http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_24-10-2002_pg3_4
AKBAR S AHMED
Ohio is a long way from the hothouse atmosphere in Washington, DC, which is so media and policy-driven. In contrast, Ohio appears more in touch with itself — more “real” America
A historian coming upon the Islamic Centre of Greater Toledo, Ohio, would be forgiven for doing a double take. The picture postcard Islamic Centre with its dome and soaring minarets could be from Toledo, Spain, a thousand years ago; the background adds to the impression — the open vistas, the neat green fields and the deep far sky.
So confident and striking is the Islamic Centre that it has become a symbol of Islam in Ohio. Toledo has always viewed the Centre with pride. It features in the local brochures and publicity material.
That is why when after September 11 some unknown and angry people shot at the Centre, the Christian community rallied. The local radio stations announced a public show of support. Large numbers turned up at the Centre and formed human circles around it, facing outside, ready to defend it. The Christian response reassured and calmed the Muslim community.
In Washington, I had heard much about the Centre and the Muslim community. So when the Islamic Center and the University of Toledo invited me early in May, I set out to discover why they have the reputation for being tolerant and integrated.
Ohio is a long way from the hothouse atmosphere in Washington, DC, which is so media and policy-driven. In contrast, Ohio appears more in touch with itself — more “real” America.
I noted three distinct features at the Islamic Centre which are unusual. Firstly, it had voted for the first female president of an Islamic centre in America and she has just been appointed a female judge — perhaps another first. Secondly, there was no rigid dress code for women as long as they were modestly dressed and while some wore the “hijab”, some did not. Thirdly, the main prayer is conducted with women and men praying together separated by a three-foot partition that runs through the centre of the hall. The women therefore do not pray behind the men but alongside with them.
The Islamic Centre, impeccably clean and well run, had a friendly atmosphere. Muslims and non-Muslims mingled freely and there was none of the tension which sometimes marks Islamic centres. In particular, I found women active and assertive.
My host, Dr. Amjad Hussain, a prominent surgeon, kept me busy for the three days I was there with lectures, speeches, and community functions. I met young and old, women and men, Muslim and non-Muslim. At the Zohr prayer on Sunday, I was invited to speak to the congregation of about 400. I spoke of the importance of knowledge and tolerance. I gave the example of Muslim Spain when Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together harmoniously and created a rich civilisation. The previous evening I had shown Part II of the BBC TV series “Living Islam” based on my book” Discovering Islam”. It was called “The Challenge of the Past” and confirmed my thesis that the great days of Islam were the great days of knowledge and tolerance. I pointed out the cultural synthesis I saw behind the podium: the stars and stripes flag of America alongside a picture of the grand mosque in Mecca.
The question-answer sessions brought out some interesting trends in Toledo. The Islamic Centre may be a strong model but it is only one model. There are four other mosques in Toledo. There are two Afro-American mosques — one of them is run by the Nation of Islam — there is a Shia mosque; and there is a big central mosque in town which has a different and distinct approach from that of the Islamic Centre that I visited. Still, there was enough general good will for the imam of the central mosque in Toledo to come to hear my lectures and invite me to talk to the annual function his mosque was planning in the fall.
Why, I asked myself, was the Islamic Centre different? I believe the answer rests largely in the leadership. The central leadership is educated — university professors and senior professionals — it is affluent and determined to create an enlightened and tolerant Islamic vision for the community. Its ethnic background helps reinforce its vision. Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians — the spill over from Detroit which has the largest concentration of Arabs in the USA — and South Asian Muslims work together with ease.
Take the example of my friend Dr. Amjad Hussain. Born in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, he came to Toledo over three decades ago as a young doctor. He married Dottie, a warm and supportive American girl, and has lived happily with his family in Toledo ever since. Dottie and Amjad are respected members of the community and have been important in shaping the Islamic Centre.
While Dr. Amjad is a devout Muslim, he is also a tolerant one. His wife remains a Christian. Indeed, when a Pakistani reporter asked him with a certain tension in his voice: “I hope you have converted your wife to a Muslim?” Dr. Amjad replied: “No, but I have become a Christian.”
The Hussain home, where they hosted a large dinner for me, is a good example of interfaith and intercultural goodwill. They have friends from every section of society. But Dr. Amjad’s heart remains in the North West Frontier Province. His car bears the number plate “NWFP 1.”
But there was an underlying concern which soon manifested itself in my conversations with the community. Many of the young generation are angry and disenchanted after September. They have fallen back to isolation. This trend concerns the leaders of the Islamic Centre.
If Dr. Amjad, his colleagues at the Islamic Centre and others like them succeed in the coming time, then Muslims will be able to both contribute to and integrate in society. If not, there will be conflict and clash.
Professor Akbar S. Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, Washington, DC, is author of “Islam Today: A Short Introduction to the Muslim World” (Revised 2002)