Muslim community in northern Westchester grows larger

11/15/2004 10:13:00 AM GMT

Source: nyjournalnews.com

The Muslim population in northern Westchester is growing. About 400 Muslims were expected yesterday at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

However, hundreds more of Muslims came out, filling a ballroom where the Eid prayers were being led and carpets were spread in the hallway to accommodate several dozen worshippers.

"Our community has grown, and our needs have grown," said Maher Al Jamal of Shrub Oak, member of several local Muslim groups. "Many Muslims who have been successful in different businesses are moving to the northern part of the county. People move north, and so do we."

Upper Westchester Muslim Society, which sponsored yesterday's gathering, and a second group led by Al Jamal have set locations in northern Westchester where they hope to establish mosques and other community centers. Both groups don’t want to name the locations till they are done with town approval processes, out of fear that residents will not welcome Muslims as neighbors.

The Upper Westchester Muslim Society was founded seven years ago. The organisation members found difficulty reaching out to the larger community when the Sept. 11 attacks put the Muslim community under spotlight.

"Our efforts to develop a positive identity took a step back," said Dr. Saleem Mir of Cortlandt, a former chairman of the county's largest mosque, the Westchester Muslim Center in Mount Vernon.

"When you talk about Muslims, people wonder, 'Who are these people?' There is immediate identification with 9/11. But the more people get to know us, the better things will get."

True that American Muslims are concerned with the disaster and catastrophe the innocent Muslims are facing in Iraq, and the Middle East situation, and how Muslims will be treated domestically as the United States carries on with its claimed war on terrorism, Mir said. But Muslims want to become accepted by the American society, he said.

"Muslims in America have a unique opportunity to bring the message of what America believes to the rest of the Muslim world," he said.

Both groups planning to build mosques in northern Westchester say they want to be connected to their surrounding communities and will welcome non-Muslims. Al Jamal is considering giving his building the name of Hudson Valley Community Center.

"We will have an open-door policy," he said. "The community will be able to use facilities and attend meetings."

Ali Javed of Chappaqua, the Upper Westchester Muslim Society's chairman, said non-Muslims will recognise the Muslims' wish to be part of the bigger community while passing on their heritage to the next generation.

"We are a diverse population, but we want our children to grow up as Muslim Americans," he said.