After watching Muhammad Ali’s memorial on TV, the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Concord felt hopeful for the future of Islam in America.
The reverence shown for one of the nation’s most famous and outspoken Muslims made Hubert Mask, a 68-year-old Arkansas native with a subtle Southern accent, feel like “we were taking steps forward as a country.”
But those steps forward seemed forgotten two days later, when a man shot and killed 49 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., pledging allegiance to ISIS in a 911 call. It was a heinous act that Mask condemned, purportedly done in the name of his religion – and during Ramadan, the most holy month of the Islamic calendar.
Mask was horrified, not only for the victims, but for the backlash he feared would come for Muslims.
“We felt our hearts sink into our guts,” he said. “Because we knew (Muslims) were going to get another blast.”
Mask sent out an email to his congregation in the days following the attack: “Do what you normally do, be cautious, be vigilant,” he wrote. If they encountered any instances of Islamophobia, he told them to go to the police.
Anti-Muslim sentiment has become more pronounced in the United States recently, especially as presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump called on the government to halt Muslim immigration.
Since ISIS bombers killed 130 people in Paris in November, 81 anti-Muslim attacks and incidents have been reported in the U.S., according to a list compiled by progressive news blog ThinkProgress. They include violent attacks, threats, assaults, protests, airport profiling and vandalism, but none of the attacks were reported to have occurred New Hampshire.
Mask said the situation here hasn’t been too serious, especially compared to other places he’s lived, like the South and Chicago.
Mask was raised a Methodist in Arkansas, but converted to Islam 20 years ago when he met his wife, Faizah, who grew up in Malaysia practicing the religion.
Mask said he finds his religious identity is surprising to a lot of people.
“I shock them when they see my blue eyes,” he said.
That doesn’t stop him from getting some negative attention, though. His wife Faizah wears a head covering called a hijab, and when they were living in Chicago, they were followed by a man and had to go to the police station to report it.
Since nothing like that has happened in New Hampshire, Mask said there is no immediate reason for worry, but he does feel responsible to keep his congregation away from any possible harm. Mask stays up to date with the Council for American-Islamic Relations, which offers support and legal advice for American Muslims.
The Islamic society rents a community center on Eastman Street in East Concord, where it holds daily prayer services.
Mask said there were fewer people attending the mosque at first, but after they established a permanent imam, the person who leads prayer in the mosque, and created a website, their congregation has increased. Mask himself didn’t know the mosque in Concord existed when he first moved to New Hampshire a couple of years ago. He and his wife had been going to the one in Dover for months before they found the community in East Concord.
“People see her and I together, and they say, ‘Oh, is there a mosque here in town? I’ve been here for years and didn’t know,’” Mask said.
The Concord mosque now has at least 70 families attending, and it’s continuing to grow.
Friday Jumah prayer services are the most popular. More than 50 people attended a service Friday about the importance of persistence through Ramadan.
This year, Ramadan runs from early June to early July. It lasts 30 days, one for each section of the Quran. Many Muslims also fast during the holy month to bring themselves closer to God and find a way to understand the struggles of those who are less fortunate. This involves waking up at two or three in the morning to eat, and not eating or drinking again until the sun goes down at 8:30 in the evening.
On Friday, men and women shuffled into their alotted prayer rooms (men on the top floor and women on the bottom) at the call to prayer, dropping car keys and smartphones down on the rugs in front of them as they knelt down to pray. Many in the congregation were coming from work, so they wore suits and collared shirts. Others wore more casual attire, like baseball caps and jeans.
Muhammad Ahmad, who was giving the sermon that day, compared the soul to a muscle in the human body.
“The more you use a muscle, the bigger it gets,” Ahmad said. “So the more you worship God, the more you fast, the more charity you give, the bigger the muscle of your soul becomes.”
The mosque’s congregation is a diverse sea of faces. Mask said many members are refugees or immigrants.
Aaron Drammeh, 42, an electrical engineer originally from West Africa, said people in New Hampshire are “more open and understanding,” than other places he’s lived in the United States.
Ekrem Karaman, Drammeh’s colleague from Turkey, said he especially appreciates the tight-knit bond of religious organizations in the state.
Mask said becoming more involved with interfaith groups has been a goal of the mosque in recent months.
“We try to network as much as we can with the interfaith communities, or any people who want to listen,” he said. “I can sit down and talk your ears off. Not to try to convert you, but just to say, ‘Look, we’re people like anyone else. We’re just trying to practice our religion.’ ”
“Unlike some other religions, we’re not missionaries, but we have grown to know you can’t be silent. And if people want to listen, we’re going to talk to them.”
The Rev. Charles Edward of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Concord described the mosque as a gift to the community. The deacon has been attending Friday Jumah prayer since he met the mosque’s first imam at the Interfaith Thanksgiving service in Concord last year.
“This an extraordinarily welcoming community,” he said of the Islamic Society. “They get a bad rap, big time – and they don’t deserve it.”
He said there is more connection between the religions than disconnect.
“People get stuck in a box,” he said. “For me, God has no religion. It’s a human institution.”
“All of this (terrorism) going on right now is basically fear unbridled,” Edward said. “Fear not being channelled in a healthy direction. That’s all it is.”
John Cassidy, who lives in the neighborhood where the mosque is located, started attending prayer on Fridays about six months ago.
“After San Bernardino, I started coming as frequently as I could,” he said. “And now I’m here to support them after this tragedy.”
“All I feel is peace and love when I come here,” he added. “And just normal prayer, like any other congregation.”
If there’s one thing Mask wants the Concord community to know, it is that all members are welcome in his community.
“Come and learn about Islam from a Muslim, not from a non-Muslim source,” he said. “Get it from the horse’s mouth. Ramadan is a good time to learn.”
(Leah Willingham can be reached at 369-3305 or lwillingham@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @LeahMWillingham.)