf is the Imam at the El-Zahra Islamic Center in Midland Park.

He said he wants to make clear their desire for peace. "We want to tell them we are against extremism, we are against terrorism, we are against violence, and we are against discrimination of any type against anyone," he said.

Opening doors

Across New Jersey, mosques will open their doors to neighbors and members of local churches and synagogues for interfaith “iftars,” or meals, to break the daily fast during Ramadan. Muslims believe fasting helps them to understand the suffering of others and brings them closer to God.

The Islamic Center of Passaic County will host its annual interfaith iftar on June 7, where mosque leaders will highlight the importance of unity and working together against intolerance. The gathering will also help improve relationships that they have formed with community and faith groups, said Omar Awad, president of the mosque.

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“We are very fortunate to be in Paterson and Clifton and in New Jersey. We have excellent ties with our neighbors,” Awad said.

Ahmed Shedeed, president of the Islamic Center of Jersey City, said the iftars are a way of explaining their faith to others. “We show them the way we fast and how we are part of the community and we celebrate the holiday together,” he said.  

“When a rabbi or priest come to the iftar, it’s a message to the community that we can be their neighbor. We can be good people,” he said.

Mohammad Moutaz Charaf is the Imam at the El-Zahra Islamic Center in Midland Park.

Clergy and officials who have attended the mosque’s iftars in the past have become friends, and those same people have later supported mosque members during tough times.

"When [President Donald] Trump made the ban against Muslims, they stood up for us,” he said.

Charaf, leader of the mosque in Midland Park, said the shared meals are also a fitting way to mark Ramadan, a month of prayer, fasting and acts of charity.

“It’s a month of peace and goodness and generosity, when we eat together and share food and thank God for the food we have and the peace we have and the diversity we have,” he said.

The El-Zahra Islamic Center in Midland Park.

Concerns about safety

Advocacy groups recommend community outreach as a way for mosques to build trust and enhance safety at a time when bias and hate crimes are on the rise. Some groups say the rise is linked to political rhetoric against Muslims and immigrants during the presidential campaign and in the Trump administration, as well as a backlash to terror attacks, like the bombing in Manchester this week.

In a report released this month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, found a 44 percent increase in hate crimes targeting Muslims between 2014 and 2016. Incidents -- including assault, harassment and vandalism -- rose from 38 in 2014, to 180 the following year, to 260 in 2016, according to the report.

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Troubling patterns continue in 2017, say Muslim leaders. So far this year, five mosque fires — in Austin, Texas, Victoria, Texas, Bellevue, Wash., Tampa, Fla., and Pittsfield Township, Mich. -- have been ruled as arson or suspected as arson.

The fires prompted Muslim Advocates, a legal and advocacy group, to issue a notice to mosques urging them to take steps to prevent arson during the Ramadan season. They included tips on installing security cameras, lighting up entrances and exteriors, cleaning up items that could fuel a fire and reaching out to local authorities.

“American Muslims should never be afraid to worship or attend their mosque,” said Madihha Ahussain, special counsel at Muslim Advocates. “But we know we have to look out for the safety and security of our community, now more than ever.”

Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for CAIR, said his office had received hateful calls -- including threats of violence and a bomb threat -- on Tuesday, the day after the Manchester attack.

“Whenever you have a horrible incident like you saw in Manchester, we come to expect that kind of thing,” he said.

CAIR recommended in an alert to mosques that they hold interfaith iftars, and the organization held a webinar on Wednesday in which they gave tips on hosting one, including who to invite and how to publicize the event.

“Whenever you don’t know about other people, it’s very easy to generalize or to stereotype. But it’s much more difficult to do when you know people one on one, when you have met them and their families,” Hooper said.

“When you break down barriers to mutual understanding, everyone benefits. What better way to do that than with sharing a meal?” he said.

Most mosques will mark the first day of Ramandan -- when Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad -- on Saturday. Others are waiting to confirm the first day of the holy month by monitoring moon sightings.

The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al-Fitr, or Feast of the Fast-Breaking, on or about June 25.

On the web

Watch Imam Mohammad Moutaz Charaf talk about the importance of community outreach. Visit njersy.co/ramadanoutreach