curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Nura Ahmed
On March 25, 2022, only a few days before Ramadan, the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) opened a location in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, only minutes away from the Westlake station. MAPS Seattle was built with the intention to have a space where Muslims from all over the greater Seattle area could find their community. Though there are mosques all over the Puget Sound, from the South End to the east side, MAPS Seattle is the only fully functional mosque in downtown Seattle, serving as a great central location. MAPS Seattle holds weekly Friday prayers and Islamic lectures every Thursday and employs an Imam to lead the mosque’s religious efforts.
Continue reading MAPS Seattle: Building A Downtown Hub for Seattle’s Diverse Muslim Communityby Nura Ahmed
Michaela Corning, founder and CEO of the Barakah Beauty Collective, has created a women-led, women-only beauty and wellness space especially for Muslim women — the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Now an essential hub for community, healing, and laughter, the road to founding Barakah Beauty Collective came with some unexpected twists.
Continue reading The Barakah Beauty Collective: Building Community Through Sisterhoodby Jainaba Jawara and Maryam Shabar
We know that health disparities are a looming threat to minority groups’ quality of life and well-being. Yet, most popular attention on minority health disparities, both in the medical literature and in the public, focuses on racial and ethnic disparities. While these inequities are real and rightfully deserve attention, other demographic gaps, such as those among Muslim Americans, are also important.
Continue reading OPINION: Muslim Americans and Mental Healthby Koloud “Kay” Tarapolsi
Imagine 30 days of Thanksgiving. A month of gathering with loved ones, related to you or not, around a table full of potluck scrumptiousness. The people, and food, around the table might change nightly, but for four weeks, you will not eat alone.
This is what Ramadan is like for many Muslims. Ramadan is the 11th month of the lunar calendar, and all 30 days are spent fasting during daylight hours, from sunrise to sunset.
Continue reading OPINION: Ramadan During a Pandemicby Nura Ahmed
Rahma Rashid started the Muslimahs Against Abuse Center (MAAC) because she knew how hard it was for women in her community to find what they needed when dealing with domestic violence.
Continue reading Rahma Rashid Wants to Change the Narrative Around Abuse in Muslim Communitiesby Amanda Azad
Picture a college kid 10 years ago. In addition to the acid-washed skinny jeans and an obsession with Angry Birds, imagine this person is a sophomore pursuing a political science major. They are politically active on campus, participating in protests against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; and they love camping. Usually, this student would be seen by law enforcement as just a normal college kid doing normal college kid stuff. Except for one thing: This kid is Muslim. Because of this, they are instead seen as a potential terrorist.
This is the legacy of the War on Terror: an America where everything about the Muslim identity has been criminalized and that criminalization is embedded in our criminal justice system.
Continue reading OPINION: Islamophobia Is a Criminal Justice Reform Issue, Here’s Whyby Ronnie Estoque
The Cham Refugees Community (CRC), a local nonprofit organization that provides educational, social, and cultural services to Cham and other ethnic minorities in South Seattle, is in the proposal process of upgrading their building space into a 12,000-square-foot community center and religious space. Throughout the years, the CRC has been able to acquire property at 5945 39th Avenue South, as well as four other residential properties adjacent to their address. The proposal has been in the works for years through grassroot efforts by local Cham community members pitching in for the property purchases.
“The elderly and the families continue to still donate despite struggling because it was very important to have a space to meet,” Sarya Sos, CRC’s program manager, said. “We don’t do interest in our community because we follow kind of the Muslim kind of teachings … and so borrowing money with interest is out of the picture.”
Members of the Cham community who had extra cash set aside pooled together money to purchase the five properties over a span of 40 years, with the CRC eventually repaying, with no interest, those who sought repayment; others saw it as an opportunity solely to donate to building a space for gathering. As they have grown, the CRC has identified the need to expand their community space to increase their services and programming, which largely focus on youth and the elderly.
Continue reading Cham Refugees Community Awaits Approval to Build New Gathering Spaceby Ashley Archibald
The first time Brianna Auffray’s client went to the police about a potential arson, they took down a report, but they did not classify it as a hate crime — despite a derogatory note left near the damage. The second time a fire was set at the same family’s home, law enforcement acknowledged that there appeared to be a pattern of arson but still didn’t change the classification. The message from the police was “who’s to know what their motives were?” said Auffray, who is the legal and policy manager for the Council on American Islamic Relations Washington (CAIR-WA).
Continue reading Advocates Push for Systemic Change in Face of Rising Hate Crimes in Seattleby Ronnie Estoque
Cham Refugees Community (CRC) gathered for its annual Night Market and Soccer Tournament this past Friday, July 23, and Saturday, July 24. The Night Market was held on the CRC’s property on 39th Avenue South, which is currently in the process of securing necessary funds to begin development of a new community center space. Local businesses, such as Champa Brand and Rayyan’s Kuih, were amongst the many vendors during the event that sold clothing and food. King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay made an appearance at the event on Saturday.
The Soccer Tournament was played on the turf of Brighton Playfield, which opened in June of 2020. The games drew large crowds of fans rooting for various local teams, such as Cham South West and Cham Tacoma. The playing conditions were perfect on Saturday with wind and rain being absent from the field. The sun shone brightly as cheers from fans filled up the area.
Those interested in donating towards the development of a new CRC community center can contact Cham Community Center project coordinator Slayman Appadolo via email at slayman@crcseattle.org. The CRC is also accepting donations via PayPal (CCC@crcseattle.org).
Continue reading PHOTO ESSAY: Cham Community Gathers for Annual Night Market and Soccer Tournament
