The Muslim Link interviews Jameel Syed on his reflections after giving athaan in all 50 states
Jameel Syed , the man who gave adhan in all 50 states is back from his trip. The Muslim Link sat with him to talk about the good, the bad and ugly of the American Muslim scene; lessons learned, trials overcome and moments that shook his soul. The journey lasted 35 days of nonstop travel on 3-5 hours of sleep by car, plane and even in one case ? a boat. Accompanied by two campaign managers for part of the trip: Yahya Sultan (35 states) and Jihad Alharash (Syrian American Medical Society for 6 states).
[TML] What did you learn learned about American Muslims in general over the course of your national tour?
People have referred to this trip as a trip of a lifetime, it included travelling across the fifty states with access to prayer spaces in every state. I had the opportunity to step outside my shell and reflect on community development.
The American Muslim landscape is very diverse and rich - we find diversity in demographics, genders, in ideology, make up of leaders, the levels of spirituality and activism; we find a variety at the institutional level? from historical masajid, to holes in the walls, to some that are architectural marvels; some are brilliant examples of community service while others are known for activism and involvement in politics, some masajid are associated with popular imams in the speaker circuit, while others did not have a dedicated imam to lead salah. Some masajid were not even masajid, like Montana doesn't have a masjid- there is a masallah (prayer space). Through the masajid and people you will see a spectrum of community that was very refreshing to see.
From taxi drivers to business moguls, there is so much diversity. I saw this one man at the Fajr prayer in Oklahoma and then saw him again in a masjid in North Dakota a few days later. Turns out that he was a truck driver. I saw refugees everywhere I went. I was introduced to a clutch of doctors in Oklahoma, where there is the highest concentration of Muslim doctors in the US.
I wanted to taste the richness of the American Muslim experience. When we reached out to communities, some knew that we are coming. As we were driving to the next destination, I would imagine the masjid and the people based on individuals that we are interacting with, the tone of voice, how the phone conversation transpired. I would be building these expectations while we were driving based on the signs on the road, the kind of nature on the roadside, and the surroundings of the neighborhoods, even before we got to each destination. At times I was blown away from how different my expectation were from reality. I remember walking into the front door of the Somali masjid in Kansas City ? the smell of oud takes you back to the Haram in (Makkah). When you enter Jonesboro, Arkansas, you are blown away by this jewel of a masjid ?the architecture and facility is very unique and were built by students and worshipers. The imam, Imam Harabi, is from Saudi Arabia. That was a very interesting find for us. I was anticipating that Allah will show me His Signs and we would be on attention 24/7, otherwise we will miss something.
My campaign manager, Yahya and I had a difference of opinion on fasting Mondays and Thursdays while we were travelling. Fasting while traveling is hard with the physical exertion and my teachers had discouraged me from doing so while we were traveling, specifically on this trip. He wanted to fast and he had made his niyyah. We had a long discussion and when we reached our destination he was fasting. As was his routine, he was taking pictures of the exterior of the masjid upon arrival and I had entered already. I was smiling when he came in as I had seen how we were being welcomed into Imam Harabi?s masjid and Yahya was looking at me like what?s going on? There was a dastarkhwan (spread) on the floor with dates and qahwah. It was just before Dhuhr salah.
Top right, Jameel Syed gives the athan in Alaska, (top left) in Plainfield, Indiana in front of the headquarters of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and (bottom) giving the athan in Hawaii. All photos courtesy of Jameel Syed.
SubhanAllah, this was a sign that Yahya should break his fast; he would gain the reward of his intended fast and sure enough the imam forced him to break his fast. You had to be there to see the culmination of so many sunnahs being practiced just through this one experience. Yahya went through all the step of doing shurah, making a plan and intention, he tried to execute his plan. He exercised another hadith by accepting the gift of food offered by the host. It was sublime. There were many such incidents throughout the journey. In Jonesboro, Arkansas, all of us bend to the Sunnah of Rasulullah (Peace and blessings upon him). People who are traveling and hosts both gained reward and this exemplified the essence of this journey, the merits of the journey itself and all the people it touched.
This story will be known to only those people present, until now.
Generally speaking, smaller communities were much more welcoming, generous and hospitable. It was heartwarming to visit these communities. There were some key opinion leaders and celebrity status imams who also laid out the red carpet for us. Imam Siraj Wahaj?s community was the most generous, inviting and well-prepared venue of the fifty states. I stayed with them from Thursday night to Saturday morning. I was one of the judges of a major adhan competition on site customized specifically for my visit. There was even diversity in the lines of communication. Some masjid organizations were equipped with the right people vested with appropriate specialties, who made decisions through proper channels, but then there were organizations we are calling hours before we arrived. One of the more intriguing things about this trip was planning the trip. From choosing between the 5000 masajid in the country? 300+ in New York to none in Montana to deciding how we would travel there and who we would highlight.
Logistically, we were not just visiting the masajid; we had to request permission for video and audio recording, use of their mic system, and photography. We needed a certificate signed, give adhan and a short talk centered around the last sermon of the Prophet (Peace and blessings upon him). So all these things had to be planned out and the response and process was different at each masjid. There was a lot of red tape involved and we expected that. In the spectrum of small to large community, we found that attitudes were also different.
Some very large centers did not conduct themselves appropriately. They were highly exclusive and in many places we were outright rejected from the masajid despite all of our referrals, credentials and publicity. In their defense, many have been so traumatized by instances of spying or are so paranoid of ?the threat of radicalization? that they have become very wary of letting anyone into their masajid. This is a negative development for our communities. He said, ?I understand protocol and due diligence, however this contributed to bad branding and the perception of these masajid being exclusive and not inclusive.? Every rejection was an imminent threat towards achieving the highlighted goals of the trip. It was ?All or none?.
One president of a large center in South Carolina told us that he wasn?t impressed by our mission and would not open the doors. In Orlando, we were not allowed to continue with our program despite having permission from an imam that we?ve been in contact with at least one month prior to the beginning of the trip. This was also because of how imams are treated within their communities; how much authority they have in the decision making process. I had referrals, from masajid, from Muslim publications, from notable American Muslim leaders, ISNA, my masjid and communities where many people can vouch for us. It was very disheartening.
[TML] What were the reasons?
In some cases we were rejected due to lack of collaboration or organization. ie we were in contact with the imam of the organization but not the decision makers; we faced that situation in Hawaii. We were in communication with the imam there, the imam brought the President into the picture kind of last minute and we forwarded all of our references to them. So we were given permission to make the adhan, but not to give the talk. Fear was another factor. At one of the communities in a ?mission critical? state, the Islamic Center was trying to secure some space to build a larger facility; they were scared of media attention that my visit would bring to their project, as it might attract Islamophobia and anti-muslim bigotry in the masjid building process. They didn?t give a nod until the night before on strength of a very strong vote of confidence from many other imams from multiple centers the night before.
[TML] How else did anti-Muslim bigotry affect your trip?
Anti-Muslim bigotry altered the nature of our trip. At first we were going to put up a map on the website with dates and times of where I was going to be. We were going to post live pictures and allow meetups in the different cities that we were visiting, I was going to invite press to follow our journey in real time. When the world got out and an article published about my trip was posted on the CAIR Facebook page, it received a lot of [negative] attention from what I now know to be trolls- anti Islam, Anti Muslim trolls. I started receiving hate mail. I got a text late at night?my name and face was plastered on a right wing hate website. I didn't realize how real Islamophobia was and that was a big wake up call. I am one of those ?Islamists? now!
We received many emails and veiled death threats- so many wanted to know when and where are you coming to my state? ?To kill or not to kill a Muslim? article emailed to me. Many Muslim speakers/activists receive this kind of mail, but they were not going for a 50 state trip. That was the exciting and scary thing about this trip? the unpredictability of what we would find. I then immediately did shurah ( a highly valued prophetic tradition) with my family, my lawyer, and the Executive Director of CAIR, Michigan, Dawud Walid. We decided to alter the plans and not make our route public. We also changed our navigation. We delayed our social media posts and decided not go live.
Islamophobia is very real!
[TML] Will you be a changemaker; was this trip a success?
Reporters asked me if my trip will foster change. I asked them what is your matrix for success. My definition of sucess is to gain spiritual reward from the Creator. I got a Guiness book title from a worldly point of view, but what is success?
Meeting the fathers of Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein and Deah Barakat were the highlights of this trip but also showed me the polarity of American Muslims.
[Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein, 15, almost had his legs severed when a man whom locals said had been harassing the community with anti-Islamic taunts and violent threats apparently swerved his car and ploughed into the boy.] His father is a hafidh and lost a son in this way. It was a very heavy conversation. It was my duty to visit him.?Can I tell you how I raised my son?? he said to me. His son used to kiss him on the shoulder and head and (Jameel was now in tears) he used to ask us every night before they went to bed: Are you pleased with me? Have I displeased you in any way? I thought to myself what 15 year old kids does that. ?I have dedicated myself to this book- this book is the cure,? Abdisamad?s father said to me about the Quran. ?If it wasn't for this book I would go mad and [by] reciting and teaching this book, I am able to cope and move forward.? ?Muslims and non Muslims across the America and across the world lose their children and we should empathize with them, pray for them and help them however we can?
This is success - I'm not in the business of influencing or imposing, my focus is to deliver the message and deliver it well. I'm helping getting his story out and getting to you and that is what I tell all the mainstream reporters I meet. Tell our real, positive stories.
At the beginning of my trip and then towards the tail end , the verdict of the Boston Bombing, and the Texas hate cartoon contest took place, And I was asked about it by reporters and was able to set some records straight. Bottom line is that there is good and bad in every single community. There are 1.7 billion Muslims, roughly 23% of the world's population and we cannot take the acts of a few misguided people and demonize an entire people. Statistics show people in Boston were not happy with this verdict either. It?s not a pleasant thing when a teenager under any circumstance has to face the death penalty. The city is doing its best to heal from an atrocious event that claimed the lives of non-Muslims and Muslims alike. That is our issue, that we do not amplify the voices to those people of other faiths who agree with our stances.
We have nothing to do with those two men who decided the engage hate with hate. If your mission is to incite hate and insult someone who is more dear to people than their own parents, you will have a response; some will pray for your your guidance. Some will be patient with you and others will respond with a hateful response.
I asked the reporters and the Muslim community. Has anyone followed up with Deah?s and Yusor?s parents and how they are coping with the deaths of their children, after all, some hateful things happened to them. Shouldn?t we investigate their response and share that with America and the rest of the world? My relatives are very good friends with the Barakat family. So upon landing in North Carolina, they took me to visit them where Deah?s brother and father were renovating this house directly from the airport. They are creating a safe house for women of all faiths who are survivors of domestic violence in the name of the three winners. The man lights up the entire room with his smile? Deah?s father. I made adhan in that place. This is how they are coping? their loved ones were physically harmed and were taken from them. Why isn?t the media covering this? These people don?t want revenge, retribution. They don?t have groups of people that match the profiles of the perpetrators. Their response of one of peace, improving the world and aid/relief for people who are suffering.
How these stories were covered and how people reacted to these stories was also very telling of what is happening within our communities and why the message of the last sermon is so very important. One incident received tremendous attention and the other not so much. Consider the difference in these two families. One lives in a depressed area, the father is not as educated, there are racial differences. The other victims were model citizens, who dedicate their time to relief work, they were college grads and in grad school, their families were well to do. They is a dichotomy on how one received more attention than the other.
We urged all the communities we visited to author and relay our own narratives. But we also asked how is your community making positive contributions towards society at large. How are you making a difference in the education, social, business and political sectors? Some community leaders were ashamed. They were too busy with offering services to their own community, while others had more of a valid reason, in that they were at the beginning stages of community formation.
When Islamic Centers with multimillion dollar complexes were not doing anything for the larger American community, that was unacceptable. Some of them have enough resources to hire large staff. One Mufti, I met was honest and brave enough to admit that ?sadly this is an area we were are lacking.? But then there were gems like Masjid al Suboor in Nevada. The Imam told me that the seed capital was given by Mike Tyson, a fact that majority of the American Muslim community is unaware of. They feed the poor and give shelter to the homeless. They have very actively flipped the entire neighborhood, ended crime, closed up liquor stores. Imam Siraj?s Masjid Taqwa had a 48 hour lock down that resulted in a gang-free and drug free zoned neighborhood. They were even asked by the Jewish community to help set up similar projects. This is the brand of Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn, NY.
Other masajids like the ADAMS Center are extremely politically involved. Rizwan Jaka (Chairman of the ADAMS center) walked into the masjid in his boy scout uniform. This shows the diversity of the American Ummah. He wouldn't make it past the front door in some of the other masajid I visited in that uniform. ADAMS Imam Magid is very traditional in his dress and manners, so we can?t pigeonhole Islam. Jaka?s kids sang America the Beautiful inside the masjid after the Jumuah prayers.
In Alaska and New Mexico, I met native Muslims, as indigenous as you can get.
The strong common denominator in all these communities was the love of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the reaction, reception and appreciation of the last sermon. The farewell sermon, the speech of all speeches, 23 years of Prophetic Messages distilled in this 2-5 minute speech. It is the most eloquent speech ever to be composed and delivered in the history of humanity. I can honestly say I get goosebumps every time when I relay these golden words. Something to really think about - ?May the last ones understand them better than the ones who hear them directly?. The weight and gravity of each of those lines was intense. I have not become desensitized even after reading it so many times , to thousands of people across America (his voice shakes) It addresses gender equity, social and racial justice, equity in business dealings, unity and brotherhood. And people appreciated it. They appreciated him (Peace be upon him), they loved him (Peace be upon him) I could see it in their eyes and I could feel it in the room. Some people started to cry, maybe because they are guilty, maybe they love Allah and/or the Prophet (Peace be upon him), maybe they or their children have started thinking Islam is a violent religion and it dawns on them that this is Islam, that is not Islam. Maybe through these words they?ve found hope or peace...
Sometimes there were 1000s and sometimes there was just one person. One time, I was not allowed to read the sermon to the congregation. I sat down the imam and said okay you have stopped me but you have to listen to me now as I will not be denied. I read it to him in the privacy of his office. Even he bent to the Prophetic words. ?I wish we could have hosted you better,? he said. His heart changed. I?m the only person who could see the faces of the thousands of American Muslims react to the final sermon. No book, photo or documentary could capture that. They recognized Islam. Men and women started crying and then you saw how some have tasted this water for the first time and loved it. State 1 to state 50, this was the constant out of the entire trip, the unifier.
The love is still there whether one person or thousands, this became inherently evident to me.
Am I a changemaker, I am asked? Did I set out to become one? At one point I did, we are human. we live and work in the tangible. You feel good when you're making a change and you can see it. Then as I traveled, I stopped caring how many people were there in the congregation. Forget the gimmicks, the flyers, the social media calls, If they are meant to hear the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and if they are meant to respond to adhan, Allah will pull them into the masjid whether they like it or not. My job was not to manage the results, but rather to deliver the message. We had a huge event planned for Masjid Maryam in Houston, Texas, but then we were hot by flash floods the night of my event. The audience was cut down significantly because of the floods. The organizers were upset and were apologetic but I said, Allah brought you here. Whoever was supposed to be here has come and I am grateful this and encouraged by it.
No one is superior from one to the other? you can?t just say those words without internalizing it. I had to ask myself, and we were tested socially, financially, and I had doubts in my mind. I had to renew my intention at every single masjid and give sadaqah (Charity) for good measure. Did I want a title? Did I want money? What was I actually looking for. I wanted the pleasure of Allah. I wanted my voice as a Muaddhin to touch everything in my path and I wanted to praise the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in a manner which would be deemed worthy.
People get caught up in this popularity notion. What is a prestige point? How many degrees a person has, how much wealth they?ve amassed, which institution they?re affiliated with or how many times they?ve headlined the tabloids? To me the prestige point is to take ?The icon of Islam, the Adhan and the kalam (words) of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) to 50 states and to help and encourage American Muslims to actively do good works and tell everybody about it and we?ll make history doing it. That?s a prestige point for me!
[TML] Is that a fishing pole? Let?s speak in light of Chaplain Tahera Ahmed discrimination incident with United. How was flying while Muslim?
When I traveled I avoided attracting unnecessary attention and harassment by blending in. On the other hand my companion for 35 states, Yahya, has a long beard and he insisted on opting out from the scanners . Had great discussions with TCA officers while waiting for him to be patted down.We were carrying our banner with us on board and it was in a long and thin case. Old women very nervously asked us is that a fishing pole? Somethings, we didn't have control over, so you have to control what you can control?how do you engage and how do you respond to questions like that.
In certain parts of the country, we were on high alert. But with the protection of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the prayers of people around the world, we did not have one anti Muslim occurrence. I believe that there are more of those kind of people, The kind of people who offer to pray for you like the Mormon lady I met at the airport who was in solidarity for our mission for advancing prayer.
What was you message to community leaders?
Our community talks a lot- we moved and executed our plan. I told communities to burn their pamphlets. You can give a thousand lectures and write books, but how much closer is that man to Islam. You have to engage; you have practice Sunnah; you have to greet people. Engage with non Muslims. I did that in airport, taxis and not one negative event happened. Bring positive energy- most people of other faiths were excited for me; this is the reaction we get from most people. I believe that there are more good people in the world than bad people.
One of the tangible results of this tour is that I will be offering two program: History of Adhan and notable muaddhins, teaching the fiqh and Sunnah of Adhan, Training - tajweed and fixing mistakes, right and wrongs 10 steps that a muadhin does before and after adhan, voice training ending with an adhan competition. And after Labor Day, I will be offering communities a two hour presentation-Visual Journey of the 50 states after Labor Day.
(info@Muaddhin.com)
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