Sept. 11 forever changed our country, our world and our views of the way things should be. It has not only drastically unearthed the way we look at one another, but also the way we think our country should be. A group of people in the Starkville community and thousands of communities across the country have felt the blow of prejudice and racial misunderstandings during this national tragedy.
This group is the Islamic people, most of whom have been Starkville residents for a number of years and devoted American citizens.
Emad El-Gilar, President of the Muslim Student Association at Mississippi State University, spoke about the reaction to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the Muslim community.
“We are on the same boat as everyone else in America. We are deeply saddened by the terrorist attacks and angry. Islam condemns what happened. It is against our teachings. You cannot imagine how we cried for the Sept. 11 tragedy,” El-Gilar said.
Over the past few weeks, since the terrorist attacks, several threats and prejudice acts against the Muslim community have been reported.
“A number of Islamic students received threatening phone calls maybe once or twice.” El-Gilar said. “There was also a group of students who appeared to be very young who threw vegetables and trash on the doors of the Islamic Center the Tuesday and Thursday night following the terrorist attacks.”
El-Gilar experienced firsthand the prejudice against a Muslims after the terrorist attacks on America. After taking his car a local car shop, he was told to take his car somewhere else. “He told me I was in the wrong part of the world and that he wouldn’t fix my car that day or the next day or a year from now so I said thank you and left,” El-Gilar said.
He added, “I’ve known that mechanic ever since I came to MSU, and I was afraid he was going to become violent, and I could not understand why.”
El-Gilar said that the Muslim people look forward to things getting back to normal after the people who committed these acts are caught.
“We pray this situation will be resolved very soon.”
The Muslim Student Association, is working to help the Islamic students at MSU.
“Our job is to help the new students at State if they’re in need of apartments, groceries, books, furniture, needing papers from overseas and getting in touch with their professors,” commentsed El-Gilar.
The Muslim Student Association gives people who live in Starkville information about the Islamic holy month, Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims fast, refrain from eating or drinking until sunset for 30 days. The Feast Day celebration marks the end of Ramadan.
The lunar system follows the moon every year but uses a different calendar. This year, Ramadan will begin around the middle of November.
The Muslim Student Association is working hard to support its members.
“All we want,” El-Gilar said, “is to show everyone that Islam does not support these hate crimes, and we pray for peace soon.