Clear Lake-area event educates about Muslim community
Guests tried on colorful hijabs and then admired their looks in a mirror inside a Clear Lake-area library Saturday afternoon.
Trying on the traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women offered a way to acquainted during the “Know Your Muslim Neighbor” event, described Dina Abdelrahman, who is part of Muslim American Women in Action. The group of Clear Lake-area women held its seventh event at Harris County Public Library Freeman branch.
“We want to speak for ourselves, instead of somebody else speaking on our behalf,” said Abdelrahman, 46. “We want people to come and meet Muslims in person and have a real experience, something that is not necessarily painted in any bias.”
Visitors could get their hands painted with henna, try on a hijab and learn more deeply about the history of those who follow the Islam religion. Kamal Elmekki, an imam from the Clear Lake Islamic Center, also discussed misconceptions about Muslims and provided context on what it means to follow Islam.
In the United States, there are more than 3 million Muslims, according to the Pew Research Center. Houston also is home to the largest Muslim population in Texas. In 2012, there were over 60,000 Muslims in the city, taking up about 1 percent of the city’s population.
But there are misconceptions about those who call themselves Muslim, said Veronica Mohammed, also part of Muslim American Women in Action.
Mohammed, 47, said people usually ask her where she’s from and are taken back when she says she was born in America.
“It’s a misconception that you have to be from a foreign country,” said Mohammed.
She said women who practice the faith also come under intense scrutiny. Some people
“We want to speak for ourselves, instead of somebody else speaking on our behalf. We want people to come and meet Muslims in person and have a real experience, something that is not necessarily painted in any bias.”
Dina Abdelrahman, member of Muslim American Women in Action
think women are “suppressed,” but Mohammed, who’s a nurse, notes how Muslim women have a variety of careers and want to use their voices to openly.
“We’re definitely outspoken and very interested in explaining and portraying what our true faith is all about,” she said.
Abdelrahman said the political climate also increased the urgency for these type of community events. In 2017, President Donald Trump issued a travel ban to primarily Muslim countries. More recently, Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas won’t admit refugees. Mohammed, cited the country’s recent tensions with Iran, as another example.
“Every time something happens in the news, we’re labeled terrorists,” said Mohammed. “This helps clear up a lot of those feelings of animosity, especially with the negative publicity we get overall in the media. They see, ‘Hey we’re just like you.’ ” Camely Myers, who attended the event on Saturday, is learning more about what it means to be Muslim because her 21-year-old daughter recently converted to the faith.
Myers, 55, said her church, Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church, sits next door to the Clear Lake Islamic Center . In 2015, her church held up signs of support promoting religious tolerance as their neighbors from the mosque drove in for Friday afternoon prayer.
“We were coming to such a tolerance and understanding, and in the last few years it feels like it’s being reversed,” said Myers.
Despite the negativity, Abdelrahman said she’s also had bouts of encouragement. She’s had people stop her in the grocery store and at the mall to give her compliments.
“Islam gave me the values that I can live with,” said Abdelrahman. “It gave me the motivation, the understanding, the world view that can help me move in this world with action towards what I do, towards values that are very crystal clear that I use for myself and try to raise my kids with.”