Conejo Valley Muslims feel fortunate

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers PRAYERS-Abdullah Aljabri leads the maghrib early evening prayer at Islamic Center of Conejo Valley, 2700 Borchard Road, Newbury Park. Spokesman says mosque distances itself from world politics. Memories of Sept. 11, 2001 recently resurfaced on its fifth anniversary. The tragedy ini- tially caused some suspicion about Islam, but Muslims in Conejo Valley said they have found that for them, not much has changed.

When it became known that those responsible for the World Trade Center and Pentagon at- tacks were followers of Islam, Muslims in America were out- raged that so many innocent ci- vilians had been killed because of hatred by a radical group. Some were initially afraid to attend prayers, recognizing that the acts of violence would be associated with religion, de- spite their conviction that the terrorists responsible were not representative of the Islamic faith.

"At the moment I felt mostly sadness and a realization of a struggle between people that are not agreeing," said resident Abdullah Fathma. "For us, it's not a religious thing."

Since that Sept. 11, it seems the words "Islam" and "terror- ism" cannot stand alone-one must always follow another. It's been said that Americans of Middle Eastern descent are given extra attention during security checks at airports, and the wear- ing of a taqiyah (an Islamic cap worn by men) is a cause for mis- trust. This may very well be the case in many places across the U.S. but is not so in the Conejo Valley.

"At work nothing has changed, and with my neighbors nothing has changed. The only place that it has changed is in the media," Fathma said.

Residents do feel, however, that in other parts of the country, Muslims as a people are wrongly portrayed. In the news, too often their faith is presented before the backdrop of an eruption in the Middle East-in the most violent context possible.

What many don't realize is that a large portion of the Mus- lim population is not concen- trated in those extremist areas. Indonesia, in fact, has the larg- est Muslim populace, followed by India and Pakistan.

"People are getting the view- point that the media and sensa- tionalism want them to get," said Dr. Bader Igbal, the public rela- tions spokesperson for the Is- lamic Center of Conejo Valley in Newbury Park. His goal as an educational speaker is to express a commonality between Islam and Christianity.

"I think it's a cultural issue, as we've always felt that the people from the Middle East have been a little more radical to world problems. Their society is extremely oppressed, so they believe that the only way they can respond is in a very violent manner," he said.

"Many see Islam," Igbal said, "as an exotic Middle Eastern cult that has just come upon the world. I was sad the day of the attack, and felt like that was not a true depiction of the Muslim identity."

The Islamic Center of Conejo Valley distances itself from such world politics. It is an indepen- dent organization, run by volun- teers and self-funded by dona- tions from the community. Every Friday community members are welcome for prayer, and there is Islamic schooling for children on Fridays and Sundays.

And while the pope's recent comments on Islam have sparked indignation and Muslim resi- dents in the neighborhood may shake their heads in disappoint- ment, they remain at peace to fol- low their faith undisturbed.

"We are lucky to live in a very educated community and have not felt the kind of change that exists in the rest of the world," Igbal said. "The Islamic Center is a place of worship. Our lives are so busy that we have very few precious moments to fully appre- ciate God."

Chelsea Ma is a senior at Westlake High School. She's completing an internship for the Acorn Newspapers.