Samera Khan is giving visitors a tour of her mosque, the Memphis Islamic Center in Cordova. She points out the shoe cubbies outside the main prayer area, and explains other customs surrounding Muslims’ show of faith.
This month, eight local mosques are participating in events designed to show how Muslims fit into the Midsouth community, which included last Saturday’s “Open Mosque” Day.
“I’ll be honest with you, most people, they don’t know Islam,” says Dr. Isam Abu-Khraybeh, President of Muslims in Memphis. “They don’t know about Islam."
He says the event is about getting to know your neighbors.
“We wanted to let people come and test for themselves and not let somebody else paint a picture of the wrong message of Islam in their mind,” he says.
Seventeen years ago, the City of Memphis dedicated the month of March to celebrating the growing Muslim community. The organization, Muslims in Memphis, gives Islam a voice in a city that embraces diverse cultures, says Dr. Abu-Khraybeh.
“So there is an Africa in April,” he says. “There is a Memphis in May event, so we thought let’s lead the pack and we will just do Muslims in March.”
This year’s theme, “Keeping Our Humanity in Modern Times,” asks what Muslims can do to make positive changes. There will be a panel discussion with Muslim athletes and an art show at the Germantown Library. And on March 30, the last Saturday this month, the fourth annual MusliMEMFest at the agricenter will have activities, food, games, and exhibitions. The event is free.
“This gives people the opportunity to come and get to know us more and develop relationships,” Dr. Abu-Khraybeh says.
Relationships that have already started. When Marylin and Mike Touchet first walked into Memphis Islamic Center for Open Mosque Day, several words came to their minds:
“Friendless, openness, very welcoming,” the Touchets say.
Marylin said she wanted to broaden her mind about Islam.
“We’ve always been church people, both raised catholic. We need to learn more about the people, our neighbors,” she says.