A future of coexistence

Courier Post New

Septemebr 11, 2011

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110911/NEWS01/109110315/A-future-coexistence

Kim Mulford

Farhat Biviji of Cherry Hill remembers 9/11 as if it happened "this morning."

A decade has done little to soften the memory., so little to make it easier to think about now.

Biviji's son was in the American Express building, just across the street from the twin towers. He sent her an e-mail after the first plane crashed that morning, letting her know he was OK.

As the news continued to unfold, she didn't receive any further messages from him. Worried, she left work and came home to watch the television coverage.

"I just sat on the sofa, just mesmerized at the towers, the dust rising," Biviji said. "It was like a Godzilla movie."

As information flowed in about who was responsible for the attacks, Biviji learned that not only was her country under attack, so was her Islamic faith.

Because the radical Muslim terrorists invoked their religious beliefs to justify their actions, some American Muslims since have suffered civil rights abuses, racial profiling, immigration restrictions and increased scrutiny on their private lives and way of worship.

For many of them, 9/11 is still not over.

On 9/11, Tariq Chaudhri was a freshman at the College of New Jersey. He watched the coverage in shock along with his fellow students, and worried about his father in Pennsylvania. Later, he learned who was responsible.

"I knew right away that this wasn't going to be good for the perception of Muslims in America and abroad moving forward," said Chaudhri, who lives in Vineland.

"I didn't know it was going to be quite as significant as it's become . . . I don't know how anyone could justify that in the name of religion, which teaches exactly the opposite of what these people did."

Now a 28-year-old attorney, Chaudhri faces questioning by airport security whenever he returns to the United States after visiting family in Toronto. His wife isn't a citizen yet, so she bears the brunt of the scrutiny. And there are the unspoken fears felt by those around him.

"Any time you walk into a room or your name comes on top of a job application, or going back home to visit family, everyone's initial thought is, "He may be one of them.'

"It's more of an annoyance because we don't have anything to hide," Chaudhri added. "I should consider myself fortunate. I was able to finish my education and start a career."

Zahida Rahman of Voorhees learned of those fears in the years following 9/11, as her late husband, Zia, applied for township approval to build a mosque. The project faced so much opposition, the zoning and planning board hearings were packed with residents.

Undaunted, Zia Rahman pressed forward, though he asked his wife to stay home and pray.

"I was home praying that, "Oh God, help us,' " she recalled. "The Quran teaches that if God "wants to get it done something, nobody can stop (it).' There's not strength -- if he doesn't want something to happen, then nobody can do that."

Lori Volpe, then a stranger to the Rahmans, spoke up at the hearing and told township officials the Muslim community had a constitutional right to build a mosque. More supporters from other religious groups came forward and the mosque was eventually approved and built. Their new friendships led to an interfaith dialogue that continues today.

"Whatever the difficulty of anything you face, there will always be good in that," said Zahida Rahman.

The couple's story was the basis of the PBS documentary, "Talking Through Walls: How the Struggle to Build a Mosque Unites a Community." The film will be screened Oct. 4 at Camden County College's Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility, where Zahida Rahman will be part of a panel discussion.

In the last decade, American Muslims have fared "fairly well" considering the circumstances and challenges they've faced, said Dr. Aref Assaf, president of the think tank American Arab Forum.

Assaf called 9/11 a "litmus test for American Muslims' loyalty and patriotism." He said there's a long way to go toward ensuring respect for American Muslims' rights as citizens.

In recent years, some states have passed anti-sharia laws, raising constitutional questions regarding the private practice of Islam. President Barak Obama had to answer accusations from critics he was Muslim.

And when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently appointed a Muslim judge, he denounced the fears of some that the judge would use sharia law to make decisions.

But Assaf believes such issues will be resolved and his community's rights will be restored as more American Muslims become involved in public discourse and politics.

"I think American Muslims stand to turn the page on many racist and bigoted practices," Assaf insisted. "I feel good about the next 10 years."

Indeed, 9/11 forced Muslims to speak out about their faith as the spotlight turned on them. Today, Biviji is an active member of the Catholic-Jewish-Muslim Dialogue of Southern New Jersey. The interfaith work is her passion, she said.

"My personal belief is that all those come from one Creator," said Biviji. "We respect each other's choices. We can live in harmony. We can grow from each other.

"Muslims are just like everybody else. We have our elements we'd rather not have, but every country and every religion has that . . . it's something we as much as anybody would like to eliminate."

Chaudhri believes it is inevitable that one day people will realize the truth about his community. Today, his Willingboro mosque is among those locally holding blood drives, part of a national effort called Muslims for Life.

Rahman continues her husband's interfaith work. The doors of the Voorhees mosque are open to the public, she said, so people won't be afraid of what's going on inside.

"That was my husband's goal, that was his mission, that there should be peace and love with each other, because our Creator is one and we are all brothers and sisters.

"If we have that type of love, there will be no fear."

Reach Kim Mulford at (856) 486-2448 or kmulford@camden.gannett.com