The small group of students, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years, study the Quran and Islamic Studies in interactive sessions which often include games, discussions and outdoor field trips. They delve into topics such as the ideal character of a Muslim and how such a person should interact with his Creator, his parents, his peers and the larger society around him.
Quite frequently, members of churches in the area attend these sessions to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Islam and to build bridges of cooperation between the faith communities.
In February 2010, Gary Metz, a member of Beth Aviv synagogue in Columbia, Maryland, approached Ayman Nassar, one of the two teachers and youth mentors in this Sunday program, about their respective congregations working together on volunteer projects. Two other Jewish congregations in Maryland – one from Columbia and one from Rockville – would also participate.
Metz, who first came in contact with Dar Al-Taqwa in 2009 as part of a visiting Jewish congregation, was excited at the prospect of building bridges between faith communities through volunteerism; Nassar welcomed the offer. The first project would be renovating the home of a 75 year old wheelchair-bound resident of Howard County.
The house which Geraldine Dorsey called home for 40 years had been in dire need of repairs and renovations, and Dorsey’s limited financial resources kept the home in the state even as it deteriorated further.
Dorsey applied for assistance from a national housing advocacy group called “Rebuilding Together” which helps repair homes of low-income, elderly or disabled families in order to provide them a better quality of life. The organization screens many applications, from which the most qualified properties are selected and offered to volunteer groups who carry out the renovation work.
Nassar and Metz agreed to take the project to renovate Dorsey’s home. The Dar Al-Taqwa youth group along with the three Jewish congregations jointly contributed towards the $2500 sponsorship fee that “Rebuilding Together” needed to purchase material and supplies for the work.
On Sunday morning, April 25, 2010, a group of nine volunteers - comprising of Nassar, co-teacher Mohammad Elhabashy, and seven youth - met at Dar Al-Taqwa masjid to drive the 30 minutes to the Mount Airy home of Geraldine Dorsey. There they met with about 50 adult volunteers and together the group worked on painting the interior of the home, landscaping the yard, fixing downspouts for the gutters, weather-proofing the door and trimming the woodwork on the porch.
Ahmed Ibrahim, along with Ahmed Abdelrady and Kareem Morsi, worked for more than an hour on dismantling an old metal shed in the backyard. Then, Ibrahim went over to assist an elderly volunteer who was weeding the garden. Abdelrady joined him.
“I felt pretty good knowing that I was helping an elderly lady who could not do that stuff herself,” says Abdelrady, a 17 year old high school student. “We all felt like one big group helping each other. It was great working with people of another religion and getting to know them better.”
Ibrahim, a 16 year old who attends Towson High School, says this was his first volunteer experience with a group and he really enjoyed it, even wanting to stay on longer after the work was finished. “It was a great experience,” he says. “The best part was the unity between the religions. I didn’t feel we were different. You just come to realize how much we have in common and put everything else aside.”
One of the goals Gary Metz had in mind through this effort was to coordinate an interfaith group.
“There is a need to keep these lines of communication open and work together on community events, especially with what’s going on in the world now,” says Metz. “Dar al-Taqwa was very appreciative of the outreach. It was a good thing to watch people of the Jewish and Muslim faiths working together.”
Metz, who was managing the event, said the event took months of hard work and planning and that the logistical coordination between the groups was a challenge. However, he said that he would definitely do it again. “I was very pleased with how well the whole thing worked out. To see a smile on Mrs. Dorsey’s face and to know that we helped to make her home more comfortable, safe and warm, was worth every second I have spent working on this,” he says.
Ayman Nassar, who has been working with young people for the past 14 years, was grateful his youth group had an opportunity to put the values and lessons they have learned into practice.
“Contrary to many who feel [high schoolers are at] a rebellious age, I find it an age of exploration and learning,” he says. “The key in dealing with teens is to know how to click with them, and each person is different. They are kind, sincere, ambitious, hard working, caring and willing to serve and follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They just need the hand that will extend to them and the hug that will embrace them,” he explained.
Nassar believes that in every interaction there is a lesson to learn and a lesson to teach, and says he has developed and and learned through the young people with whom he has interacted.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is for our communities to embark on objective youth programs with a sound basis for development, rather than the sporadic efforts that are performed. It is time we truly invest in our youth and assess solutions to identify what works and what does not.
“The greatest reward is to see a preteen grow and transform into a young man, carrying along with him values he has acquired from his community to serve Allah. Our youth are not just our future as many claim, they are our present. What we put in them today is not only what will remain with us in the future, but also is the driving force of our today,” said Nassar.
Mohammad Arafat, a 16 year old Sunday class student and volunteer, says this experience left him with an enthusiasm to do more volunteer work and he is eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to spread goodwill in the greater community while serving those in need.
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