In the heart of Brooklyn, a thriving Muslim community opens its doors
By Dovilas Bukauskas
Imagine walking along a crowded street; Arabic signs in the windows along the street invite you to browse the local shops’ wares, be they incense, halal meat, Middle Eastern spices, or African clothing. But you’re not in Pakistan or Egypt or Senegal. You’re on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, home of one of the most vibrant Muslim communities in New York City and of one of their local houses of worship, the Masjid At-Taqwa.
At the intersection of Fulton Street and Bedford Avenue, the Masjid At-Taqwa has served as a religious and social hub for the predominantly African-American community since the 1980s, when Imam Siraj Wahhaj left the Nation of Islam, completed an Islamic education in Saudi Arabia, and returned to Brooklyn to found his masjid.
Since the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 by Islamic extremists, the Muslim community in the U.S. has gradually come under more and more pressure and scrutiny by those wary of possible ties to extremists. On August 25th, 2010, Michael Enright stabbed NY taxi cab driver Ahmed Sharif in the neck and arms in an attack overtly motivated by Sharif’s Islamic beliefs. The proposal to build an Islamic cultural center near the site of the 9/11 attacks sparked controversy across the nation, prompting Quran burnings and other threats.
But in NY, a city in which many faiths and many cultures learn to live together, are Muslim communities under fire from the same Islamophobic sentiments as they are elsewhere in the nation?
Ali A. Karim, a senior community organizer and member of the Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn said that the locally-involved Muslim community has weathered some of the post-9/11 hardships easier than most.
VIDEO: Ali Karim discusses the fallout of 9/11 for NYC Muslims
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Karim explained that one of the major reasons for which the Bedford-Stuyvesant Muslim community enjoyed such a close relationship with others in the neighborhood was due to their anti-crime actions in the 1980s.
“Our community has been here since ‘81. When we started, when we purchased this building,” he said, gesturing at the large prayer space behind him, “crime here was at its highest rate.”
He said that one event prompted the local Muslim community to become more active locally. A shootout in front of a Muslim store frequented by women and children, in which several bullets ricocheted through the store’s windows, prompted Muslim community leaders to act. “It was a sign that we could no longer tolerate that [crime].”
“We mapped out a plan; how to address the drug situation. We based it on Noah’s story, with the flood and the 40 days. We wanted to purify this area.”
Together with the local 79th Precinct of the NYPD, the Muslim community banded together to prevent drug trafficking. In one anecdote, Karim said that men from the Muslim community formed lines in front of abandoned properties in which drug trade was thought to occur. The “brothers” would prevent any would-be drug dealers from entering the building and doing business.
“[The 79th precinct] came and raided certain drug houses. We kept them out. From Franklin to Nostrand.”
Ibrahim, another member at the Masjid, recollected the 80s. “The only way you could look down the block was if you stood on a lamp post, there was that many people. You couldn’t walk down the street without dealers and junkies grabbing at your coat asking for money or drugs.” Ibrahim indicated that the Muslims’ street patrols sometimes became violent. The masjid entered the public eyes in a series of articles in the New York Times describing their efforts.
Because of their effective community involvement, said Karim, the Muslim community in Bedford-Stuyvesant enjoys a friendly relationship with their neighbors. “We’re adamant about crime and cleaning up. We have a reputation in this neighborhood of being no-nonsense,” he said.
Besides their community involvement, Karim said that another factor improving their relations with non-Muslim locals was simply their visibility. Karim said that many people in the predominately black neighborhood had some sort of connection to Muslims, whether as friends or family members. He said that there was more tolerance in African American communities because “they have Muslims in their families or they know Muslims. They know what Muslims are like.”
The masjid also holds regular open house events, as well as various counseling and educational events. Karim said that these programs help people understand Muslims better, and to appreciate their presence in the community.
“After 9/11, sure we had a little more trouble, but not much,” said Karim. “Most people understood, ‘not these Muslims, they’re not the same.’ We didn’t get that backlash.”
VIDEO: Ali Karim discusses Masjid At-Taqwa’s relationship with the surrounding community
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Osman Adam, a deputy imam at the masjid, said that Muslim men and women face different levels of discrimination when moving around NY. Adam owns the shop Karim said had been shot through in the 1980s, where he and his family sell various items of African and Middle-Eastern interest, like incense, scented oils, books and videotapes.
“The way we dress, sometimes we don’t look very different. We just dress like this,” said Adam, grabbing his large, loose brown workman’s shirt. “For women, it is different. When they wear the scarf, people can see that they look different. People would not have the audacity to say something to a man. They would get slapped.” Karim also said that women face more issues due to their more visually outstanding dress.
“People can come in and buy this book, the Quran,” said Adam, pointing to the row of Qurans on his shop’s shelf. “Nowhere in there will they find words telling you to kill others like they did in 9/11. This is a religion of peace and tolerance.”
“There are people that espouse that kind of agenda, that type of hatred” said Karim, referring to xenophobic and Islamophobic commentators. “It’s not reasonable. Shows you how hatred is so unreasonable […] some people don’t know why they hate Muslims. They let people tell them to.”
“If people just came and got to know us,” he said, “you’ll find we’re no threat to anybody.”
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