Islamic Center hopes to counter 'mistaken view'

Since relocating to the corner of West End and Harmony in 1999, the Islamic Center has remained a mystery to most Cape Girardians. Someone might have a friend of a friend who went once, but for the most part those of us who drive by the center on our way to work or school don't know what it does.

But Cape Girardeau Muslims like Musa Wahdi, a local doctor, and Shafiq Malik, a businessman, are optimistic that with increased media coverage and local curiosity, the center can help change some misconceptions on Islam.

"We're very blessed and lucky to have a community like we have here," says Malik after the center's Friday afternoon prayer session. "Lots of people are very curious. They come and want to ask questions. They want to know who we are, what we think, what we do. And the local media, the Missourian and others, have done a good job countering misinformation."

Most recently, the center installed an example of Islamic calligraphy on their southern wall. Appearing to depict an Islamic skyline with spires and towers, the image is actually Arabic words written in a special kind of script: "There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God," the most important tenet

of Islam.

"This is Islamic art," says Musa Wadi. "If you look inside the mosque, you will see many of the same things. It is a combination of words and art."

Inside the prayer area, Wahdi shows me more examples of Islamic calligraphy. He translates one for me: "There is only one God … The first and last … No beginning or end … And he owns Heaven and Earth … And no human can intercede."

"You need to be an artist to be able to write this type of script," he says. "You have to learn how to do it. It is very precise and elaborate. And even the frame is another form of art."

Malik, a local businessman, was interested in putting up an example of the calligraphy outside for Cape Girardians to see.

"We wanted to do something to specify who we are," says Malik. "This is new for the community. We have all kinds of art, but we have never really had any Islamic art. It is something really beautiful."

Malik found contractors who could build the design on the wall, and in a matter of days, it was up.

"I was surprised myself," says Wadi. "They put up a grid, put on these blocks, and then it was there. I asked him, 'How did you do that?'"

Malik, Wadi and others often serve as Imam, a prayer leader, for services. Islamic services do not have a regular priest or minister; instead, senior members of the community will take turns conducting services.

The center offers prayers five times a day and weekly events where all Muslims in the area can socialize. In the past it has also held fundraisers for Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia.

"Anything a church would do, we do here," says Wadi. "Our children come to Sunday school. We teach them the essence of Islam."

"We are physicians, businessmen, professors and college students," he says. "We are all active members of the community."

"When a newcomer like me arrives, it adds something new. It gives us another perspective on the community," says Ismeth Abbas, who arrived in 2001. Abbas and other younger members come from all around the world, countries with significant Muslim populations like India and France.

Abbas, an Indian, and Shafiq, who is from Pakistan, joke about which of their countries has the best food. Every year, the center holds an open house and a variety of foods from Islamic cultures are served: food like kebabs, hummus and falafel.

"We come from different cultures, so we brought different foods," says Malik.

I tell Wahdi that the center should hold more open houses, if only so locals can try more delicious Middle Eastern and Indian food. He agrees.

"We do as much as we can for the community, but we need to do more," he says. "We want to hold more open houses to open our doors to Cape Girardeau. With more visitors and more curiosity, this mistaken view of Islam will finally change."

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