In the aftermath of the presidential election, Muslims have received an increase in two kinds of attention: support and derision. In an effort to reach out to groups from both viewpoints, the Maine Muslim Community Center in Portland hosted an open house on Sunday so people could learn about their faith.
As a second-grade teacher new to Portland, Emily Troll wants to connect with the families of the Somali students she works with. She says that has been increasingly important recently, because of the changes she’s noticed in her classroom.
“They’re really stressed out. They’re anxious. I’ve had a really peaceful class all year until about January, and then tons of kids needed a social worker and not being able to solve problems,” she says.
Troll says President Donald Trump’s travel ban that targeted Muslim countries has caused anxiety among her Somali students. Troll was among the more than 70 visitors who came to the Maine Muslim Community Center open house to offer support. They were welcomed with a feast that featured Somali breads and pastries and a lineup of speakers, including Community Center director Ahmed Abdirahman.
“Well after the election, we have been getting so many letters, cards, emails, people coming in, sometimes with cookies, saying ‘We are sorry. We are here with you. We welcome you. We support you. What can I do?’” he says.
Along with the kind gestures, Abdirahman says, the Muslim community has also experienced an increase in negative behavior.
“You are driving and the next driver will give you the middle finger, things like that. And my wife had somebody spit in her face, walking,” he says.
Abdirahman says at first, the Muslim community wasn’t sure how to respond to both the negative and positive attention.
“We talked among ourselves and said, ‘If we just keep going and be silent, it might not be that helpful.’ So, to overcome the fear of those who fear Islam because it’s unknown, because it’s a scary thing, and to appreciate those who come forward and say, ‘We welcome you,’ kind of uniting the two groups and starting an outreach that overcomes the negative and the hate, let’s do a day for it,” he says.
“I have never felt as welcomed as I did when I walked in the door of today’s event,” says Kathleen McKeon.
McKeon says she wanted to get to know her neighbors. The open house provided an opportunity to mingle and listen to a call to prayer.
“Everyone just — they welcomed me in, they fed me, they invited me to listen and it was amazing,” she says.
Sam Colson came with his Muslim neighbor, whom he befriended over a backyard grill. He says that relationship, and others he’s developed with Muslims, changed his view.
“I grew up in a very religious home,” he says. “My father was a Baptist minister. So there are even people in my family that have this notion that Muslims are terrorists and they all want to kill Christians and that kind of nonsense. I feel like my life is richer for the Muslims that are in my life and the things that I’ve learned from them.”
Deqa Dhalac, a U.S. citizen from Somalia, says she hopes the open house will encourage more interactions between Muslims and non-Muslims.
“Yes, come to the mosque,” she says. “The mosque is open.”
Dhalac says visitors are always welcome.
