CAIRO – A Charlotte-based Islamic group in is leading efforts of American Muslims in North Carolina to reach out to their community and present insights into the true Islam.
“We thought it would be better to have a unified effort to address these issues before things got out of hand,” Mohamed Haroon Sait, who leads the American Islamic Outreach Foundation, told The Charlotte Observer.
Sait, a businessman who lives in north Charlotte, began reaching out to the community five years ago.
All through this period, the foundation has hosted various outreach programs, from Meet Your Muslim Neighbor, to open houses, and the Qur’an Mobile, a van that visits around the region with free copies of the holy Qur’an.
Volunteers sometimes set up tables to hand out information pamphlets and answer questions about Islam.
The van is a “staple and one of our ongoing projects,” said Hanifa Shaikh, who works with the foundation.
The foundation officially became a nonprofit in mid-2012 with goals of promoting education about Islam and dispelling misconceptions through community service and programs.
“Islam is a faith that encourages us to reach out to people with the message of peace and turning to God,” Sait said.
“Interactions tear down barriers,” he added.
Community Service
The outreach efforts included the opening of Free Shifa Health Clinic at the Muslim American Society of Charlotte’s facility on Shamrock Drive.
The clinic, run by Muslim medical professionals, offers services to people who are uninsured and live below the poverty line, regardless of their faith.
The foundation volunteers have also joined hands with other groups to offer community service, such as working with Habitat for Humanity where they packed meals for the hungry, provided food for people who are homeless and are involved in the Adopt-A-Street program.
Meeting members of the community, Sait encourages them to get to know Muslims and “find out who they are rather than someone telling you who they are.”
“We tell them to be objective and not to blindly follow what you read and hear.”
However, the battle to clear misconceptions surrounding Islam does not seem to be an easy one.
“This is an uphill battle,” Sait said. “We’re working against the tide. Every day something happens somewhere.
“Whatever we can do, we do. The rest we leave in the hands of God.