Fireproof faith: Muslim community overcomes arson, pandemic during holy month of Ramadan

During the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Muslims around the world practice a heightened devotion to God through fasting.

From dawn to sunset, fasting is practiced by refraining from eating, drinking and sexual interactions of any kind while also striving to increase charitable acts and control bad habits such as foul language, gossip and anger.

Sawm, the Arabic word for fasting, is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith and serves as an act of self-restraint and spiritual cleansing that increases one's empathy for the less fortunate and develops strong willpower through overcoming damaging speech and bodily desires.

This year in Cape Girardeau, those Muslim values were tested in unimaginable ways.

Umar Aziz wears a face mask with a handwritten greeting of "Eid Mubarak" to mark the celebration Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, May 24, 2020, in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

The pandemic had already put constraints on the local Muslim community's ability to gather and celebrate Ramadan in its traditional, large group capacity.

Then, on the first day of the holy month, a man set fire to the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau.

In the wake of the hate crime, a small group of leaders gathered in a distanced circle and made one thing clear -- the man's actions did nothing to damage their faith in God.

"We believe in God's almighty wisdom in every action," Shafiq Malik said on behalf of the group. "It's a trial on us -- how we react to it, how we deal with it, how we deal with the community, how we deal with one another. It's a trial on us, so we have to be steadfast in our beliefs and stick together and be strong."

And strong they were.

In a letter published April 30 in the Southeast Missourian, the local Muslim community expressed deep appreciation for the condolences and contributions from the City of Cape Girardeau and its residents. Only one thing was said about the man who destroyed their mosque.

"We pray that God guides him to conquer evil and replace his hatred with love."

Throughout the remainder of Ramadan, many local Muslims were unable to visit a mosque to pray the five daily prayers -- Fajr at dawn, Dhuhr at midday, Asr in the afternoon, Maghrib at sunset and Isha at night.

Those who were able to gather in a makeshift mosque adjacent to the burnt remains of the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau could only do so in small groups and through careful considerations for pandemic protocols.

Pairs of shoes rest inside the doorway of a makeshift mosque alongside a table containing an infrared thermometer, hand sanitizer and face masks during an Eid al-Fitr service on Sunday, May 24, 2020, in Cape Girardeau after the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan. The local Islamic Center was destroyed on April 24, the first day of Ramadan, and an adjacent building has since been used as an alternative place of worship.BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

Still, they remained steadfast in their faith. Sermons occasionally mentioned the incident at the start of the holy month, but only to remind the local Muslim community of the prophet Muhammed's teachings and to encourage prayer for the alleged arsonist.

On May 24, after the 30 days of Ramadan had passed, the community celebrated Eid al-Fitr -- a day of celebration to thank God for the opportunity to experience the holy month of Ramadan through celebration, socialization, festive meals and gift giving.

Muddassir Ahmed recites the adhan, an Islamic call to prayer, before participating in the Dhuhr prayer on Friday, May 8, 2020, in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

While some Eid traditions were forgone due to the coronavirus and the local Muslim community's ability to gather remained hindered, the significance of the day was undeniable.

After the conclusion of a prayer and sermon, elbow bumps were exchanged in lieu of hugs and joyous smiles were reciprocated by all -- even if from under a face mask.

Visit www.capeislamiccenter.com for more information about how to contribute to fundraising efforts to rebuild the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau.