Maryland: Muslims buying row houses from city to ‘carve out a Muslim community’
Posted on September 21, 2015 by creeping
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Muslim community ruled by sharia where the call to prayer sounds out
five times a day, as noted in this 2014 Creeping Sharia post, Mosque to sound call to prayer in area targeted “to make Islamic community”:
“…establishing Islam within the borders of the Gwynn Oaks area of Baltimore City, in accordance to the Quran and Sunnah”
via the Muslim Brotherhood’s newspaper The Muslim Link – Building Community
Masjid
Al-Haq is located on 514 Islamic Way. It is the largest Masjid in
Baltimore City. Out of state Muslim visitors are often pleasantly
surprised at the masjid’s fitting street address. But for the masjid’s
leadership, one street is not enough.
Still
in the planning phases, the Masjid Al-Haq community is poised to
purchase and renovate dozens of abandoned and foreclosed row houses
within walking distance of the masjid, carving out a Muslim community in
West Baltimore just blocks from the epicenter of this year’s riots in
the city. That is, if they can raise the funds.
About
$225,000 of that goal will be used to complete on-going remodeling of
the masjid and the on-site Qur’an and Arabic Institute of Maryland. New
wudu areas and bathrooms, a cafeteria and carry-out community restaurant
to generate income, a ghusl area to wash and prepare bodies for burial,
security system and lighting, and other renovations began in earnest
last year. The rest of the goal is slotted for jump starting the housing
development plan to realize a masjid-centered Muslim family demographic
for Baltimore City.
According
to Abdul-Hakeem Lucky, the amir of the shura which leads Masjid Al-Haq,
the time is ripe to build a tangible Muslim community in the city.
“We can’t [not have] a nucleus, a center where we can manifest Islam
[in Baltimore City]. It’s long overdue, and we saw during these
[Freddie Gray] riots that the youth — including our own Muslim youth –
have no direction. We can’t neglect our responsibility to the larger
community. [Muslims] need to be the best example and we need to
establish Islam in our environment. The Jews, the Italians, the Asians …
they [establish communities], but we’re not doing it,” Lucky told the
Muslim Link. [NOTE: This is a
deliberate attempt to mix up the concepts of ethnicity and religion.
Nowhere are there specifically Catholic neighborhoods, or Baptist
neighborhoods.]
Realizing
education is at the core of developing the Muslim community, Lucky said
he recently returned from Egypt where he made contacts to set-up a
“mentor-scholarship” program for Masjid Al-Haq youth who would be
sponsored by the masjid to study under Islamic scholars in Egypt and
then return to teach Islam and Arabic in the community.
With
all the new Muslims entering the community, there is an urgent need for
well grounded teachers who can fulfill the community’s religious
education needs. The overwhelmingly African-American community sees one or two people per week entering Islam,
the average age being 12-20 years old, said Lucky. A similar phenomenon
is occurring in South East Washington DC where the very young – middle
and high school age youth – are entering into Islam.
Masjid
Al-Haq leaders have already opened discussions with city officials
about buying area row houses, and a short list of addresses is ready. The homes would become a “waqf” or trust for the masjid, the rental income helping fund masjid operations.
Some Muslims say plans to build physical communities around masajid amounts to building a “Muslim ghetto.”
Lucky laughed. “Islam does not create ghettos. Islam elevates people.
With the proper tarbiyyah [Islamic upbringing], we can make a
generation.”
The fundraising dinner is on October 3, 2015 at 4pm at Masjid Al-Haq. For event details and drawings of the renovation plans, see pages 20-21.
Who is funding the conversion of black ghettos into Muslim ghettos?
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