Nigerian Imam Quietly Works, Dispells Stereotypes

In a brown thobe and embroidered Nigerian cap, Abdul Kareem Afinnih, the imam of the Avondale Islamic Center in Mt Rainier, Maryland strides into the Dar us Salaam campus to meet with students and staff. This Imam Malik-quoting pharmacist leads a vibrant congregation in Prince George’s County, Maryland and is visiting the neighboring DUS community. The Muslim Link had a chance to talk to him about his life and community.
 
He started his education under the tutelage of his mother and then studied the Quran with Shaykh Abla Hameed Olohunlomejoda in Lagos, Nigeria. Although he studied under several more teachers his main  teacher was Sh Yushau Al Mubarak, the Ameer of the Tabligh movement in Nigeria with whom he studied Quranic tafsir and the science of hadith. 
 
Before moving to the United States, Imam Afinnih was enrolled in the Ahmed Bello University. He moved to Maryland in the 1990s and attended Montgomery College, and then attained a doctorate in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy where he was the president of the Muslim Students Association. In Maryland, he also studied Arabic with Dr Salah Al Sadr.
 
He lives with his wife, Dr Baraka Abdul Kareem and his 3 children in Prince George’s County, Md. When a group of families approached him to start the Quran and Sunnah based mission of the Avondale Islamic Center he agreed and they laid the foundation in 2000. The center is a member chapter of the National Council of Nigerian Muslim Organizations in the USA. The National Council of Nigeria Muslim Organization was inaugurated in Washington DC in 1976, with three foundation chapters from New Jersey, Washington DC and New York. It now has 24 active chapters in the United States and conducts an annual family convention. 
 
An avid reader, you can find him reading anything from Tafsir Ibn Kathir to books on world economy to Ayn Rand.
 
African Muslims are usually stereotyped, and African Islam and scholars are not well known, he said.
 
His community has dealt with bigotry because of violence overseas and local media  “Treat people for who they are not for the stereotype,” is the message that he gives his congregation. 
 
“Boko Haram is Haram,” he says when asked about the terrorist organization which has plagued the country of his origin. He emphasized the importance of education in Islam and says anyone who denies that is ‘kicking against the sunnah’. We are all interconnected, he says. “I remember when I was in Lagos I could walk into any masjid and feel safe and now they bomb the very masjid where the Emir of Kano prays,” he said.  
 
After 15 years of existence, Avondale Islamic Center is bursting at the seams. It serves a diverse population in the area. The Avondale Muslim Youth Group has served the homeless at the Catholic Charities Men's Shelter consistently for the past five years. The program is supported by dedicated volunteer groups from local faith communities, businesses and community groups who prepare and serve evening meals Monday through Friday. 
 
The center is especially busy during the weekend, with weekend school classes as well as the very popular lecture series which attracts 200 regular attendees. “It gets so packed that I had to park a mile away last weekend at my own masjid,” says Imam Afinnih. Every Saturday and Sunday, the center’s Al-Mubarak Academy provides classes to youth on recitation and memorization of the Qur'an. Additionally, Islamic manners, jurisprudence, Fiqh, Aqeedah and Tajweed are also taught  on the weekends. A halaqa in Amharic and another for the Nigerian community draws big crowds. The imam often hosts visiting scholars from Nigeria such as Dr. Musa Olaofe, the Chief Imam of Ansarudeen Abuja and Imam Baba n Gbaja. 
 
The center holds Taraweeh services and serves iftar everyday during Ramadan. Salaat is lead by local huffaz of the Qur'an. Eid Salaah also takes place at the center.