Two questions echoed in Asim Ali’s mind on the morning of March 15, following a massacre of 50 men, women and children at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“Is it part of some coordinated thing?” Ali asked. “Am I safe going to pray Friday?”
The news sent shockwaves throughout a generally peaceful nation and to Muslim communities worldwide — including in Auburn.
“I saw the first news alert, and I didn’t think I would be affected by it because it’s something that happened in New Zealand,” Ali said. “As I started processing how it happened at a mosque, and while people were going in for their Friday prayer, it really made it personal.”
Ali is acting director of Auburn Online for the University, but on a more individual level, his faith plays a fundamental role in his activities. As a member of the Islamic Center of Auburn and the faculty advisor for the Muslim Students Association, Ali was fearful of the fact that terrorism can happen at any time and place.
“To even be having these kinds of thoughts, living in America, just felt so wrong, because that’s not who we are,” Ali said.
Ali said this wasn’t a feeling he wanted any American or human being to experience regardless of their background. He wanted to take his children, who were on spring break, to morning prayer service, but he was concerned for their safety.
In the days following the tragedy, however, Auburn officials and residents have demonstrated a flood of appreciation for their Muslim neighbors. On the same day, Mayor Ron Anders visited the Islamic Center to shake hands with members of its congregation, and within the next week, Ward 5 City Councilman Steven Dixon also stopped by.
“There was a group of people in the community who came out to show their support and love and are worth recognizing [because of] the tremendous impact people like that create, in terms of having what we call a community,” Ali said.
This included leaders of several faith groups who dropped by the center to pay their respects, such as Tripp Martin of Auburn First Baptist Church and those involved with the Beth Shalom synagogue. Surrounding homes and businesses delivered flowers.
“Not only do we have a caring community, but we have a community that’s willing to rise to the challenge that’s presented,” Ali said.
From the University side, the Office of Inclusion and Diversity’s associate provost and vice president Taffye Benson Clayton sent warm messages and shared counseling resources with affected Muslim students.
With many Muslim students on campus being international, they have no true home to go to. They feel the University is their home, Ali said.
“Having that message of comfort come from Dr. Clayton really means a lot knowing she has the support of President [Steven] Leath and Provost [Bill] Hardgrave,” Ali said. “When she sends that message it really speaks highly of the leadership that we have at the University.”
Acknowledging that Muslims have been a visible group in Auburn for at least 60 to 70 years, Ali said, “We are a fabric of this community. Our responsibility is to be participants. Having an inclusive community means that everyone has a seat at the table, but if you have a seat, you should be there for others as well.”
After the tornado outbreak earlier this month that leveled homes in Beauregard, Islamic Center members gave thanks for that seat by contributing to relief efforts the weekend prior to the Christchurch attacks.
A small group of Muslim women in the area, the Auburn-Opelika Muslim Women Association, is also looking to pitch in with a fundraising picnic on April 14, supporting those with gaps in FEMA aid and their insurance. Its organizer, Nighet Ahmed, has lived in Auburn for nearly 30 years and said she hopes it will provide an opportunity for both Muslims and those outside the community to interact and bond over food.
Regardless of what motives the gunman involved in the mass shootings may have possessed, “hate and that type of violence doesn’t have any kind of religious home at all,” Ali said. ”These terrorist attacks that happen anywhere happen because people are after political ideologies. We have to recognize that we can’t vilify any one group as a result of that.”
In this case, although the gunman was Australian, it doesn’t mean citizens of the country don’t get along with Muslims.
He said this goes both ways when the perpetrator may claim to commit a crime in the name of Islam.
“Just because somebody says that they’re Muslim and they do something heinous doesn’t mean that they’re representing all of Islam,” Ali said. “By its very nature, Islam says that can’t happen.”
As the tradition of Ramadan appears on the horizon starting May 6, Ali highlighted the month of fasting as a great way for those who are not Muslim to interact with the Islamic community by reaching out to the Islamic Center, which holds dinner at sunset each evening during that period.
“Those evening meals are open to anybody. If somebody wanted to find dinner for thirty days straight, that’s a heck of a way to do it,” Ali said with a laugh.
At one Ramadan prayer service, sixteen different nationalities were represented of those who brought food, including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sudan, allowing for a grand diversity of meals from around the world.
As for students who want to reach out to the Muslim community at the University, the Muslim Students Association does not hold regular gathering-style meetings but does maintain active Facebook and AUInvolve pages, which can be used to contact the organization.
Considering similar attacks of the past, Ali said he is reminded of how all in society are interconnected — no matter their identities.
It’s up to the individual person on whether they want to expose themselves to unfamiliar groups.
“You shouldn’t wait for something,” Ali said. “Any day is a good day to go meet your neighbor. Any day is a good day to invite someone over for lunch and have a conversation that may be different, a little bit out of your comfort zone.”
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