Taking the pulse

Community leader sees growth, diversity

By Samieh Shalash - SPECIAL TO THE HERALD-LEADER

Jamil Farooqui, president of the Islamic Society of Central Kentucky, recently answered questions about Muslims nationwide and in Central Kentucky. A native of Pakistan, Farooqui was born into a Muslim family and lived in Saudi Arabia and Detroit before moving to London, Ky., in 1999. He has lived in Richmond and Lexington for 21/2 years, and is a physician at St. Joseph Hospital, where he practices internal medicine.

Here are excerpts from the interview. For additional questions, visit www.kentucky.com/living:

How would you compare the Muslim population in Lexington with other places you have lived in America?

It is a growing and more diverse community with people from different areas and backgrounds. We have Muslims from the Middle East including Palestinians, Iraqis, Syrians and Libyans. From South Asia we have Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans and Iranians. There are also several Gambian families. In London, we had 10 or 15 families, most of them Pakistani. When I moved there, initially we had no mosque. We used to pray only Friday prayers in an apartment which we rented. I played a role in building a mosque; we came together as a community to raise money and buy land. It was completed in 2006.

What are the basic differences and similarities between Islam and Christianity?

Let's focus on similarities. We all belong to monotheism. We know we're following Abrahamic religions. All faiths teach respect of other faiths. If you ... look in the Bible, it has a lot of similarity to the Quran, Islam's holy book. As we know, there is the principle of simply having faith, which is the same from Abraham to Jesus to Muhammad (peace be upon him).

But the teachings differ. Praying is compulsory for all of these religions that belong to one God. But how to pray, how many times a day, how many times a week, that is different. I think the differences are so minor we don't have to talk about it. And the similarity is so huge, we all have God's word in the form of holy books, we all have rulings from God regarding praying, fasting, the way of life. How to implement them into one's life, these are the minor differences.

How have you seen the Muslim community evolve in America since you immigrated here?

I have seen changes in the thought process of a Muslim. Before 9/11, people used to think they come here just to earn a good life, sit back, raise your children and that's it. Now, no matter what you do, at the end of the day when you go out you are a Muslim. ... Just by telling your name you will be labeled as one in the post-9/11 phase. I saw the Muslim community is getting closer. There is more unity and interaction between the Muslim community. The other major change is involvement in local politics. Even if they are not involved in the sense of going to political gatherings or meetings, they are talking. ... I think the next generation will translate it into action.

What role do young Muslims, often the children of immigrants, have in the community?

They have a very strong beneficial role, because they are born here, they're raised here, they understand this culture and they identify themselves as American Muslims. You'll see them interacting more with other non-Muslim Americans, getting involved in traditional American institutions like PTAs and neighborhood associations and city councils. You'll see them get more active in civil society, because they feel more a belonging to America than did their predecessors. It's a similar process to other immigrant groups in the history of the U.S., where they were originally labeled as outsiders and foreigners, but are now fully integrated. Right now it's the time for Muslims to be a first-generation society and slowly assert themselves in the American civic sphere.

How are women viewed in Islam?

Sometimes this question is very frustrating. When a Muslim woman wears a scarf, she is oppressed; when a Christian nun wears a habit, she is modest and religious. Women are viewed in Islam the way I view my mom, how I view my wife and my daughter. They are the most respectable people. I want them to be the most active and valuable part of society, and they are.