NEEM Magazine

by, Abid Hossain

Abid Hossain is a civil rights intern with the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America’s largest Muslim civil rights organization.

“This summer, people across America have served in their communities – educating children, caring for the sick, and extending a hand to those who have fallen on hard times. Faith-based organizations, including many Islamic organizations, have been at the forefront in participating in this summer of service.”

In his recent global message to the Muslim community, President Barack Obama praised the significant role that Muslims have played in his “United We Serve” campaign in memory of 911. The summer-long campaign called on all Americans to help the nation recover by volunteering their time and effort particularly through interfaith projects to serve those in need. The initiative that began in June concluded in a National Day of Remembrance on September 11th.

The president’s call received an enthusiastic response from the American Muslim community, as demonstrated by the “United We Serve: Muslim Americans Answer the Call,” campaign. The initial aim was to register one thousand service projects by the culmination of the initiative. American Muslims registered over 3,000 projects on the campaign’s online website.

“We found that in contrast to the popular public perception that Muslim Americans being religiously devout and therefore self-isolating, that it was in fact Islam’s core message of serving the needy that was at the heart of this call to action,” said Dalia Mogahed, a member of the president’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Executive Director for the Gallop Center for Muslim Studies.

Indeed, the call to service is strongly rooted in Islamic doctrine, as demonstrated by the oft-repeated Quranic verse during this campaign, “Race one another in good works.”

Notably, the initiative corresponded with a significant time for Muslims who observe Ramadan. Fasting during this Islamic holy month is more than refraining from food and drink; it is a time when Muslims strive especially hard to increase their acts of worship and charity. By highlighting the good works that Muslims have performed during this month, the campaign provides an opportunity to document the American Muslim experience through service of others.

Such efforts by the Muslim community are by no means a new phenomenon. The Muslims Care program organized by the Council on American Islamic- Relations for the past several years is yet another example of a large scale effort to encourage volunteerism in the Muslim community. Projects that were encouraged by the nation’s largest civil rights advocacy group ranged from “green mosque” programs to make places of worship and other Islamic institutions more energy efficient to educational initiatives designed to promote entrepreneurial activities and educational recovery.

In that spirit, I helped organize a clean-up in the Hudson River Park Estuarine Sanctuary, bringing Muslim New Yorkers together to work for the public good. One of the most satisfying aspects of the experience was witnessing the overwhelming response from Muslims who were interested in volunteering for the project. In fact, the response was so strong that I was actually forced to turn away many volunteers after being informed that the park did not have enough resources to accommodate them all. This interest demonstrated to me that there are many Muslims in our communities who are ready and willing to devote their time and energy to protect the environment, and that they just need the right opportunities to utilize that enthusiasm.

The diversity of the cleanup crew mobilized by the NY chapters of CAIR and the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals also warrants mention. During the cleanup, a couple that recently opened a joint law practice rolled up their sleeves alongside college students and young children of different ethnicities to pick up trash under the blazing sun and do their part to beautify the lake. Community service and common sense of purpose indeed transcended age, profession and race that day.

However, the cleanup at Hudson Park constitutes just a fraction of the efforts taking place across the US by Muslims for the sake of their fellow human beings. As national based organization are spearheading initiatives to mobilize the community, there are countless local efforts that also exemplify the community’s compassion for others such as the New York University’s Islamic Center holding a fast-a-thon charity event for victims of domestic abuse or the local gyro cart guy giving out free food for the break-fast. A colleague of mine planned to work with administration so that the Muslim students on her campus can have their extra meal plan points during Ramadan donated to feed those in need.

Certainly, this month is an invaluable opportunity for Muslims to take inspiration from the good works of each other and answer the call of God, our president and the less fortunate by continuing to serve our communities and our country.

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