Local Mosques Open Their Doors To Community

Muslim groups in Forsyth County opened their mosques to the public on Friday, just over a week after another meeting in Kernersville, North Carolina, where conservative activists focused on what speakers said was a potential violent confrontation with Islam.  

At the Annoor Islamic Center in Clemmons, the public was invited to see a worship service, accompanied by traditional customs. Muslim women sat separately from Muslim men. They wore scarves, also known as the hijab, and participants removed their shoes before the prayer service.

The crowded service was followed up with a town hall meeting, where neighbors could enjoy baklava and conversation, and Mosque leaders fielded their questions about Islamic culture and beliefs.

There was a wide range of them – some asked how women were treated in the Islamic tradition, others wanted to know about democracy within the religion, and asked how the Muslim community was reacting to the remarks reported in Kernersville.

“Everybody in our community is on edge. There's no filter in society today,” says Ali Sal, who is a member of the mosque. “I'm not saying people need to think before they speak, but don't stereotype everybody in one category. The key is to stick together in this time, so there are no separations.” 

Similar gatherings also took place at the Community Mosque and Masjid Al-Muminun Mosque in Winston-Salem.

Local leaders hope it will help break down barriers and encourage more dialogue about Muslims to address misconceptions and myths. They say they've received an overwhelming amount of support from the community. Many people showed that on Friday with hugs and words of encouragement.

"I'm very ignorant about Islam religion in a lot of ways and I do want to know more. That's one of the reasons I came to see how their worship service is undertaken and I've recently made some friends who are Muslim,” says Clara Yarbro of Winston-Salem. “But mainly, I just really want to be supportive to the members here after the Kernersville incident."

Marie Davis of King, who identified herself as Catholic, never visited a mosque before. She asked a question about articles she read online about polygamy in the Islam religion. There was pushback from a crowd member about her tone and body lanuage, as she pressed for more answers about  Islam.  Davis says, for her, it wasn't the most pleasant experience she's ever had, but she's glad she came.

“I came to this because I didn't want it to be an echo chamber. People hearing the same message over and over, when nothing else is expressed. America is about freedom of expression and so different ideas should be expressed."  

"I think some things they said about Islam were misleading. They have a poster in there saying women's rights since ten years ago have changed some, but look at what's been happening around the world," says Davis. "The more Muslims associate in the culture, the more people understand each other, and they should work on that. We should work on that.” 

Dina Shehata, a member of The Annoor Islamic Center, helped organize the meeting. She says discussions like these are important, given international attention about Syrian refugees and the U.S. immigration policies.

"We're doctors, we're lawyers. We're educators. Muslims are just like everyone else and we want everyone to see that," says Shehata. "I hope people do their own research and talk with us. We opened our doors to help foster a better understanding of Islam."

Shehata says this isn't a one-time invitation to the public. She's encouraging people to visit mosques in their community and to continue asking questions.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news