America's best response to religious intolerance is to defend First Amendment freedoms, State Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, said on Tuesday at a Statehouse Ramadan celebration.
Provost joined the American Islamic Congress, a civil rights organization that encourages a clear understanding of Islamic culture, along with its student-led program Project Nur, in a "Salute to Ramadan" at the Statehouse.
Members of the Massachusetts legislature are well on their way to fighting this intolerance by supporting legislation that coincides with AIC's goals, Provost said.
"Here, as Project Nur members, as college students ... we can truly begin a revolution," said Wajida Syed, president of the Brandeis University Project Nur chapter.
Ramadan is a reminder to the Muslim community to live humbly, speakers said. As part of the ceremony, 500 pounds of rice were donated to the Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter in Boston. The contribution will mean 400 more meals served at Pine Street Inn.
"Today we're celebrating Ramadan by recognizing the preciousness of food and those in need," said AIC council member Dina Abkairova.
Other attendees shared a similar perspective on the Islamic tradition.
"[Ramadan] is a beautiful thing...it has brought me nothing but joy...it is a time of kindness, for friendship and to support our families, friends, and neighbors," said Fatal Ilupeju, a member of the Nigerian Islamic Society of Massachusetts.
"Ramadan is a stop from everything, to think about other humans in the world who are not able to eat, and how it feels...you're going, going, going on busy with schoolwork and Ramadan comes and you stop and think about meaningful things like poverty. [Ramadan] is a human thing, connecting other humans," said Tufts University alumni Javed Rezayee.
In the face of rising anti-Islamic sentiments, AIC members said that Project Nur's rice donation would help restore a positive image for Muslims in America.
"Our nation is going through one of those spasms of ethnic and religious intolerance that is unfortunately part of our history," Provost said, and Muslims in attendance agreed that openly practicing their faith could be difficult.
"Just before I came to the United States I'd been told "Don't tell anybody that you're Muslim,'" Abkairova said.
However, in the face of persecution she, too, sought to find a positive identity for Muslims.
"When I came here, I decided to reveal that I'm Muslim to my Muslim coworker . . . I'm proud to be Muslim," Abkairova said. "Here in the United States I'm exploring my cultural identity."
Still, politicians sometimes unfairly manipulate the fear some outsiders have toward the Muslim faith, attendees said.
"[Islamophobia] is political ... it's the habit of politicians to take advantage of situations and garner votes," Rezayee said.
However, Provost argued that there are many in the Massachusetts legislature that support the Muslim community.
"I assure you that today there are civic leaders who will not tolerate any form of religious discrimination or persecution," Provost said.</p>
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