Muslims’ booth in Las Cruces aims to elevate discussion
Group members offer Qurans, conversation for whoever comes their way
LAS CRUCES — The mother and daughter arrived just before 8 a.m., unpacking the table and folding chairs from the back of a white minivan. It was a chilly 43 degrees, and the sun cast long shadows between the farmers market stalls and the funnel cake truck, the smell of grilled meat and wood smoke hovering.
Sureyya Hussain carefully laid out the Qurans.
Soon, the curious passersby began to approach with their questions, their comments and their concerns. The answers, Hussain hoped, would inform and enlighten — or at least spur constructive conversations about being Muslim in America.
“We wanted to have a voice about what Islam is for us,” said Hussain, 50, who organizes the monthly table, where anyone can come to learn about Islam.
Muslims have been facing what they see as a tide of vitriol against them during the past two years, which has included hate crimes and harassment. Muslim leaders say that sentiment is fueled by the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration, including attempts to ban immigration from Muslim-majority countries.
Add to that the terrorism done in the name of the Islamic State extremist group and many Muslims feel like there is a constant need to defend their identities and religion from suspicion.
For some of the nation’s small-town mosques and groups of recent immigrants, the instinct has been to turn inward, keep a low profile, buy security cameras, and tell young people to avoid confrontations. Other communities have tried the exact opposite: public engagement.
The Islamic Center of Las Cruces, the only mosque in the city of 101,000, is one of them.
Hussain and other members of the mosque’s Dawa — or outreach committee — come here, to the town’s farmers market, and set up a sign that says “Know Islam” amid the stalls hawking apples, kettle corn and handmade soaps. They provide free Qurans and pamphlets on different Islamic beliefs, and then they sit there for five hours, offering themselves up for whatever comes their way.
They want to get out in front of the hate, nip it in the bud before it starts. Let them come with their stereotypes and their fears, but give them answers.
The questions on a typical Saturday have range: “What do you worship?” “Do you wear your scarves in the shower?” “Do you walk behind your husband?” (The answers to the last two were “No.”)
Sometimes the conversations get difficult — maybe even a little uncomfortable or combative — but the volunteers do their best to stay calm and friendly.
“I could very easily sit in my house and hang out, but I’ve decided to do something, and this is the consequence of doing something,” said Mustafa Azimi, 27, a nurse, who joined Hussain and her daughter, along with his wife and another member of the mosque. “People are going to ask you questions. The goal is showing the community that Islam is not what the news portrays. If people knew that Muslims are also — like, that I’m a nurse who also knows how to cook food — that would be awesome.”
Las Cruces, the state’s second-largest city, sits against the backdrop of the jagged Organ Mountains. It is home to New Mexico State University, a 101-year-old church and Old Town Mesilla.
More than half the population here is Hispanic, and Radwan Jallad, an electrical engineer and member of the mosque’s Dawa committee, estimates there are about 500 Muslims, most of them foreign exchange students at the university. Approximately 200 show up for the Friday prayer at the Islamic Center of Las Cruces, founded in the early 1980s, where Jallad, Azimi and others take turns delivering the weekly sermon because there is no regular imam.
The Muslims of Las Cruces say they have been spared the xenophobia and racist violence that they hear about elsewhere. There have been no slurs spraypainted on the walls of their mosque; no women in headscarves who have reported being attacked while shopping. Shortly after 9/11, someone threw a bunch of beer cans and a wooden cross onto the grass outside the mosque, but otherwise they consider themselves lucky.
As they sensed the national political climate shifting a few years ago — and as they perceived there was an increasing amount of misinformation about Islam — someone broached the idea of having a table at the farmers market.
The visitors on this Saturday included dog-walkers, families and elderly couples. There was a man with a bicycle who asked if all Muslims are required to make the hajj pilgrimage — no, they said — and another man who asked if it was appropriate to address Muslims with “Salaam” — sure, they said.
Then came the two heavily tattooed, bearded men in motorcycle apparel who wanted a copy of the Quran. And then there was the woman carrying a small dog in a pouch, who asked whether anyone was interested in puppy adoption, before adding a comment they have heard from others in this liberal-leaning city that backed Hillary Clinton: “I want to apologize for this president. He does not represent us.”
A lot of people have questions about what Muslims believe, especially when it comes to violence, Christianity and America.
So the group hands out pamphlets such as “What do Muslims think about Jesus?” and “Muslims stand against terrorism if they stand with Islam.” And they display a collection of books with titles including All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim and The Muslim Next Door; The Qur’an, the Media, and that Veil Thing.
Sometimes though, there are the people who don’t have any questions, just opinions.
As 1 p.m. approached and the farmers market began to wind down, a man in a cowboy hat, lugging a large metal washtub, walked up, looked at the sign and struck up a conversation with Jallad.
“So, detractors say your holy Quran says it’s okay to kill non-Muslims,” said the man, who introduced himself as “Washtub Jerry.”
“The Quran says if you kill one soul, it’s as if you’ve killed all of humanity,” Jallad answered.
Jerry considered this, but said it has been difficult for him to get the right information on Islam because there are so many conflicting voices out there.
“What’s the word Muslims use for us because we’re not Muslim?” Jerry asked. Jallad knew he was talking about the word “infidel,” so he got right to it. “I’m an infidel,” Jerry said. “No, you’re not.” Jallad said, noting it’s more complex than that. “The Quran describes the infidel from the time of the prophet — idol worshipers — that’s where the word infidel comes from. But the Quran does not put infidel on Jews and Christians.”
Jerry continued with a question: “Do you follow sharia law? Do you want sharia law? Because it’s not compatible with the Constitution.”
Jallad explained: “Sharia law says you’re required to follow the law of the country.”
Jerry seemed satisfied. He accepted a Quran, and said he would visit again.
The group handed out 10 Qurans and about as many pamphlets that Saturday. They answered tough questions. They heard words of support.
“The thing about doing the booth is it doesn’t matter if we get a lot of people. It just picks me up,” Hussain said. “Especially after the election, when we heard all the negative rhetoric, it really makes me feel good to be a part of the community like this.”