New Imam Leads Area Muslims

FAYETTEVILLE-BASED LEADER HOPES TO FOLLOW ISLAM’S PILLARS

— “You may come in. Come in, please. It’s very cold out there.”

Hamed Al Alamal warmly welcomed visitors Wednesday to the Northwest Arkansas Islamic Center in Fayetteville. He asked them to remove their shoes, following Muslim tradition to keep the mosque free from impurities in the presence of Allah (or God), and invited them in to the masjid or mosque with a beautifully carved minbar or altar as the focal point. A few worshipers were kneeling in prayer.

Al Alamal continued the tour, proudly showing all areas of the center - from the bathrooms for ablution where Muslims clean their faces, hands and feet before entering, to the kitchen, to the library. He offered the visitors something to drink.

Al Alamal is the new imam for the mosque. He brought his family to Fayetteville this summer as a student at the University of Arkansas,pursuing a doctorate in comparative literature, and the members of the Islamic Center recently hired him. He previously served as an imam in Fresno, Calif., and taught English in his homeland of Jordan. The imam is the leader of the mosque, the congregation, Al Alamal explained. “What is the role of the imam?” he asked. “No. 1, I am leading prayers, being a preacher.” The mosque keeps Muslim traditions, with salah prayers from the Quran offered five times a day. And Al Alamal speaks what Christians would call a sermon at Al-Jumu’ah or congregational prayer each Friday.

“For Muslims, the purpose of life is to worship God, the creator of all things,” explains information from Islamic Circle of North America, provided by Al Alamal. “Worship in Islam is a comprehensive concept that urges people to be conscious of God throughout their daily lives and provides a framework to help people live a balanced and virtuous life. …

“… Muslims make sure that they are in the right frame of mind before they pray; they put aside all everyday cares and thoughts so that they can concentrate exclusively on God.”

“In a narrow perspective, an imam is the one who is leading a prayer,” explained mosque member Teguh Sridjajamerta through e-mail. “Having an appointed imam for our community is meaning that we can have a point of reference or a leader for our religious affairs.” “We apply Islam literally,” Al Alamal said, “so I speak about our religion,” giving insight to Islamic worship in Fayetteville. He explained that the five pillars of Islam are shahadah or faith,salah or prayer, zakah or charity, sawm or fasting and hajj or pilgrimage (to Mecca).

“Beliefs, morals, interacting with and respecting non-Muslims are all aspects of Islam,” Al Alamal said.

“Islam is a faith and comprehensive way of life that literally means ‘peace through submission to God,’” according to the website of the Islamic Circle, whyislam.com. “Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life: moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual, etc. “This way of life promotes strong moral character, good relations with people, and just and harmonious societies.”

“I expect the imam to be a leader on our regular prayers and any worship services that the center provides,” Sridjajamerta continued. “In addition to that, he can be a representative of our congregation to the community. “Since about 80 percent of our congregation members are (international) students, we consider any issues related with student adapting to the community as our issues,” he wrote.

The Northwest Arkansas Islamic Center also serves as a gathering place for social events - especially two big feasts at the end of Ramadan, Al Alamal said. “The mosque is a place they can come for relaxation,” Al Alamal said. “They find it safe.” EDUCATION ABOUT ISLAM

“No. 2, my job is educating people about Islam,” Al Alamal continued. “I also am helping people with social issues or families with problems. I am a counselor,” he said. “I help people who are poor or who have a problem that needs solving.”

Al Alamal said he wants Muslims to be visible, to share and explain the pillars of Islam to non-Muslims in the Northwest Arkansas community. At the same time, he hopes to guide his congregation to be more open, to participate in more community events.

“They feel we should be isolated,” he said. “But you cannot do good deeds without others. We need to volunteer without gaining anything for ourselves. “It is our belief,” he continued, “community, people, religion. To have peace, we need to be open to share things and work together.”

To this end, Al Alamal urged his congregants to join him last Saturday at the Interfaith Harmony Day at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. He also plans to start a series of classes about Islam directed at non-Muslims.

“I have an idea that some people are scared of Muslims, but some are not,” Al Alamal said. But he has met with no malice in Northwest Arkansas. “I’ve met a lot of sweet people here - from people at Walmart to the DMV,” he continued. “All of them smiling.”

And he likes the hills of the Boston Mountains, which remind him of his hometown in Rusaifa, Jordan. “Islam is a religion for all races and enjoins the worship of the one unseen God,” reads whyislam.com. “Islam is a way of life that is meant to bring peace to a society, whether its people are Muslim or not.”

Religion, Pages 6 on 02/09/2013

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