RNA - Yasir Qadhi, the Memphis Islamic Center resident scholar, told fellow Tennessee Muslims gathered near the state capitol Friday that they can no longer stay silent and must stand up for their constitutional rights.
"We American Muslims are not demanding anything more than any other religious minority," Qadhi said. "We want to be just as American as every other religious group. No more, but no less as well."
Qadhi drove home that point during the end of his Khutbah, the sermon he delivered during the Muslim prayer and community day hosted by the Nashville-based American Muslim Advisory Council. The nonprofit's Friday event drew Muslims from across the state for midday prayers at War Memorial Auditorium, tours of the statehouse and face time with a few lawmakers.
"These people that are working here are our representatives. They’re not our enemies," Qadhi said. "Some of them are misinformed, we need to educate them. Some of them are bigoted. We need to teach them the truth. Some of them are fearful, we need to tell them there’s nothing to be scared of."
In anticipation of an aggressive legislative session and a uneasy four years under President-elect Donald Trump, the American Muslim Advisory Council wanted the event to demystify the political process for Tennessee Muslims. Advocates have had to go on the defensive in past sessions due to legislation they felt unfairly targeted people who practice Islam.
On Friday, leaders from different faith communities shared prayers. Two Democrat state lawmakers, Rep. Johnny Shaw and Sen. Jeff Yarbro, addressed those in attendance, urging them to continue to advocate for their rights.
"You are making a very loud, a very clear and very distinct statement today by being here on these hallowed grounds," Shaw said.
In addition to Muslim leaders, school groups, including students from Nashville and Memphis,were also in attendance. They took tours of the capitol and learned about the lawmaking process.
Matt Anderson, spokesman for the Senate Democrats, gave high school students from Pleasant View School in Memphis a tour that included a stop at the men's restroom near the House chamber.
The odd stop puzzled the students, Anderson wanted the students to understand how tense the political climate can be in the statehouse. He explained that a janitor sink inside made national headlines in 2013 when Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, inquired about the newly installed sink, worrying that it might have been for Muslims to wash their feet before prayer.
The midday prayers and Qadhi's Khutbah followed at War Memorial Auditorium. He urged the packed room to be vigilant of all hate speech and speak out against bigotry. Qadhi also reminded them that many minority groups had struggled before them.
"Look at what happened in this very land 60 years ago, 70 years ago. The internment camps of Japanese Americans. Look at the struggles of our African American brothers. In the 1900s, the Irish, the Catholics, the Jews, they all had to struggle to establish their American identity," Qadhi said. "Struggling to be a part of this land is as American as apple pie."
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