Kersten’s column claims that TIZA is violating its charter and the “church and state” separation. She bases this largely on the observations of one short-time substitute teacher who was immersed in a different school culture, and could easily have been mistaken in her impressions and interpretations.

However, whether or not TIZA has violated the strictest interpretation of religion-state separation is not the issue. What school in Minnesota has not? Indeed, last December, the Minneapolis public schools launched a large faith-based initiative weighted almost entirely to Protestant congregations. Read about it here.

If we are going to examine TIZA’s practices with a fine-toothed comb, then surely all faith-based initiatives, Easter pageants, Christmas trees, and even our choice of holiday vacations should come under strict scrutiny.

If you would like to urge the Minnesota Department of Education to be fair in its scrutiny of Tariq ibn Ziyad Academy, and to be wary of Islamophobic motivations, the department is steering all calls to this number: 651-582 8570.

On the night of January 27, three men entered Mohammad Ismail’s Blaine Dairy store as he was closing shop and threw flaming glass bottles at the walls, destroying everything in the store. Ismail escaped through the smoke-filled store with minor cuts and burns. A strong expletive directed at the word “Arab” was founded spray painted on the side door that same night. The FBI is investigating the possibility of a hate crime.

Exactly two months later, on March 27, roughly 75 community leaders and concerned citizens gathered at Anoka Technical School to talk about what they were going to do about hate crime in their community. The crowd looked small in the auditorium, but the conversation was constructive, with many speakers stressing the need to forgive those who cause harm, educate the public, and get to know one’s neighbors. As an example of the meeting’s overall goals of unity, the event was cosponsored by the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Lake Harriet United Methodist Church, the Anoka Technical Student College Senate, and the NAACP.

“This city won’t tolerate hate crimes,” Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan stated, declaring that he had only seen two hate crimes in Blaine during his 22 years as an elected official, and those were both solved within a week.

Mohammad Ismail’s case has been open for two months. Much of the early investigation focused on Ismail himself, including searching his home and requiring him to take a polygraph test, which he passed. The store was his family’s only source of income, and Mohammad Ismail’s insurance will not accept a claim until a final police report has been filed. Lt. Chris Olson, who was present at the meeting, stated that the police department was committed to following all leads and would not make a final report until they had considered all the options.

It seems, stated Nathaniel Khalik of the St. Paul branch of the NAACP, that investigations move slower when African-Americans or Muslims are involved. Ismail was in the store when the attackers entered, and that makes the case attempted murder. The NAACP is adding $500 to information that leads to the arrest of the attackers. The total reward now stands at $4000. Anyone with information is asked to call the Blaine Police Department at (763) 785-6168.

Muslim citizens who spoke of peace and education at the event were familiar with Muslim-focused crimes throughout the metro area.

Zafar Siddiqui, president of the Islamic Resource Group, told the audience that his wife was nearly run off the road on the anniversary of 9/11 by a person shouting racial epithets. She was driving their four children home from school.

The garage of the chairwoman of CAIR was vandalized by a paintball gun while they were out doing errands on March 25, two days before the town meeting. It was the second time in several months that this had happened, said her husband, who spoke of their emphasis on getting to know their neighbors.

Zafar Siddiqui, whose car was scraped but whose family was unhurt, stressed that these hateful actions are based on misunderstandings. Both Muslim and non-Muslim attendees suggested that Muslims volunteer in schools, meet their neighbors, and take part in neighborhood crime-watch groups. The goal, speakers agreed, was to combat media-induced fear with personal relationships.
One speaker, a white man who identified himself as Christian, said he drives daily past the Blaine Dairy but had not known until recently that the fire had been due to arson. He apologized to the crowd that someone who might have looked like him could have committed such a hateful crime.

Admitting that he knew little about Islam, he told the crowd he always avoided eye contact with Muslim women so as not to offend them. A young African-American woman wearing a scarf politely explained that Muslim men and women were allowed to talk but not to mingle or touch. Event mediator Chris Schumacher of CAIR acknowledged the courage it takes to admit when you don’t know something.

A member of Judson Memorial Baptist Church in southwest Minneapolis presented a check to help Mohammad Ismail’s family. The Lake Harriet United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, which helped sponsor the event, will also be taking an offering for the family. Ismail has three young children ranging from two to seven. Ismail’s extended family and friends have been helping them survive.
For information about the Islamic Resource Group or to schedule an informational presentation about Islam, visit www.irgmn.org or call (612) 676-0165.

–Emily K. Bright is a creative writing MFA candidate at the University of Minnesota and works as the Scribe for Human Rights, writing articles on human rights themes. She was involved in putting on Thursday night’s meeting.

This article originally appeared in our partner publication the Twin Cities Daily Planet and is reposted with permission.

By Marcia Lynx Qualey, Engage Minnesota

It was 1998 when Basimah Hasan left her hometown of Chicago for Minneapolis.

In the Twin Cities, she attended nursing school and began her career at North Memorial Hospital. She says that there is a “big difference” between the Minneapolis and Chicago Muslim communities.

“[There are] more Muslims in Chicago, and they’re more active. Here, everyone seems to be in their own ethnic groups. You don’t see a lot of activities going on, versus in Chicago.”

But, if there’s not enough activity, Hasan (pictured above) is not one to sit back and wait for someone else to start it up. The nurse, talk-show host, screenwriter, community activist, and producer is stirring up all sorts of action.

Through her nonprofit Hasan Publications Dawah Center, Hasan launched the “Islamic View.” The talk show aims not just to reach the Muslim community, but, more importantly, to reach non-Muslims with positive stories about Islam.

Why television?

“It’s images,” she says. “This is where we get our information from.”

‘Islamic View’ Gets Its Start

The story of “Islamic View” begins when Basimah Hasan was thirteen years old.

“My family wasn’t Muslim,” says Hasan. “That was a decision I made after reading about all the different religions.” Thirteen-year-old Hasan read about Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism.

“And when I got to Islam, I just knew that that was the religion for me.”

Hasan launched the nonprofit HP Dawah Center in 2003, but the spark for “Islamic View” came in 2001.

“I really believe the spark was from seeing all the negative things on television, especially after September 11. That’s when people really started looking at Muslims differently, hating them, without even knowing them.”

“I wanted people to know: No, we’re not like that. This is what we practice, this is what we believe.”

The project has been slowly growing, she says. In the summer of last year, she began to rent a studio. Most recently, Hasan has begun to incorporate Islamic-themed poetry into the show.

The first poem is set to air this Friday, March 21, after an interview with Imam Neelain Muhammad. In the pre-recorded show, Muhammad and Hasan talk about dawah, or the propagation of Islam. In the second half of the show, Muhammad—who is also a martial arts instructor—gives tips for Muslim and non-Muslim women who want to learn self-defense.

“And then there’s the poem at the end,” Hasan said.

It was just recently that Hasan put out a call to local Muslim poets.

“She [Nandi] called and said a poem over the phone. And I said, ‘Wow.’”

Hasan notes that if you miss the show on Friday, or don’t have access to Channel 16, you can still watch the reading of Nandi’s “The Black Woman is Dead” on YouTube. (Watch it now.)

Through poetry, interviews, and talk-show chat, Hasan tries to combat a few key stereotypes about the Muslim community: “that Muslim women are oppressed, that we’re practicing a hateful religion, and that we’re terrorists.”

Others who’ve appeared on the show include local politicians and civic leaders, such as Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, community leaders, and people around the community.

There’s no script, Hasan says. “We just talk, just like we sitting at a table, having a conversation.”

Next: A Muslim-Themed Soap Opera?

Another media project Hasan has on the boil moves outside the talk-show format.

“I plan on putting together a drama series that would be Muslim-based, that would show people the everyday situations and circumstances we go through,” Hasan says. “It would be almost soap-opera like, but from a Muslim perspective.”

“So [non-Muslims] can see the human side of us.”

Currently, Hasan is at work on scripting. “I have characters; I have names for them; I have some situations.” She plans to send out a casting call soon.

If Not Muslims, Then Who?

Hasan doesn’t know the exact number of people who watch “Islamic View,” or whether they’re Muslims or non-Muslims. She does get a number of phone calls. “They will call and say, ‘I liked the show,’ or they might ask about the person who was on the show. And then you get the calls that are negative.”

“I know Muslims are watching,” Hasan says, “but I know non-Muslims are watching, too.”

And that’s important, she says, because the show is “mainly for non-Muslims, because they are the ones who need to be educated. As Muslims, we have to help them understand” that the images they see on TV give a distorted picture of Islam.

“The people who have negative views [have them] because of the images that were projected to them,” she says. “We have to change that distortion. As Muslims, that’s an obligation on us.”

“Because if we don’t do it, who else will?”

Want to Know More About ‘Islamic View’?

• Watch the show: It airs on Time Warner’s local cable station in Minnesota on Channel 16 every Friday at 4 p.m.
• Want to participate in the show? Have a poem to submit? Email Hasan at hpdawahcenter@yahoo.com.
• Want to help? Says Hasan: “They could support by giving donations, they could support by volunteering to help, or by spreading information about the show.” If you’re interested, visit the website or email hpdawahcenter@yahoo.com.
• Learn more about HP Dawah’s other activities, such as providing Islamic literature to inmates and participating in the Twin Cities’ Juneteenth celebration, at their website.

–Marcia Lynx Qualey is a mother, a writer, and is affiliated with the University of Minnesota in various ways. She is also an editor at EngageMN.com.