Stand-up comedian Aman Ali and filmmaker Bassam Tariq drove across the US to visit 30 mosques in 30 states over the 30 days of Ramadan [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Published On 9 Sep 20109 Sep 2010
Iowa: Aziza Igram, a first generation Muslim American, holds a picture of the Mother Mosque - established in 1934, it is the longest standing mosque in North America [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
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Iowa: Aziza(***)s husband, Abdullah, a Syrian American, served in the military during World War II. But when getting his dog tag made, he found that there was no option for Muslim as a religious affiliation. He later wrote to President Eisenhower persuading him to add an M for Muslim option on military dog tags [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Wisconsin, Milwaukee: Both Sheikh Kaleem and his wife are blind. The sheikh is an active imam in several mosques in the area and has taught kung fu for over 30 years [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Minnesota: The mosque owned by Minneapolis(***) large Somali community has an unusual neighbour, Palmer(***)s Bar. Abdul Qadir, the executive director of the community, describes the relationship between the neighbours: "Sometimes the music gets a little loud, but we just tell them to kindly put the music down for us to pray. And they are very respectful." [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
North Dakota: Ross - a town with a population of 48 people according to the last census - was home to the first mosque ever built in the US. It was built by Syrian American farmers in 1929 but demolished in the 1970s. In 2005 a new mosque was built on the site of the original [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
North Dakota: Lila and her son Greg stand by the mosque. Lila(***)s mother, Sarah Allie (Omar) Shupe was instrumental in getting the new mosque built in 2005. Lila prefers not to talk about why the original mosque was demolished [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
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Idaho: During the war in the 1990s, the US government helped to bring thousands of Bosnians to the US. They were settled in less populated and more affordable parts of the country like Boise, Idaho. It took 12 years for the Bosnian community there to come together and build a mosque but on July 4, 2010 the Islamic Commmunity of Bosniaks in Boise officially opened its doors [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Las Vegas: Amanullah works at a casino and is on the board of the Jamia Masjid, a mosque just minutes away from the city(***)s infamous road of casinos and hotels. Gambling is prohibited in Islam but it is quite common for Muslims to work in casinos in Las Vegas. "Nobody enjoys this work," Amanullah says. "But we do it because we want a better life for our kids." [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
California: Under the Khmer Rouge, religion was not allowed. So Cambodian Muslims would pray in secret. When Cambodian refugees started to arrive in the US they initially ended up in different cities but a community gradually began to be built in Santa Ana. [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
New Mexico: Dar al Islam is mosque made from adobe mud that sits over a mile up in the mountains. When it was built in the early 1980s around 30 to 40 families frequented it daily. Now it is only used for special events like conferences and camps, although the locals seem to agree on wishing it was used more often [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Denver: Sheikh Abu Omar al-Mubarac is a pioneer of the Muslim community in Denver. He grew up in Iraq and the escaped the country in the 1960s when the Baath party wanted him dead. The 80-year-old has escaped drowning, political assassinations and even a fatal health diagnosis [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Georgia: By the side of a road in southern Georgia there is Confederate souvenir shop. Robert, the owner, says he is frustrated with how Confederate flags get a bad rap and explains that he condemns all the racist connotations people associate with the flag. He says everyone is welcome in his shop [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Georgia: It is said that 100 per cent of the seniors from the Mohammed Schools in Atlanta, Georgia go to college after graduation. The girls basketball team, the Lady Caliphs, made it to the state finals two years ago [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Washington DC: Masjid Muhammad was founded by the late Elijah Muhammad and carried on by his son the late Warith Deen Muhammad. Imam Warith Deen helped transition a large portion of Nation of Islam toward mainstream Sunni Islam. A lot of the mosques around the northeast used to be Nation of Islam temples [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Pennsylvania: The mazhar or buriel site of Sufi saint Bawa Muhaiyadeen can be found in East Fallowfield farm. Bawa(***)s short time in Pennsylvania was well documented and photographed by members of the Bawa Muhaiyadeen Fellowship [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Chuck says the mazhar is the first in the US. It was built in 1986 and unlike most mazhars in South Asia, Bawa(***)s is a quiet place where no singing, music or speaking is allowed [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Members of the fellowship line up for the magreb prayer [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
Chicago: There are approximately 10,000 Shia Muslims living in the Chicago area [Credit: Bassam Tariq]
