- Title: USA: New Jersey town with large Muslim population has its own kind of jihad
- Date: 29th July 2007
- Summary: VARIOUS OF PRAYERS AT THE ISLAMIC CENTRE OF PASSAIC COUNTY IN PATERSON YOUNG WORSHIPPER WEARING YANKEE BASEBALL SHIRT VARIOUS OF MOSQUE PRAYERS VARIOUS OF CROWDS LEAVING THE ISLAMIC CENTRE OF PASSAIC COUNTY
- Embargoed: 13th August 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Religion
- Reuters ID: LVAE0KHUXNZQXXEF3K8MZOOOF1UJ
- Story Text: In a collective sense, Paterson, New Jersey has its own jihad. Home to one of the largest and most diverse concentrations of Muslims in the United States, Paterson has struggled to promote tolerance across religious lines, and to deal with its ties to the September 11 attacks, which seemed to be both real and imagined.
This ethnically diverse city about 20 miles (30 km) northwest of New York City has immigrants from across the Arab world, but there are also large numbers of Turks and black Muslims from the town's African-American population.
"Paterson is unique. Our mayor always says it's like a cup of soup. Everyone comes from a different country with his own ingredients and adds to the mix, making it taste great. Paterson has over 72 ethnic groups, each with its own traditions and cultures. That is why this is one of the best towns in New Jersey," said Awni Abu-Hadba, a Palestinian who owns a jewelry store on Main Street in Paterson's largely Muslim South Side.
Abu-Hadba also happens to be the Deputy Mayor of the town.
Friday prayers at the Islamic Centre underscore the diversity. Men in traditional robes bow down on their face to pray next to young boys wearing the jerseys of their American sports heroes. Women, seated in their own section in the back, are dressed in all manner of abayas, chadors and tunics.
In a city of 150,000 people, there are about 10 mosques. Town leaders estimate there are at least 25,000 to 30,000 Muslims, most of whom can relate stories about threats or harassment or hurtful ignorance expressed by non-Muslims.
15-year-old Jehad Faleh knows there are many usages for the Arabic word jihad, and he says the one meaning holy war is a distortion.
Jihad, which can also be transliterated as jehad, literally means to struggle and is commonly meant to struggle in the way of God to improve one's self or society.
"For me, when I was growing up, you know, it was things like 'Gee' or 'Jay'. I would say 'no, my name is Jehad.' I'm proud to be Jehad and I'm glad my mother and father gave me that name, because for one it helps to show, it helps to teach people what culture and other things mean and to open a diverse conversation with other people," said Jehad.
Paterson was shaken by the September 11 attacks. On that day, an apparently false report circulated on some radio stations and Internet sites that Muslims in Paterson demonstrated in celebration.
Paterson officials issued a statement denying the report, and Muslim leaders insist it was pure fabrication. Many Muslims in Paterson point to the incident as evidence of media bias against them, invariably making the point that "We are Americans, too."
Less well known is Paterson's real if unwitting role in the attacks.
Two of the hijackers who commandeered American Airlines 77, the flight that crashed into the Pentagon after taking off from Washington's Dulles Airport, rented an apartment in Paterson, the official U.S. inquiry said.
They were joined there by some of the other Flight 77 hijackers, and possible some from United 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field, according to the 9/11 Commission Report.
Since then Paterson has had an active interfaith movement in which Christians and Jews have joined forces with Muslims to promote better understanding across religious lines.
One particularly active interfaith advocate is Mohamed El-Filali, 42, outreach director at at the Islamic Centre of Passaic County, one of Paterson's largest mosques. His job is to educate non-Muslim students and officials about Islam.
"One of the funny things that happen is when I go to high schools, I ask the kids: 'How many of you think I'm a terrorist?' So we open the door for dialogue and use it to convey the message that any question is allowed," said El-Filali.
Black Muslims such as Hamza Abdus-Salaam, imam at the Masjid Ansar As-Sunnah, said they did not suffer the way Arab immigrants did after September 11. Instead the tragedy provided an opportunity to teach non-Muslims about Islam because interest in the religion soared.
Abdus-Salaam said that after 9/11 they gave out hundreds of Korans to people who wanted to know about the religion. Today, he says, Muslims are well respected by non-Muslims in Paterson.
"It appears that they look at the African American Muslims in our city as people who have good morals, and who can be trusted, who keep their word, who are god-fearing. So because of this they come to us seeking advice, even in certain occasions if there's someone drinking alcohol on the street or using offensive language and one of the Muslims from among the community walk by, the people hide the beer that they're drinking. They tell one another: 'Don't you see the Muslim? You shouldn't be cursing!'" Abdus-Salaam said from his storefront mosque, sandwiched between a fish market and a grocery in a bustling business district.
Relations between Muslims and non-Muslims have improved since 2001, largely as a result of the attacks.
"A lot of good came out of it also," said Omar Ayoub Tamimi, a Palestinian-American getting a haircut at a barber shop on Main Street.
"Yeah we experienced bias, we experienced racial profiling, whether it was from the police, whether from regular people, business people that we're doing business with or whether it was our bosses or co-workers, but it also brought so much more of good attention that it opened up a lot of people's eyes and clarified a lot of the ignorance that people believed about our religion and our beliefs," he said.
"Everybody gets along all right. I guess in Paterson everybody's used to us. A lot of Arabs in Paterson so everybody's got no choice but to get along. No matter where you go in Paterson you're going to run into someone Arabic, you know Arabian or Muslim. So everyone gets along pretty good,"
said barber shop owner Sleem Mohammed.
"Go outside of Paterson and it's another story," he added.
The Washington DC-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has reported that acts of anti-Muslim bias rose sharply after the 9/11 attacks.
The United States is home to an estimated 7 million Muslims. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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