Area Muslims confirm faith

IN PRAYER-Abdullah Aljabri leads the maghrib, or early evening prayer, at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley at 2700 Borchard St., Newbury Park. People of Islamic faith may stop in the mosque to pray at any time. Memories of Sept. 11, 2001 re- cently resurfaced on its fifth anni- versary. The tragedy initially caused some suspicion about Islam, but Muslims in Conejo Valley said they have found that for them, not much has changed.

When it became known that those responsible for the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks were followers of Islam, Muslims in America were outraged that so many innocent civilians had been killed because of hatred by a radi- cal group. Some were initially afraid to attend prayers, recogniz- ing that the acts of violence would be associated with religion, despite their conviction that the terrorists responsible were not representative of the Islamic faith.

"At the moment I felt mostly sadness and a realization of a struggle between people that are not agreeing," said resident Abdullah Fathma. "For us, it's not a religious thing."

Since that Sept. 11, it seems the words "Islam" and "terrorism" cannot stand alone-one must al- ways follow another. It's been said that Americans of Middle Eastern descent are given extra attention during security checks at airports, and the wearing of a taqiyah (an Islamic cap worn by men) is a cause for mistrust. This may very well be the case in many places across the U.S. but is not so in the Conejo Valley.

"At work nothing has changed, with my neighbors nothing has changed. The only place that changed is in the media," Fathma said.

Residents do feel, however, that in other parts of the country, Mus- lims as a people are wrongly por- trayed. In the news, too often their faith is presented before the back- drop of an eruption in the Middle East-in the most violent context possible. What many don't realize is that a large portion of the Mus- lim population is not concentrated in those extremist areas. Indonesia, in fact, has the largest Muslim populace, followed by India and Pakistan.

"People are getting the view- point that the media and sensation- alism want them to get," said Dr. Bader Igbal, the public relations spokesperson for the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley in Newbury Park. His goal as an educational speaker is to express a commonality between Islam and Christianity.

"I think it's a cultural issue, as we've always felt that the people from the Middle East have been a little more radical to world prob- lems. Their society is extremely oppressed, so they believe that the only way they can respond is in a very violent manner," he said.

"Many see Islam," Igbal said, "as an exotic Middle Eastern cult that has just come upon the world. I was sad the day of the attack, and felt like that was not a true depiction of the Muslim identity."

The Islamic Center of Conejo Valley distances itself from such world politics. It is an indepen- dent organization, run by volun- teers and self-funded by dona- tions from the community. Every Friday community members are welcome for prayer, and there is Islamic schooling for children on Fridays and Sundays.

And while the pope's recent comments on Islam have sparked indignation and Muslim residents in the neighborhood may shake their heads in disappointment, they remain at peace to follow their faith undisturbed.

"We are lucky to live in a very educated community and have not felt the kind of change that exists in the rest of the world," Igbal said. "The Islamic Center is a place of worship. Our lives are so busy that we have very few pre- cious moments to fully appreci- ate God."

Chelsea Ma is a senior this fall at Westlake High School. She's completing an internship for the Acorn Newspapers.