The poll is seen as a litmus test for the Netherlands and its democratic ideals, as activists decry a hardening of political discourse driven by Geert Wilders

The drawing depicted two women; a young blonde with a friendly expression and a scowling older woman wearing a headscarf. On top of the image was a nod to this month’s general election in the Netherlands, along with the phrase “The choice is yours.”

The social media post, made by the far-right, anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders, prompted a record 14,000 complaints to the country’s anti-discrimination hotline. “Many of those who called to report the image compared it to Nazi propaganda from the second world war,” the hotline said in a statement, adding that the 19 anti-discrimination agencies associated with the hotline had flagged the post to police, amid concerns that it could be an incitement to hatred.

Continue reading...

Trump ally Laura Loomer took credit for Sami Hamdi’s detainment in move denounced as ‘affront to free speech’

The British journalist Sami Hamdi was reportedly detained on Sunday morning by federal immigration authorities at San Francisco international airport, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) says that action is apparent retaliation for the Muslim political commentator’s criticism of Israel while touring the US.

A statement from Cair said it was “a blatant affront to free speech” to detain Hamdi for criticizing Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza while he engaged on a speaking tour in the US. A Trump administration official added in a separate statement that Hamdi was facing deportation.

Continue reading...

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans singing one of their favourite chants (source: 5Pillars).

The saga over the Aston Villa versus Maccabi Tel Aviv football (soccer) fixture next month revealed a lot about how far our political establishment will go to defend Israel and to spare the feelings of its supporters. There has been a campaign to get the match called off, on the grounds that Israel is a genocidal state which should be treated as a pariah, as is Russia currently, for the past few weeks but last week the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) recommended that MTA’s fans should not be allowed to travel to the game on the grounds that there was a strong likelihood of violence if the fans’ past record is anything to go by: picking fights with local Muslim minorities and singing offensive and racist songs (albeit in Hebrew, but they are not the only ones who understand Hebrew). They have, in short, a major hooligan problem and there was no guarantee that they would not get into, or start, a fight with Birmingham’s large Muslim community. The advice attracted scorn from the entire political class; it was accused of at best caving into antisemitism and at worst actual antisemitism; my former MP Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, opined that the way to oppose antisemitism was not by banning its victims. Meanwhile, the reaction from many of the Tories and parties further Right was to accuse the SAG of being afraid to offend Muslims, and accused local Muslims of being a threat to the visiting fans rather than the other way round.

Over the course of last weekend, events took several turns until the Israeli club announced that it would not sell tickets for the match to their own fans, which would mean there would be no MTA fans at the match. A man claiming to be the leader of Aston Villa’s own “Jewish supporters’ club” turned out not to be Jewish at all and the fan club turned out not to exist. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon then announced that he (and a bunch of his supporters) would turn out in support of the tourists; a derby match between MTA and another Tel Aviv side, Hapoel, had to be cancelled on advice from local police after riots inside and outside the stadium. The latter left a lot of politicians with egg on their faces; the former prompted the fake Jewish fan to change his position, calling for the match to be held behind closed doors with no fans, as had an earlier MTA fixture with a Turkish side (held behind closed doors in Hungary). Still, politicians continued to link the decision to bar the MTA fans to antisemitism, alleging that they never just banned away fans for this reason (not true), only when the away fans are Israeli, and brushed aside concerns about hooliganism, repeating claims that the violence in Amsterdam last year was a pogrom against them by local Muslims, ignoring reports from local police that the fans were violent and racist as well. Others were wringing their hands over our supposed admission that “Jews aren’t safe in Britain’s second city”, despite the fact that Jews live in Birmingham and travel there every day, and other teams with associations with the Jewish community (e.g. Tottenham Hotspur) have played there many times with no trouble, nor any reason perceived to ban them. The fact that they are Jewish, or that Israel is a Jewish state, has nothing to do with why locals do not want this group of fans in their city.

My solution would have been, instead of a game behind closed doors with no fans at all, to hold the match in a stadium away from Birmingham, fairly close to an airport if possible, where the fans could be bussed from the airport to the match, and then bussed back and flown out as soon as possible after it ends. This way, both sets of fans get to see their team play and antagonism to the local community is kept to a minimum. Two possibilities that spring to mind are the stadiums in Reading and Milton Keynes — both large, both within easy reach of Birmingham for Villa’s fans and within easy reach of Heathrow airport (and in MK’s case also Luton airport) for the Israeli fans, and crucially neither in residential areas where locals could be subjected to major inconvenience or antagonism.

However, I must stand in defence of the Muslim community who objected to holding the match in their area. Who can blame them for feeling uncomfortable with large numbers of Israeli football supporters with a record of violence coming into their area? The political space and media the last few months has been full of talk of the country being ‘invaded’ by asylum seekers described as “fighting-age males”, and any misdeed of one of them is held up as proof that they are all a menace; yet, we expect Birmingham’s Muslim community to tolerate this large group of actual fighters, people (men and women) who six months or a year or two ago were in an army whose main function was terrorising unarmed people, mostly Muslims, in their villages and orchards on the West Bank, protecting lawless,  racist settlers who destroy their homes, crops and livestock, enforcing an occupation that has persisted for more than 50 years, with its regime of arbitrary detention, oppressive checkpoints, and a pseudo-justice system consisting of military tribunals, and who the past two years have been waging a genocidal war against the civilians of Gaza? When people said they didn’t want “Israeli hooligans” around, they were accused of antisemitism for suggesting that Israeli hooligans were worse than other football hooligans, but the fact is that other football hooligans are not war criminals.

According to police intelligence as reported in the Guardian last Tuesday, the fears were precisely about extremists linked to the club and not about danger to the Israeli supporters from locals: that Dutch police had told British police that the MTA fans instigated violence in Amsterdam and that scores of extremist fans with a history of racism and violence were expected to travel. The fans would have had to travel through London as there are no direct flights from Israel to Birmingham, which would have raised the possibility of further violence while they travelled to and from the game, and that specialist riot police would have had to be drafted in from across the country (this could, again, have been solved with charter flights and direct buses to a nearby stadium). The assessments were not made with any consideration of whether they could be interpreted as antisemitic or as ‘pandering’ or a surrender to antisemitism; they did understand that if you had not seen the intelligence, you could conclude that it was because the fans were Jewish; in my opinion, only bigoted Zionists — the sort that would not accept that the deliberate slaughter of tens or hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians after referencing an actual incident of genocide in the Bible was genocide, or that travelling Israeli fans could not possibly have started previous violence, even if local police had said so — would have concluded this.

Our political and media class are so devoted to Israel right now that they are willing to ride roughshod over local people’s feelings to allow some of the worst of them to come to the UK and roam around for several days, something which would not be allowed for a team from anywhere in Europe with such a record (and was not allowed for our fans when British hooligans were a major problem in the late 1980s and their behaviour contributed to a fatal disaster). With all the talk about whether the MTA fans were safe, and whether the police could police the match and the journey to and from it effectively, nobody seemed to be asking whether it was justified to impose any level of inconvenience on local people just so that a group of fans with a history of racist violence, from a country still engaged in an orgy of war crimes, could go to a football match. This would have affected everyone, but it was Muslims and Arabs (or anyone perceived as such) who were at particular risk from their behaviour, and this did not matter to politicians and the media, but all the while we see hand-wringing about how “Jews are not safe” because Israeli thugs are told they are not welcome, and indeed any time a strident criticism of Israel is made in a public forum. Sod everyone else’s feelings, but watch you mind theirs.

Critics of the Democratic nominee for NYC mayor have called him everything from ‘jihadist candidate’ to ‘terrorist sympathizer’

On Thursday morning, hours after a combative final New York mayoral debate that failed to move the needle in his favor, Andrew Cuomo’s attacks on his progressive Democratic rival Zohran Mamdani resumed a familiar, racially charged theme.

“God forbid, another 9/11, can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” the independent candidate and former governor told the conservative radio talkshow host Sid Rosenberg, referring to the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City by Islamic extremists.

Continue reading...

New US rhetoric, but same Israel.

My uncles and cousin were killed by an Israeli drone strike while they prepared a meal on their rooftop in Gaza.

Israel has committed at least 80 violations of the ceasefire since it came into effect.

Loved by the likes of Yusuf Islam and Gai Eaton, Dar al-Taqwa is finding it tough to survive an era of online retail

London’s oldest independent Islamic bookshop is at risk of closing within a year owing to declining footfall and the rise of online shopping platforms.

Founded in 1985 by the Egyptian publisher Samir el-Atar, Dar al-Taqwa has been a cornerstone of British Muslim life for four decades – a place where scholars, students and converts have long gathered to browse, talk and connect.

Continue reading...

Muslim New Yorkers have steadily become a political force amid post-9/11 Islamophobic sentiment. Mamdani is their most accomplished expression

Life was never the same for New Yorkers after the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, with every resident coping with the trauma and devastation of that day.

But for Muslim New Yorkers there was an added burden: the suspicion and sometimes physical harm now lurking around every corner.

Continue reading...

Conservative chair of public accounts committee to raise questions about Andrew’s deal at Royal Lodge. This live blog is closed

Rachel Reeves has announced a £500m investment package for new homes and stronger transport links between Oxford and Cambridge as part of a bid to create “Europe’s Silicon Valley” in southern England, PA Media reports. PA says:

The Cowley Branch railway line in Oxford will reopen with new stations in Littlemore and Cowley, which the Treasury said would support up to 10,000 new jobs.

The investment will also go towards the development of affordable homes in Cambridge, with plans to launch a consultation on forming a new centrally led development corporation to support the growth of the city.

Continue reading...

After fleeing Chinese repression, Uyghurs Idris and Zeynure Hasan thought their family would be safe. But Beijing’s growing influence led to Idris’s arrest and a long battle to be reunited

Zeynure Hasan was at home in Istanbul in July 2021 when her husband finally called. It had been four days since she last heard from him as he got ready to board a flight to Casablanca. The silence had been torturous.

But the news Idris now shared with her was even worse. He had been arrested and imprisoned on arrival in Morocco and told he was going to be deported to China. “You should call anyone who can help me, anyone who can rescue me,” he told her, before the phone went dead.

Continue reading...

Green politician Philip Krämer has warned about making anti-Zionism “socially acceptable.”

Labour MP condemns shadow justice secretary’s assertion there is a ‘strong argument’ in favour of ban

Labour is spending significantly more on levelling up projects than previous Conservative government, new research suggests.

In a New Statesman article, Anoosh Chakelian reports on figures produced by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods thinktank that show that Keir Starmer has spent more on levelling up projects in his first year than any of his Tory predecessors did in the same timescale. Chakelian says:

In its first year in office, Keir Starmer’s government has invested £2bn more than Johnson did in his first year – with £4.5bn allocated to regional investment programmes in Labour’s first year compared with £2.5bn spent in the equivalent period under Johnson – according to new analysis by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods.

Investment in the North East will be seven times higher than under Johnson, and five times higher in the North West and Yorkshire and Humber by the end of the Parliament, based on current trends identified in this analysis of 46 government programmes and funds.

Lab, Con & LibDems today all agreed the decision by Weds Mids police to ban the Jewish fans is wrong, disgraceful etc, but nothing they can do because ‘operational independence’. Only Reform UK will change the law to put the police under the control of elected politicians.

Continue reading...

On the walk south, the author confronts memory, loss and the reality of an irreparable break with the past.

Masjid leadership in the U.S. often have sincere intentions to do what is best for their community. However, when faced with the choice between funding an expansion or investing in human resources, leadership frequently falls into what I call the Expansion Trap. This trade-off usually centers around accommodating the larger crowds that gather for Jumu‘ah, Taraweeh, and Eid prayers. Though these decisions are made with good intentions, they often lead to empty prayer halls, overworked staff, and the mismanagement of funds. To understand why this often occurs, we must first delve into the inner workings of the decision.  

The Drive for Expansion

At first glance, expansion feels like the most natural choice. A mosque’s primary purpose is to provide space for worship, so what better use of funds could there be than to welcome more believers in prayer? Additionally, expansion projects are highly visible and celebrated within the community. They serve as a symbol of “progress,” reflecting how success is often measured culturally by physical growth. While the outcome is tangible and exciting, it often comes with hidden, long-term consequences that weaken the very mission the masjid was built to serve.

The Question of Compensation

There is also the idea that those who work for the mosque should remain humble and not expect substantial income from mosque funds. Instead, people are encouraged to work for free for the sake of Allah ﷻ. After all, what deed is better than one done sincerely for the sake of Allah ﷻ? 

The Core Dilemma

This raises the question: to what extent does that justify fundraising for expansion, especially when the rows of the mosque remain empty during the five daily prayers? Furthermore, how can volunteers dedicate themselves solely to serving the mosque if doing so creates a financial deficit in providing for their families? 

Masjid Expansions: Counting the Costs

“Years go by collecting funds, sometimes from frustrated congregants, while the mosque remains empty.” [PC: Bayu Prayuda (unsplash)]

Let us first consider the reality of expanding the mosque to accommodate more worshippers during Jumu‘ah and the nights of Ramadan. Expanding the mosque leads to more overhead expenses for the mosque on a monthly basis. At the same time, the mosque is left empty for 25 out of the 30 days of the month. When a seasoned Mufti and Imam was asked about this disparity, he advised that our priority should be strengthening the community within the mosque by reviving a genuine concern (fikr) for the effort of da‘wah and practicing it in depth. This is not to say that accommodation and expansion should not be considered, or that they are not relevant or important. Rather, the argument is about where to place expansion on our priority list. If a mosque were to procure $250,000 over the year, how should that money be spent—or, in this case, in what cause should it be spent primarily?

Choosing to pursue an expansion project comes with significant trade-offs—massive budgets, long fundraising periods, and increased overhead expenses—making it one of the most common bottlenecks and financial pitfalls that mosques face, all while the daily rows of the mosque remain underutilized. You can’t meaningfully expand with just $200k. If expansion is pursued, it often means going all in—and suddenly the fundraising budget jumps from $250k to $2.5 million. Years go by collecting funds, sometimes from frustrated congregants, while the mosque remains empty.

The mosque’s primary focus often becomes raising and allocating funds for expansion, while everything else takes a backseat. One example is a mosque that raised over $2 million in a single week, yet allocated only about $70k for all its youth expenses for the entire year—including compensation for the youth director and the full cost of programming. That’s a mere 3.5%. These same mosques often voice concern about empowering the youth, yet their actions continue to fall short.

In reality, the mosque sets itself on a financially unfeasible path, always playing catch-up, and often bearing an unfinished look for years due to ongoing construction. If you feel like I’m describing your mosque, you’re not alone—many mosques in the West follow this approach. But if we truly want to be effective with our resources, we must ask: Is it practical? And is it justified?

Investing in People, Not Just Places

An Imam, meanwhile, is expected to manage and lead the community, while not sponsored for a single management training seminar that would equip him with the skills to do so. For active and dedicated members, the message becomes clear: the mission has more to do with what appears in the sight of the public than with what truly impacts the public.

Examples like these are not just common, but in fact represent the better end of what we are dealing with as a society. Focusing primarily on expansion may seem like an exciting vision for the mosque’s future, but the trade-offs carry severe long-term consequences. 

Allah ﷻ says:

‘The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, give zakah, and fear none but Allah. It is they who are expected to be rightly guided.’ [Surah at-Tawbah;9:18]

In other words, the true maintenance of a mosque depends on the quality of the Believers behind it—those who fear Allah and strive to carry out what is most beneficial for the community. 

This brings us to the real priority: human resources. There are two areas we must rethink—how we fundraise for human resources, and how we compensate them fairly. While funds are being raised, dedicated members, employees, and workers of the mosque often remain underpaid—or worse, not paid at all. The notion that expecting compensation for work done for the mosque is shameful (‘aib) is unjustly imposed. The proper balance is this: those serving the mosque should not make extraordinary demands for compensation, while those in charge must provide sufficient funding to support them in their livelihood.

The word sufficient is key here, because too often mosque boards live comfortably—even lavishly—while imposing a so-called “sufficient” lifestyle on their dedicated employees, leaving them barely above the poverty line, if not worse. Furthermore, those in charge often fail to invest in training and resources for the very Imams and staff who serve the community, since funding is reserved almost exclusively for expansion projects. And so we come full circle: the mosque’s facilities are expected to advance, while its dedicated members are left behind.

This is not to say that no work should be done solely for the sake of Allah ﷻ. Volunteering keeps us grounded and sincere—but it is best suited for those already financially independent, like a congregant with a stable career who offers his time after work to clean the mosque or organize programs purely for Allah’s ﷻ sake.

“While funds are being raised, dedicated members, employees, and workers of the mosque often remain underpaid—or worse, not paid at all.” [PC:Masjid MABA (unsplash)]

Dedicated employees, however, should not be expected to give their all while being underpaid. Our salaf often maintained a side income for stability, and that same wisdom holds true today. Providing Imams and staff with a fair salary—while allowing them space to earn modestly on the side—is both healthier and more effective for the mosque and its mission. That same member can now choose to go above and beyond their specified hours by volunteering for the mosque—not as part of their salary, but purely for the advancement of the mosque itself.

Truth be told, everyone who is part of the mosque carries a genuine and noble intention to contribute to the larger mission of da‘wah. Rare is the case where someone gets involved with the mosque for personal gain—because in reality, there isn’t much personal gain to begin with. In this sense, it is a pleasure and an honor to witness the hard work, the blood, sweat, and tears of mosque board members, Imams, and dedicated community members at large. We are all in it ultimately for the pleasure of Allah ﷻ.

A Warning for the Future

However, that same zeal and passion for doing good can sometimes blind us to the real consequences we may be incurring for our community. If mosques continue to expand without first strengthening their core members, it is only a matter of time before they follow the path of many churches—where congregants come only once a week. Over time, that presence dwindles until the mosque becomes nothing more than a place to visit, like a museum, eventually abandoned and sold off, just as many churches have been in our own time. What is most alarming is that some of this pattern is already beginning to creep into our mosques.

On the flip side, imagine a mosque that, though not grand or extravagant, is filled to 20–30% of its capacity on a daily basis. Congregants return regularly for weekly programs that foster brotherhood and sisterhood, making the mosque a true hub of community life. It becomes a safe haven—a place where people are guided by a motivated Imam who nurtures their spirituality, supported by a well-organized team of volunteers providing meaningful Islamic programming for brothers and sisters of all ages.

Solutions: Building Stronger Mosques

To create sustainable mosques, we can:

• Prioritize Human Resources: Allocate the largest share of funds to staff such as Imams, youth directors, and secretaries before considering major construction projects.
• Provide Professional Development: Invest in leadership and management training for Imams and staff so they can lead effectively.
• Fair Compensation: Ensure mosque employees and the Imam receive fair, livable salaries that allow them to focus on serving the community without financial strain. Their standard of living should reflect the average lifestyle of the community they serve.
• Balance Between Paid and Volunteer Work: Encourage volunteers who are financially stable to contribute their time, while ensuring dedicated employees are paid for their roles.
• Measured Expansion: Only expand when daily attendance and programming consistently exceed current capacity.
• Transparent Budgeting: Clearly communicate how funds are allocated so the community understands and supports the priorities.

The Path Forward: People Over Blueprints

Each of us in a community has a role to play, and each role must be supported differently. If we make human resources the primary focus of mosque funding—particularly Imams, secretaries, youth directors, and others—we can empower these individuals, ignite their spirituality, and shape the mosque into a second home not only for its dedicated members but for the wider community. With strong and effective members in place, a larger congregation will naturally follow, along with more successful and impactful programming for the mosque.

The future of the Muslim Ummah in the West depends on how we strategize our priorities within our sacred spaces. Every year, either a new mosque opens or an existing one announces plans to expand. Alḥamdulillāh, the financial and economic standing of our communities has improved—especially with the emergence of second- and third-generation Muslims. It took us decades to reach this point. Now that we are here, we must tread carefully and strategically. It is vital that we invest in human resources, provide flexibility for our most dedicated members—such as Imams—and focus on developing Believers, not just blueprints. 

May Allah ﷻ accept the efforts of everyone striving in the path of da‘wah, forgive them and their families, and unite us all together in His Eternal Gardens.

 

Related:

– What Is An Imam Worth? A Living Wage At Least.

– Selecting Members For Masjid Boards: Ideal Muslim Leadership

The post The Expansion Trap: Why Mosques Are Struggling Despite Fundraising appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

East London Mosque received hateful emails after event for men, boys, and under-12 girls only – but organisers say women’s race was undersubscribed

A female leader at a British mosque accused of excluding women from a charity run has said women in the community have a voice and do not “need saving” by critics who lack an understanding of Muslim values.

East London Mosque, in Tower Hamlets, found itself at the centre of a media firestorm and received dozens of hate mail messages after staging the Muslim Charity Run, open to “men, boys of all ages and girls under 12”. The communities secretary, Steve Reed, later said he was “horrified”.

Continue reading...

The author and her relatives took a long hard road south just before the latest ceasefire was announced.

Helena Cobban on the ceasefire. A history of prisoner exchanges. Trump admits to outsize influence of pro-Israel donors. One-state solution and more.

Deek reconnects with Lubna, hires a young accountant, and shares a lunch with Marco that results in a stunning surprise.

Previous Chapters: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13| Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25

* * *

“All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.” – Surat Al-Fatihah

An Invitation

He was on his way to the hotel when Lubna called to report that she’d filed the non-profit paperwork for the school and was scouting candidates for the board and teaching staff.

“Beautiful,” Deek said. “MashaAllah. We are going to build something amazing, inshaAllah.”

He heard the smile in Lubna’s voice. “I think you’re right. Have you found a location for the school?”

“No, but I met an exceptional real estate agent. I think she’ll be able to find what we need. Listen, you’re in charge of hiring teachers, and I wouldn’t infringe on that. I just want to ask if you’d consider Marco as the science teacher.”

“Your friend Marco? The one who can never keep a job?”

“Marco Feliciano Colón Tirado, yes.”

Lubna giggled.

“What?”

“Nothing. It sounds funny when you say it fast like that. Deek, we’re trying to run a real school here, not some scheme to do favors for our friends.”

“Hey. Marco has multiple science degrees, including in biology, physics, chemistry and I don’t know what else. He’s a genius. Could you at least review his resume and interview him? Then make whatever decision you feel is right. You have the final word.”

She sighed. “Fine. Tell your vagabond genius to contact me. And hey, big brother.”

Deek turned into the hotel driveway and parked the car. “Yeah?”

“You could come by and visit sometime. Anytime, really.”

Deek shut off the car, suddenly conscious of his breathing. He felt strangely moved. Lubna had never invited him to her home, except occasionally in Ramadan or on Eid, and those invitations had become fewer and fewer in between, because they never ended well.

Yet now it seemed she had forgiven him for a lifetime of meanness and verbal abuse. Or at least she was on the path to forgiving him. And she’d done it faster than he had any right to expect. There was no doubt which of them was the better person. It was Lubna, hands down.

“I could?”

“Yes… Hammo misses you.”

He restrained himself from laughing. “Did he say that?”

“You could come for dinner tonight. And bring Rania and the girls.”

“That’s problematic. But definitely soon, inshaAllah.”

A Terrible Miracle

After he hung up the call, he saw that Rania had finally sent a one-word reply to Deek’s question – of yesterday, for goodness sakes – about whether she had been at Jum’ah. Her reply consisted of one word: “No.”

So she’d read his mind again, mirroring what he’d heard from the Imam: Allah will take care of me. He put his head in his hand, thinking. He and Rania were connected in ways he did not understand. It was more than a marriage.

What had Imam Saleh said? This world is not sustained by wealth, but by Allah’s mercy. Whoever clings to Him, Allah provides in ways they never imagined.

Deek believed this. He’d seen it many times. He’d told the man at the gym how he and his family had fled Iraq in the middle of the night, and now he found himself thinking of the event that forced their flight. It was a terrible yet wondrous miracle that had happened to his father. This event, more than anything, had shaped his father’s personality and steered the course of his life. Lubna had been very small when it happened, and the truth had been kept from her. Deek wondered if she deserved to know.

He rubbed his cheeks vigorously with both hands. He didn’t want to think about these things. He had a lot to do.

Upstairs in his hotel room he made wudu’, changed into jeans and the old t-shirt he’d left home with, and prayed. Then he called Zakariyya Abdul-Ghani, the young accountant Imam Saleh had told him about. Zakariyya, who sounded young, said he could see Deek next week.

“I don’t usually work on weekends,” the accountant pointed out.

Deek explained that his business was urgent, and insisted on a meeting that very day, and the young man agreed, though he didn’t sound excited about it.

Deek made himself a sandwich with sourdough bread, albacore tuna, mustard and provolone cheese. He ate it quickly while surveying the financial markets on his computer, then opened the backpack with the cash, stuffed a few packets into his pockets, and headed out to meet Zakariyya.

Beneath the Flight Path

The accountant’s office was on the second floor of a low-rise building near the airport, its stucco walls sun-faded and the sign out front half missing. Inside, the narrow waiting area smelled faintly of printer toner and cardamom tea.

The young man himself rose from behind a desk when Deek entered. He was thin to the point of fragility, mahogany-skinned, a neatly trimmed beard, and large brown eyes that reminded Deek of a deer taking its first hesitant steps through the woods. His suit fit him awkwardly, as if it had been bought with ambition rather than cash.

“Mr. Saghir?” he said, extending a hand. “I’m Zakariyya. Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?”

Deek sat. “No, but thank you. Are you Pakistani?”

“My family are Indian Muslims from Bihar state. But I was born in Los Angeles.” The boy’s voice was so soft Deek had to lean forward in his chair to hear. He couldn’t help noticing the accountant’s youth—he looked barely out of college—but when Zakariyya began talking about finances, the uncertainty fell away. His voice became steady, deliberate, precise.

“You said by email that you need help handling medical disbursements,” Zakariyya said. “That’s simple enough. We can open a dedicated account in your name, with me as an authorized manager but not a signer. You’ll transfer funds into it as needed, and I’ll process payments directly to hospitals or doctors once you approve the invoices. Everything will be logged and reconciled monthly. You’ll have full visibility online.”

Deek nodded, impressed despite himself. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

A faint smile touched the young man’s lips. “Masjid Madinah is one of my clients. I handle their payroll and donations. I also do work for a few small medical practices, so I’m familiar with billing systems. I can have you set up by the middle of next week.”

“I need it set up by Monday morning.”

Zakariyya sat back in his chair and smiled uncertainly. “I have other clients. I have to be fair to them.”

At that moment a roaring sound began overhead. It increased in volume until the windows rattled in their frames. It was the loudest sound Deek had heard in a long time, and it flashed him back to his youth in Baghdad, and the occasional explosions that had rocked the city. When the sound passed, he realized to his shame that he had come off the chair and dropped to one knee. He stood, brushing imaginary dust from his knees.

Zakariyya cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m sorry. We’re beneath the airport flight path. How about if I bring you that tea now?”

Deek nodded. “Yes, thanks.”

A Pop Quiz

While Zakariyya was gone, Deek steadied himself. He was deeply embarrassed. He looked around the small office. A tall bookshelf was crammed with books on financial management and accounting, but there were also books on history and philosophy. On the top shelf there were two different translations of the Quran, and one in Arabic only. Zakariyya’s diplomas and certifications hung on the wall behind him and Deek saw to his surprise that the young man had a B.A. in Economics, a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. in Accounting.

Zakariyya returned with the tea. The fragrance of cardamom filled the small office.

The teacup was hot in Deek’s hand. “You have a master’s degree? How old are you?”

Zakariyya smiled. “I’m twenty seven. I look younger.”

“Out of curiosity, do you know anything about cryptocurrency?”

The accountant nodded. “I did a minor in blockchain technology. The course had just been introduced. I’ve tried to stay up to date on the development of decentralized finance, layer 1s and 2s, NFTs, stablecoins, tokenized assets and so on. But I’m not an expert.”

Again Deek was impressed. Not many people outside the crypto world could have named those technologies. “Have you heard of a family office?”

Zakariyya blinked. “I feel like I’m back in school getting a pop quiz. Yes, of course. It’s the structure high-net-worth families use to manage everything in-house. Why do you ask?”

Deek sipped his tea. “Just wondering. It’s something I heard about. Listen, I’m going to give it to you straight.”

“Okay.”

Setting the teacup down, Deek pulled a banded wad of cash out of his pocket and set it on the desk in front of Zakariyya. “If you and I are going to work together, I need you to prioritize my business. Hire someone to help with the other clients if you need to, but I want you personally handling my business. That – “ he pointed to the stack of cash – “is ten thousand dollars. That’s not an advance. It’s an incentive for taking me on as a client. This – “ He pulled another stack of $10,000 out of his pocket and set it beside the first – “is an advance. I’m telling you what my needs are. If you do well with this medical disbursement, I could have more work for you. But I must be first priority, and I will pay for that privilege. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, that’s fine. I can find someone else.”

Zakariyya’s eyes had widened slightly. He nodded slowly. “I understand. Yes, okay. I’ll have it set up for you by Monday morning.”

“MashaAllah,” Deek said. “Excellent.”

They discussed a few details—security protocols, recordkeeping, how large transfers should be handled—then another plane thundered overhead. The window rattled again, and this time Deek resisted the urge to duck.

Child to Adult

Over the next few days, Deek stayed busy, partly to distract himself from his own thoughts. His mind kept wandering inexplicably to the tragedies that had befallen his family, and other families they had known, in Iraq. As well, he found himself haunted by the dream he’d had of the planet Rust. Was this a side effect of the Namer’s potion, that his dreams took on increased clarity and weight, and persisted like the bitter aftertaste of black coffee? It was as if he’d left some part of himself stranded among those giants, forever separated from his family by the vast, black gulf of space.

He made a number of calls and held a few meetings to arrange the surprise he had in mind for brother Faraz.

* * *

Zakariyya did indeed have the medical payments operation up and running by Monday morning, and Deek – not wanting to hear more of Dr. Rana’s effusive praise – emailed Dr. Rana to inform him.

* * *

Dr. Zuhair, the rich and handsome Egyptian engineer who was the board president at Masjid Umar, called him.

“I mentioned your offer to the board,” he said. “They feel I was hasty in rejecting it. They wish to accept your offer of a one million dollar donation. You will be granted a seat on the board, and Dr. Ajeeb will be fired, as you stipulated.”

Deek was shocked. “You told me that was impossible, that it was a violation of your integrity.”

“I still feel that way. But I was outvoted.”

“Well… I don’t want that anymore. I will donate a quarter million for now, but I don’t want a seat on the board, as I have enough on my plate already. And I don’t want you to fire Dr. Ajeeb. In fact I insist that you do not. That was a petty and vindictive demand on my part.”

“SubhanAllah. I am speechless. It’s as if you have grown from child to adult in two weeks.”

The condescending remark irritated Deek, but he let it pass. “My accountant, Zakariyya Abdul-Ghani, will arrange a cashier’s check or wire transfer, and will need a receipt for tax purposes. I’ll have him contact you.”

* * *

Public Enemy

He managed to convince Amira to have lunch with him. She was reserved, not her usual quirky, affectionate self. She wore a t-shirt that said, “FIGHT THE POWER.” Beneath it was a logo featuring a black and red flag, and a red rose.

Pointing to it, Deek said, “I didn’t know any young people still listened to Public Enemy.”

“Public who? This is a Rose City Antifa shirt.”

“A what?”

Amira laughed – the first time she’d done so during their meeting that day – and Deek smiled.

“Miri, honey,” he said. “Could you ask your mom to please call me?”

The laughter disappeared. Amira lapsed into silence, and on that somber note Deek drove her home and dropped her off. As he stopped in front of the house, he saw that the side gate and fence had been removed, and a variety of construction equipment was parked in the driveway. From the rear of the house, he thought he could hear the sounds of hammering, and the buzz of a wood saw.

“What’s going on? What is all this?”

Amira opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then shrugged and said, “Mom’s doing some work.” With that she exited the car and strolled into the house.

The Park Lunch

Marco called him out of the blue on Wednesday. “Lunch is on me,” he said, in that tone that dared Deek to argue.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, man. I got a spot.”

Deek drove to the rough end of town where Marco lived, parking a few doors down from a corner store with a faded sign that read Al-Quds Market. The owner, an elderly Palestinian in a gray kufi, waved from behind the counter. The place didn’t sell liquor—unique in this part of Fresno—and for that reason, it was a minor miracle of survival. Its shelves were stacked with pastries, candy bars, canned beans, and a glass deli case full of foil-wrapped meals that looked like they’d been made that morning in someone’s kitchen.

“Pick what you want,” Marco said, opening the deli case. “It’s all good.”

Deek glanced over the options: lasagna, chicken and rice, something that looked like grape leaves, and several containers of what appeared to be macaroni with tuna and mayonnaise.

“Two of those,” Marco told the old man, slapping a few crumpled bills on the counter. A few minutes later they left with the food and a couple of bottled teas.

They walked two blocks to a small park wedged between a laundromat and an auto repair yard. The grass was patchy, the benches scarred with initials and half-burned by cigarettes. A pair of homeless men slept under the shade of a fig tree, and a thin woman paced near the trash cans, mumbling to herself.

They sat on a bench with peeling paint. The park smelled of marijuana smoke and urine. Oblivious, Marco popped open his container and started eating. “Best five dollar meal in Fresno,” he said through a mouthful.

Deek smiled. The mac n’ tuna was actually quite good, with chopped black olives and a flavor of spicy mustard. Every now and then he glanced around the park, watching a shirtless man argue with a trash can, and his hand drifted absently to the knife sheath at his hip.

No Walking Away

“I’ve been doing a lot of gigs,” Marco said finally. “The new trumpet sounds like joy with butter on top.”

“That’s great, man.” The news made Deek genuinely happy. “I’ve been busy too. I’m founding an Islamic school.”

Marco looked up, eyebrows raised. “Seriously?”

“Yes. I think you’d be a good candidate for science teacher. Lubna’s the hiring manager. You want to put together a resume and call her?”

Marco stopped chewing. “Deek, don’t do that. I don’t need charity.”

Deek exhaled noisily, exasperated. “How is it charity? If anything you’re overqualified. And I have a feeling you’d be good with the kids.”

“It might be fun to be a teacher,” Marco mused. “When would it start?”

“Next school year. But if you take the job, you’d have to commit. No half measures. No walking away.”

Marco stared at the ground for a moment, fork idle in his hand. “Let me think about it.”

Deek nodded, watching a plane drift high above, glinting in the sunlight. “That’s all I ask.”

They finished the meal in companionable silence, the noise of the street rising around them — traffic, a distant siren, the crackle of a wrapper caught in the wind.

A Surprise

When the meal was finished, Marco said, “I have a surprise for you.”

“Okay. Is it my birthday and someone didn’t tell me?”

Marco sat up straight, cleared his throat, then began to recite in nearly perfect Arabic:

Aoothoo billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem,
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem,
Alhamdulillahi rabbil-aalameen…

He went on to recite all of Surat Al-Fatihah, the opening chapter of the Quran. His voice was strong and melodic, hypnotizing in fact, and although his accent wasn’t perfect – he couldn’t quite get the “dha” in “dhaalleen” – it was very good.

When he was done, Deek shot his fists into the air and said, “Allahu Akbar! That was amazing.”

“You’ve been saying you wanted to hear me recite the Quran.”

“It was fantastic. But… why now?”

In response, Marco recited the shahadah, the Islamic testimony of faith. Again, his Arabic was nearly perfect. As he did so, Deek felt goosebumps break out on his arms.

“So… you’re Muslim now?”

Marco smiled. “Obviously.”

Deek leaped up, grabbed Marco around the waist and lifted him off the bench and into the air. Marco laughed and demanded to be put down.

Deek set his friend on his feet. “Why now?” he repeated. “I’ve known you all your life. You’ve always been someone who knows everything but believes in nothing.”

“You’re wrong. I believe in you. I saw what you were like when you were poor, and I’ve seen what you’re like now that you’re rich, and I’ve realized that whatever life throws at you, you just get better. Part of that is because you’re an extraordinary human being, but I think part of it is the guidance of your faith. And I want that. I need it. Badly.”

Tears came to Deek’s eyes. Damn Namer’s potion. He sat heavily on the bench and covered his face with his hands. From the auto repair shop, he heard the sharp, stuttering “rat-tat-tat-tat… whirrrrr—clack” of an impact wrench removing the lug nuts from someone’s tires. A breeze gusted, and the leaves of the fig tree beside him rustled. A homeless man asked for change, and Deek looked up to see Marco give the man a dollar. The sun was bright overhead, but not hot. It was all beautiful.

***

Come back next week for Part 27 inshaAllah

 

Reader comments and constructive criticism are important to me, so please comment!

See the Story Index for Wael Abdelgawad’s other stories on this website.

Wael Abdelgawad’s novels – including Pieces of a Dream, The Repeaters and Zaid Karim Private Investigator – are available in ebook and print form on his author page at Amazon.com.

Related:

Day Of The Dogs, Part 1 – Tiny Ripples Of Hope

Searching for Signs of Spring: A Short Story

 

The post Moonshot [Part 26] – Beneath The Flight Path appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Palestinian liberation movement will soon confront new media landscape.