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"Muslims in America are not going anywhere. We just need to stay positive," one attendee told IOL confidently. |
WASHINGTON -- On the west lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., facing the steps where President Barack Obama took his oath nine months ago, thousands of Muslims gathered to showcase their oneness as Muslims, Americans and humans in an event devoid of speakers and political agendas.
"We came here today to remind ourselves of the oneness of Allah, the oneness of humanity, and the oneness we all share," Imam Abdul Malik said in a qutbah (sermon) before leading the huge congregation in the Jummah (Friday) prayers.
"America, this is our country. We are with you. Muslims have been blessed tremendously living in the gates of North America, and it's our time to give back," he stressed.
"We came today to let the world knows what we believe Allah as one, and we seek common ground with all people to live in harmony and peace. … We must recognize that every life is sacred. Every human is sacred."
The Day of Prayer, spearheaded by Dar-ul-Salam mosque in Elizabeth, New Jersey, attracted upwards of 3,000 Muslims in a first-of-its-kind-gathering on the lawn in front of the iconic Capitol building.
The program started with Fajr (down) prayers, included tours of various Washington institutions and ended with the Friday prayers, which included recitation of the Qur’an by two prominent Qaaris, an energetic sermon by Imam Malik, the adan (call to prayer) ringing out, and Jummah prayers.
Syed Husain, a retired employee of the National Institutes of Health, attended the spiritual gathering to be "part of the message".
He believes Imam Malik’s qutbah conveyed the proper Islamic viewpoint in the most powerful way.
"He presented Islam in the clearest way I’ve ever heard: What Islam teaches and what Islam represents, how we believe in all prophets and their prophecies and their missions," he told IslamOnline.net.
"He talked about the oneness of God very clearly."
Malik Ali, who attended the Jummah prayers with his son, says the attitude during the event was very positive.
"There was a great a spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood."
Turnout
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| "It was fascinating to see all those hijabs in one place," one attendee told IOL |
Husain, the retired employee, was disappointed with the lack of publicity about the event and the poor turnout of local Muslims from mosques in the Maryland-Washington, D.C.-Virginia communities.
"I don’t understand it, really. Perhaps they weren’t contacted by the events’ coordinators."
The organizers had expected to draw 50,000 Muslims.
"So many of you are afraid to be here on Capitol Hill," Imam Malik said, addressing himself to Muslims who had been skeptical about the motives of the event and how it was organized by one New Jersey mosque.
"What is there to be afraid of? You have friends here on Capitol Hill. Non-Muslim people helped us to make this event even when there were Muslims who were afraid," he asserted.
"Stop being so scared! Just do the work of Allah, and believe."
His advice came on the heels of the recent arrests of several Muslim men, including a local imam, on terror charges as well as growing verbal attacks from conservative Christian groups in wake of President Obama’s forays into Muslim diplomacy.
Robert Salam, a prominent American-Muslim blogger and online radio host, said the lack of local participation was one of the key reasons he decided not to attend the event.
"I opted for the path of least resistance," he told IOL.
He was also worried about having to explain protests against the event to his children.
"But what solidified it for me was that I wanted to see what area Muslims were doing. I hadn’t heard anything from the local masjids or that the imams of these masjids were going to attend this event."
Though protests by various Christian groups did occur, they were kept to the fringes of the event where Muslims were entering and exiting the prayer area.
But Saadia Husain, who came to the prayer on her lunch break, said the protestors were not nearly as numerous as projected by media reports prior to the event.
"There were some who were yelling disrespectful things about Muslims, but when we stood for prayer, you couldn’t really hear them," she said.
"The day was really beautiful and it felt good to be there. It was fascinating to see all those hijabs in one place. People were popping their heads out of the nearby buildings to watch what was going on."
Active Muslims
Salaam admits that after seeing how smoothly everything went, he felt a little regret for not attending and bringing his sons along.
"Yes, I still think it could’ve been better organized, but the spirit of the event, the focus on prayer was good," he said.
"At the end of the day we just want to show non-Muslim Americans how we are part of this country’s fabric: The doctors they see, the teachers their kids have, lots of them are Muslim," Salaam noted.
"These Muslims don’t shove the Qur’an in [non-Muslims’] faces. But they do their job and they go home and pray. That’s who Americans need to see."
Malik Ali, who attended the Day of Prayer with his son, says American Muslims, estimated at nearly seven millions, don’t need to be afraid.
"We don’t need to hide our names," he told IOL.
"Muslims in America are not going anywhere. We came over here on slave ships and from different countries, and we’re here to stay," Ali added confidently.
"We just need to stay positive."
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