Too Close to the Edge

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No grief counseling, no discussion forums and no fatwas or khutbahs— young men in the community are dying on speed bikes and the Muslim community is burying them in silence. Despite at least four deaths in motorcycles accidents in the Muslim community of young men in the past three years, the community has little to offer except platitudes. This source of passion for motor bike riders can be a source of great angst for families.


Ask any biker and they will tell you that there is no comparison between pressing the gas pedal on a car and rolling on the throttle of a well engineered bike. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.


An older gentleman was lying on the sidewalk near the entrance of the grocery store, where he had fallen off his motorcycle. Omar Sharieff was walking in with his wife and sons. Sharieff stopped to check in on him; he didn't know anything about him except that he was a biker. “I held his hand until the paramedics came, I told him that I was a fellow motor biker and I was there for him,” says Sharieff.


Unlike in a car, where you are often on autopilot, wondering how did I get home, Sharieff says you cannot do that on a motorcycle. A rider has to be aware as the situation can change in an instant. “You are engaged with the machine and you have to fight that urge. He says that riding is incredibly blissful. “Going 105 miles per hours on I-95 is mesmerizing, you can feel yourself at the edge, but you know that if you give a little more throttle you can lose control.”


Fraternity and brotherhood are big in biker circles. Sharieff rode a 2008 Buell Lightning for eight years, an American made motorcycle. “It was the first bike I ever bought. I was 30; I had some disposable income and I went and I did it,” says Sharieff. It was his dream to learn how to ride a motorbike.

“There are different kinds of motorcycles, some are meant to go fast, they are meant to be ridden on the race track. My bike was made for the street.” Buell no longer makes motorcycles.

There is a subculture that has evolved around motorcycles and motorcycle clubs. From the weekend warriors to serious riders who know that ‘the wind hitting them square in the chest does a lot to reduce the aerodynamics of a motorcycle ride.’

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Jawad Khan, 25, Baltimore, lives and grew up near the Islamic Society of Baltimore. He rides a 2011 Yamaha R-6. He was a former admin of the DMV Muslim Riders, which he joined in 2012. His close friend, Faiz Safdar, started the 145-member unofficial club in 2010. Al-Maghrib Institute instructor Saad Tasleem, a Maryland native, was also involved in setting up the dedicated Facebook page for the DMV Muslim Riders.

In a motorcycle club there is certain etiquette that has to be followed. A staggered pattern while riding is followed so riders don’t bang into each other. Hand signals from those ahead alert those behind if there is debris or potholes on the road. “You learn this from other experienced riders,” says Sharieff. “We try to keep a pace that everyone is happy with so no one is left behind,” says Khan.

The DMV Muslim Rider Facebook group consists of mostly middle-class Muslim guys, some students, professionals, who already own a motorbike. Some are mechanics, other work as motorcycle dealerships. There is a definite social aspect to the club, says Sharieff as members arrange bike rides to Philadelphia and New York City or to Shenandoah Valley. They will stop at a halal spot to grab some food and then ride off. They collaborate on charity rides and offer suggestions on how to winterize bikes.

“We [the DMV Muslim Riders] are becoming more serious, planning our goals.” Now that they have a few sponsors, they plan on doing more charity rides for Syria and Palestine, as well as local causes.

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Safdar no longer rides and two other admins have taken over. Khan is close to one of the admin. “He and I are one of the few riders from the Baltimore area- we have been trying to change the perception of motorcycle riders. “Not every biker is some sort of party animal and has bad habits. Our purpose is to ride safe and not every rider is reckless.  We want to ride safely and we want people to properly learn how to ride.”

“There a lot of desi guys in the group, some Arabs and some converts. Most of us are just showing off our bikes. There were some really good people who would come out to help you if needed. The guys whom I found myself around took safety seriously. They are very conscientious,” says Sharieff.  Yet there were some young men who joined the group who were pushing the limit, which worried Sharieff. “I started noticing another element on this crew who were much more reckless,” he says.

“That wheelie is not worth risking our life,” says Khan, “when the admins do see someone posting about taking risks they try to talk to the guy and tell them to be more smart - risking his life it's not worth it at the end of the day,” says Khan.

A young man, 19-year-old Karim Morsi, died in 2012 riding his white, Suzuki motorcycle north of Exit 33/York Road on I-83 North. He was trying to pass two cars that were in different lanes by riding in between them, the press release states.

In 2014, a bike ride was organized on the DMV Muslim Riders page during Ramadan. The plan was to meet at Mandarin Restaurant in Virginia for iftar. That 27th night on August 4, 2013, the Muslim community lost another bright young man. 22-year-old Ahsan Asif of Catonsville was an engineering student in his last semester of university. He had a job offer set upon graduation.

On August 23, 2015, two motorcyclists identified by authorities as Hubert Harrison Jr., 63, of Bowie, and a Muslim young adult, Fahad Iqbal, 23, of Laurel died in a collision. His Janazah was held at the Prince George’s Muslim Association. Investigators say Iqbal was headed north on Laurel-Bowie Road, also known as Maryland Route 197, when he crossed the centerline around a curve and struck Harrison head-on.

“[Fahad] missed his neighborhood so he decided to make a U-turn and there was no one there so he made it then the [fireman] came out of nowhere and it happened. Need I remind you it was 3 am, he couldn't see,” relative Mohammad Iqbal notes in a Facebook post.

Even if riders survive an accident, the most severe trauma accidents are motorcycle accidents, says Imran Siddiqui, a former rep of a major orthopedic implant company, who has seen thousands of trauma cases. “They go through multiple surgeries and the average cost of rehabilitation is close to half a million dollars that many times the taxpayers are covering. Injuries are usually to the head and spine but most often we see lower extremities and foot injuries,” says Siddiqui.

“You can be a professional motorcycle driver and be really good, you can be the best motorcyclist in the world, but it's a game of physics— a motorbike weight 500-600 pounds, an SUV weighs a 5000 pounds. Who wins in a collision? Plus, there are lots of bad drivers out there. Losing your limb is not worth it,” advises Siddiqui, “I would not let any family member of mine ride a motorcycle, if I can help it.”

“DMV traffic is really crazy, as a motorcyclist it can be stressful,” says Sharieff. Even in Columbia, where he is from, he recalls a number of close calls that he witnessed. Cool thing is that you can get out of a jam in traffic on a motorbike, he says, but if you are not mature, it can be devastating. “I went to some of these janazah; I have three boys and a wife and I do think about [death]. I have never thought I was immune, but do try to manage the risk.”


“I can understand doing things that are wild, exciting, and even risky. But no one has the right to endanger the safety of others just for the sake of having a good time,” writes a long time rider.

Mufti Hamid Kasmi of Masjid Fatimah says that performing these stunts are unIslamic and sinful. It is breaking the contract that a Muslim has made with the Motor Vehicle Authority when they give him a license to drive the motorcycle, which is a sin. Putting your life in reckless danger and harming the lives of others is strictly prohibited in Islam,” he said.

Perusing rider forums you can see that most experienced riders think that anyone who is doing stunts on public streets and highways is an anathema to the sport.

Sharieff says he sees people on the roads doing stunts all the time. A part of him wants to learn, but he doesn’t want to risk his life or others. There is a group of men who meet up in Columbia, MD. They have modified stunt bikes and they teach tricks and practice in a close parking lot, he says. “My main goal is to be a experienced rider than a stuntman. That’s where your skills are tested. You get to know yourself as rider on the track,” says Sharieff.

Even though the concern about safety was not uniform in the DMV Muslim Riders group, however, Sharieff says he never saw an invite to join a speed rider gang.

“[This is] the first time I am hearing about this speed bike group. I am very confident if the admins of the DMV Muslim Riders were to see something, they would admonish these kids,” says Sharieff, who sold his bike last year due to some personal matters. He plans on buying one in a few years. He still loves to ride. “It is extremely enjoyable. Waking up on a Sunday morning and taking in the scenic route and smell the trees. It is such a visceral experience and I miss that. There is a flip side— don't get on the bike when you are mad.”

There are no official group of stunt riders or speed riders says Khan, but he does know of small groups of friends who do get together from Baltimore and Silver Spring and do reckless stunts. “They happen to be brown and happen to be Muslim, then [all of us] come into ‘the picture’,” says Khan. As Muslims they are stereotyped and as bikers they are also stereotyped.

Ahsan’s friend says that a small, very select group of young Pakistani men, who are very strongly culturally influenced in the ISB community do take over the top risks. Haris Qudsi, a seminary student at the Al Rahmah seminary says, “There is a sense of entitlement in some Pakistani/ Indian kids whose parents can afford the expensive bikes.”

Ahsan Asif’s death prompted many rumors in the community that he was doing stunts which resulted in his death. Khan knew him from when they attended Quran class together at ISB. He was with him and his brother on that night in Ramadan.

Ahsan’s close family friends deny any rumors that he was intoxicated, “He was fasting!” The brothers started out the journey making dua.

“I still don't know what really happened,” says Khan as he was leading the group ride. A few new riders were with them as well as a few experienced ones. “Ahsan was geared up. He had his helmet on and a jacket,” clarifies Khan.

“No one was doing a stunt. There were another group of [non Muslim] bikers that rode in who were riding fast. There was traffic; 2-3 of us rode ahead and 4-5 of our group got left behind. We were in a construction zone so the traffic was a lot slower,” says Khan. Another rider collaborates his story: “No one in the group was riding recklessly, the accident happened traveling at speeds between 55-65mph. The riders were in group formation when it happened. The confusion is coming from other motorcyclist /groups who were traveling at unreasonable speeds through the traffic on I-95.”

“They kept in group formation, and weren't booking it. Apparently there were at least 2 other groups of bikers that rolled through on I-95. Not saying our group was goodie two shoes over here, but I don't think they were doing 120 plus through cars like some of the people were saying,” Coolkhas on a forum announcing his death on DCsportsbike.net wrote: ”the accident happened 10 minutes onto I- 95 south coming from 695. The riders were indeed coming from Baltimore.”


When a car swooped in front of the bikers and the driver tapped her brake light, Ahsan hit the brakes. His brakes jammed and he fell off the bike. Friends say that he called out for his brother, Ali, as he lost control. “His fall wasn't bad, he slid on the pavement. The reason his injuries were [so] extreme was because there were two bikes behind him which also lost control and went his direction,” wrote a commenter on the DCSportsbike.net forum.


No one exactly knows what happened, but three bikers went down. Khan pulled over the side of 1-95 and ran back to the bikers who were now on the road.

Police reports say that Ahsan died of a head injury. One brother has a broken wrist and another one had a minor concussion. Ahsan's bike was pretty messed up and others were totaled, according to Khan.

A family friend, who has known Ahsan since he was 7, received this mass text on his phone. ”Brother in community passed away in a bike accident.”

“I went to his house, it is a small neighborhood and many family and friends were in shock and disbelief. Asif had an older brother who was also riding with him,” he said, choosing to stay anonymous. The family is still trying to recover from the loss of a brilliant young man. They attended his graduation at UMBC, where a moment of silence was held for Ahsan.


Anas, a close friend of Ahsan who was also riding with him that night, says that that the trauma of seeing a friend die was so severe that none of the guys who were riding that night wanted to talk about it. None of the young men on that ride received any spiritual or mental health therapy.  He does feel that the DMV Muslim Riders should have done something after Ahsan’s death. “They should have issued a statement, that would have curbed the rumors.”

Close friends say that it was absolutely untrue that Ahsan was doing stunts on his last ride. “I haven’t heard him doing any stunts on the bike; the group that he was with would get together to eat like any MSA or youth group.”

Ahsan's friend continues, “I will say I am very against motorcycles. I know a lot of our friends still do it. It is somewhat of an addiction and I do believe that some left biking after seeing their friend die in front of them— but others have gone back.”

Khan says he has never heard about a super man stunt, the stunt that Ahsan was supposedly attempting. I looked it up on Google. There were several images of very young men around the globe, precariously lying flat on their bikes with their legs straight out behind them. Some of them are dirt bikers on tracks and others are on public roads. “The superman stunt involves a rider taking both feet off the pedals when airborne. The successful completion of the stunt is when a rider is able to kick their feet out behind them without letting go of the handle bars and flattening their bodies as much as possible so that they look like Superman as he flies.”

“I would be terrified of doing that,” says Khan when I describe the stunt to him. “How is even possible to do that with one hand, what’s on the throttle?” he asks perplexed.


“Look, Mama. Look at that guy popping a wheelie,” said my 8-year-old son, pointing to a motorcyclist on the highway, who was now roaring past cars after performing this common trick. This is usually how little men are introduced to the world of motorbikes.


“[It is] a very romanticized thing, especially for desi Muslim kids” says Sharieff. “Bikers hold a certain image that boys want to emulate,” says Haris Qudsi, a youth leader from Baltimore. “It’s a matter of fitting in and standing out at the same time,” say Qudsi, who works with several youth initiatives.

They all agree that young men, ages 14-18, have been ignored by our communities. When I suggested a forum where young men can discuss motorbike safety in a safe masjid environment, one of them said that that the adults would never agree to such a taboo topic. These deaths have not prompted the community elders to tackle this topic head on. They wave it off as kids being kids, that because he was on a motorbike he was asking for it,” says Ahsan's friend.


“High school is most difficult time [for young men] - a lot of it goes against Islamic values. The community looks down any kid riding motorcycles— they are labeled rebels. Adults need to realize that this is happening obviously and needs to be addressed,” he adds.


For Khan biking is about camaraderie and enjoying a sport safely. “I wanted to go to different masajid and talk to younger kids and explain to them, what we do when we go on rides. Tell them about the risks and the good things that come along with riding a motorcycle. This way we can find guys that are new at riding motorbikes and teach them. “How fast they go and the stunts —it concerns me and also makes me angry as it comes back to us. Everyone of us bikers gets a bad reputation,” he says.


Anas offers up some advice to young men so they don't become squids—riders who exhibit that deadly combination of both inexperience and overconfidence. “Get a small bike, practice on it and don’t be a fool, if the cops catch you its a $1000 fine,” he says.

Sharieff is also interested in talking to young people and mentoring them. He comes from a perspective of naseeha and advice, as a fellow biker, seeing young men move without protective gear, with what he calls a crazy false bravado. “I see a young brother at Dar at Taqwa bobbing and weaving in and out of traffic. Young men need to understand that it is like guns- you have to understand safety and responsibility,” he says.

A rigorous safety course at the local Harley Davidson dealership taught Sharieff about the ‘Ladder of Risk’ - how each rung increases your risk, i.e. speeding, doing unsafe things.


Sharieff will often leave a dua on the DMV Muslim Riders group’s page on Facebook “Ride safe, take care of yourself out there.”

“My parents weren't OK with it before but they have seen what it means to me and the passion that I have for this sport. My mom reads duas over me before I head out, ‘be careful, ride safely’,” shares Khan.

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