Deval Patrick visits Concord mosque, a first for presidential candidates

It was perhaps the first time the succession of questions had been asked by a presidential candidate in the Granite State.

“Anybody here from Sudan?” former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick asked the crowd. One man raised his hand.

“Anybody here from Egypt?” Another hand.

“Nigeria? No? Anybody here from Algeria? Alright!” the candidate said, seeing a wave. “Anybody here from Morocco?”

That’s when the imam inside the Concord mosque chimed in. “Aha!” Patrick said. “Whereabouts?”

“Casablanca,” Mustafa Akaya said. “Very fancy!” Patrick replied.

As the room laughed, the effect of the question and answer session was clear. It wasn’t just that Patrick had been to each of these countries, in his work at the United Nations and the Department of Justice. It was the fact that a presidential candidate was asking at all.

Just over a week before the New Hampshire primary, some Muslims in Concord say they’ve seen little outreach to their faith from candidates on the national stage, let alone a visit. And in a state roundly criticized for its lack of diversity, New Hampshire Muslims say it’s part of a broader challenge of staying visible.

“I think the presidential candidates, in general, did not address the Muslim community,” said Yaya Hamidou, of Concord.

On Friday, Patrick sought to help rectify that, becoming the first candidate to make a stop at the Concord mosque and the second candidate to publicly make a stop at a mosque in New Hampshire after former candidate Beto O’Rourke.

At the Friday prayer session at the North Main Street mosque, Patrick, a handful of aides, and two media organizations joined nearly three dozen worshippers for the service, shedding shoes and sitting near the back.

Ahead of the traditional Zurh prayers, Imam Akaya led an English sermon steeped in values. Retelling the story of Muhammad’s arrival to Medina, the modern-day Saudi Arabian city that had suffered sectarian division, Akaya drew out lessons from the speech the prophet had given the residents.

Wish peace onto everyone, of every faith, Akaya summarized. Feed the hungry, and provide for the poor. Cherish family and support them.

Patrick, who speaks Arabic and has lived in countries from Niger to Sudan, sat in the back, his eyes closed.

After, it was time for the candidate to speak.

“I wanted to come by because the way I campaign, the way I govern, and the kind of man I am, I wanted to make the point that I see you,” he said.

Over a question-and-answer period, Patrick, a late entrant to the primary field, heard broad questions about his viability, with a much shorter runway than other candidates and a low standing in the polls.

“I’m not too late for you!” the candidate said, giving his usual response.

But he also heard direct and pointed questions about intolerance and distrust of Islam in America, and what an incoming president can do about it.

“One thing we have noticed nationwide: Whenever an atrocity is committed by someone who has a Muslim-sounding name, all our leaders have to go out to the media to explain to try to make sure that the whole community is not blamed,” said Hamidou. “… What will the Patrick administration do to make sure that people don’t look upon us like that.”

Patrick, the lone African American still in the Democratic primary race, had a personal response.

“You might be surprised … to know I know exactly what you are talking about,” Patrick said. “As a black man … I remember when I was growing up, my grandmother would read the newspaper and there was some terrible crime, and she would say, about the perpetrator, ‘I hope he’s not black,’ ” he said.

A Patrick administration, he said, would set policy to combat that overreaction.

The three dozen men at the all-male-prayer service represent a portion of Concord’s Muslims, who number around 150 in total, congregants said. Some, like Hamidou, have been on the political scene for decades.

For Alsabagh, this month’s primary election is the first chance to cast a vote in the country.

After winning the lottery for green cards back in 2013, he and his wife came to Concord from Dubai.

Then the war in Aslabagh’s native Syria broke out, and Alsabagh suddenly felt torn between countries. He flies back and forth, saving up money at his job at Hermanos in Concord and then visiting family in Damascus for months at a time.

Only last year did Alsabagh attain American citizenship and with it the right to vote. So far, his preferences are not defined. But his concerns – about ending the Syrian civil war – are clear.

And so far, living in the United States under two recent presidents, Alsabagh said he isn’t holding out hope the next one will have the solution to end the war.

“It doesn’t make any difference,” he said. “It seems like every time it’s been predetermined.”

Instead, Alsabagh has one request for the candidates: to reverse the restrictions on refugees.

“I’m not a refugee; I came here from a lottery,” he said. “But I can’t bring my family.”

As a news camera looked on, Imam Akaya highlighted in his sermon how the Muslim community is still struggling to become more visible in society.

Bu Hamidou said Patrick’s visit would help to change that.

“By him coming here it raises awareness,” said Hamidou, who leans toward Joe Biden. “You are going to put it in the press, and people will read the press. And people will know about us.”

“I think the presidential candidates, in general, did not address the Muslim community,” said Yaya Hamidou, of Concord.

Wish peace onto everyone, of every faith, Akaya summarized. Feed the hungry, and provide for the poor. Cherish family and support them.

Patrick, who speaks Arabic and has lived in countries from Niger to Sudan, sat in the back, his eyes closed.

After, it was time for the candidate to speak.

“I wanted to come by because the way I campaign, the way I govern, and the kind of man I am, I wanted to make the point that I see you,” he said.