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Islamic Society's open house features faith's traditions, tour
Most Muslims believe in all prophets, of which Muhammad was the last, and that God alone is to be worshiped.
Subscribe to the five major pillars of Islam: a belief in the oneness of God, prayer five times daily, fasting during the month of Ramadan, charity and haji, which is the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.
View non-Muslim Americans favorably, though some are deeply against certain American policies in the Middle East.
Oppose the oppression of women and point to how Islam elevated the status of women 1,400 years ago by giving them the right to divorce and seek financial independence.
Condemn genocide and terrorism while stressing the sanctity of human life.
Emphasize a modest dress code partly so that no person is perceived as a sex object. Veils are not essential.
Source: “The 25 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Islam,” by Shahid Athar
Islamic Society’s open house features faith’s traditions, school tour
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
When 19 Mus- lim extremists hijacked four planes and killed several thousand people during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, they also did major damage to a major religion, as far as Nibal Zaghloul is concerned.
“Those people also were hijacking my religion,” Zaghloul explained during Sunday’s open house at the Masjid Al-Khair mosque and school, 1670 Homewood Ave., on the city’s South Side.
Sponsoring the four-hour gathering was the Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown.
The fifth annual event was to give people a greater idea of what the Islamic faith stands for and allow them to meet Muslims and learn more about their traditions, organizers said.
Zaghloul, a Youngstown oncologist and hematologist, noted that the vast majority of Muslims advocate peace and submission to the will of God. Nevertheless, he said, the religion has seen occasional setbacks since 9/11, such as the actions of Faisal Shahzad, who recently drew a life prison sentence after being convicted in a federal courtroom in New York City of planting a car bomb in Times Square.
It’s not enough to condemn violent acts and rhetoric by the few extremists who receive a lot of publicity, he said. A greater number of Muslims need to be on TV informing people about the true tenets and principles of the religion, Zaghloul continued.
Dozens of people enjoyed a variety of ethnic foods such as baklava (made from phello dough and nuts), kunafah (dough with cheese), biryani chicken and rice, and samosas (ground beef in a pastry). Also on hand were grape leaves and falafel sandwiches for $1 or $2.
Among the items on display or for sale were several books on Islam and the prophet Muhammad; handmade brass and copper decorative pieces; hand-woven cushion covers and bedspreads; embroidered shawls, handbags and caps; colorful prayer rugs; dishware; and jewelry.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, more mosques across the country have opened their doors to their communities, noted Randa Shabayek, the local Islamic society’s president.
Extremists, however, have greatly harmed the reputation of law-abiding, peaceful Muslim people around the world, Shabayek explained, adding that many Muslims tried to help those wounded on 9/11.
“We’re Americans, and we work hard for the well-being of the country,” she added.
Many local Muslims perform community-service projects, including donating to agencies such as the Second Harvest Food Bank of Mahoning Valley and working with Habitat for Humanity Inc., noted Saeeda Ghani, an Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown member and former president.
“We have no bad intentions,” she added.
Many attendees at the event saw a charter school with three classrooms for youngsters in kindergarten through grade four, noted Zeina Saymeh, one of the school’s founders and wife of Zaghloul.
The 3-year-old school has three full-time teachers and one part-timer as well as 16 students who are taught math, reading, social science, English, Islamic studies and Arabic, Saymeh pointed out.
The open house also featured tours of the facility, face-painting, free blood-pressure checks and glucose monitoring, and henna, which is a flowering plant that produces a dye often used on skin, hair and fingernails.