Around the world, Muslims are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on March 19. During this time, observers fast from sunup to sundown, join in communal prayer, and study the Quran. Self-reflection and acts of charity are also pillars of the holy month.
At the Islamic Da’awa Center & Masjid of Fort Walton Beach this past Saturday, locals came together to break their fast and pray.
“It is compulsory in the month of Ramadan for us to fast for 30 days from sunrise to sunset, and a lot of mosques have a gathering for iftar (daily evening meal),” explained Najma Dana. “In this mosque, we have Pakistanis, we have Bangladeshis, and others. We do invite non-Muslims to join us, also.”
For many Muslims, this year’s Ramadan has been clouded by the airstrikes in Iran that began last month during the holy month.
“We do pray for them … for their safety, for their health. And we hope for peace,” said Dana, who moved to Fort Walton Beach from Singapore when she married her military husband. “We pray for all of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and of course, the non-Muslims. (We pray) not only for Iran, or Gaza, but Ukrainians, too. There is a lot of hurt going on.”
But war is not just felt by one group of people, as mosque attendee Rizwan Bakhshi pointed out.
“People are being hurt, people are being killed,” he said. “So that should weigh heavily on every human, not only Muslims; everybody should feel bad about that.”
A part of the community
The Islamic Da’awa Center moved from a smaller space to its current location on South Avenue last November to allow for more space. The mosque has about 70 regular attendees.
“We have been here in this community for the last 30 years,” said Bakhshi. “Because our community has grown a lot in the last 15 years, we started looking for a newer place.”
Besides an incident from 2016 when a local blogger accused the mosque of supporting ISIS, the mosque has felt welcomed by the community.
“Locals have been wonderful,” said Bakhshi.
Those who gather at the mosque for prayers are military service members, business owners, parents, and involved community members.
“Everyone here is fully integrated into America,” said Anthony Johnson, who is a veteran. “You have business owners, you have doctors, pediatricians, electricians, architects. So, this is the fabric of America right here in this community.”
Dana has lived in the United States for 16 years and says she’s never had an “ugly experience.” Moving to America from Singapore was a big change, she said. But she has “no complaints.”
“I do love America,” she added.
Conflicts around the world can have an effect on religious groups and minorities in America. There was a rise of antisemitism after the 2023 attack on Israel. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Muslims became targets of racism. There is concern that it could rise again after the attacks on Iran. Some argue it never really went away.
Uzma Monjur, an 18-year-old high school senior, said students made racist remarks to her about her hijab when she was a freshman. The head covering is a choice she makes.
“It’s because of 9/11,” she said bluntly. Though Monjur and her peers weren’t even alive when the 2001 attacks occurred, she guessed the rhetoric was passed down from “parents and the internet.”
Monjur said once people get to know her, there is less judgment.
“People before meeting me thought I couldn’t do a lot of stuff,” she said. “Like, I can drive. I do ROTC. I do archery. They think (because) I wear the hijab that I’m restricted. A lot of people think the hijab is forced upon, but no. It’s always a choice.”
Earlier this month, a Tennessee congressman said that Muslims “don’t belong in American society,” on social media. In Florida, advocates for Muslim groups spoke out against a bill that gives top state officials the authority to designate a group as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The bill is seen as targeting Muslim Floridians.
Thirteen-year-old Shareeka Mritha said she is proud of her Muslim faith despite any negative stereotypes.
“I don’t feel like we should be represented based on how global politics are going,” she said. “At my school, I'm openly Muslim, and I have a lot of people who respect me and support me. But I'm also a Bangladeshi. But I feel like that's like a part of who I am … I'm proud of who I am.”
Bakhshi said he’d rather handle any questions people have about the Muslim faith through education.
“There are ways to handle that … we can communicate and talk,” he said. “We are open, open for anybody to come in here anytime.”
A place to pray
For the growing local Muslim population, the Islamic Da’awa Center is a place to pray and be in community with others. The unassuming building was renovated by members. It has separate entrances for men and women to enter their respective spaces to pray, which is customary in the Muslim faith.
The Islamic Da’awa Center is a “blended community,” as Johnson put it, representing countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and India, to name a few. Much of this community has been praying together for decades.
“I remember when most of these guys and myself all had black hair; now we have gray hair,” said Johnson, who has been with the mosque for 20 years. “The babies are now in college and getting married. I guess I've become an elder almost overnight.”
During the month of Ramadan, the space is especially important. On Saturdays, people bring dishes of food and join together in prayer.
“It brings the community closer, and we learn about Islam,” said Monjur. “We come together, pray together — it makes me really happy.”
The evening starts with a date (the fruit is a symbol of Ramadan) and water to officially break the fast, then the call to prayer. When it’s time to eat, everyone sits on the floor with plates full. People are laughing and complimenting others’ home cooking. After a quick cleanup, prayers resume.
These Saturday night gatherings are open to everyone. Joey Garcia visited the mosque last Saturday at the invitation of his longtime friend, Johnson.
As a former soldier, Garcia said he was sometimes trained to believe that Muslims were the enemy. But his takeaway from visiting the Islamic Da’awa Center is that different religions have the same message: “love each other.”
“They realized I’m not Muslim, but they welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “It’s all peaceful. It’s nothing but community and love in here.”
And the food?
“Oh, the food was great,” he said.
All are welcome to visit the Islamic Da’awa Center & Masjid of Fort Walton Beach at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 14. The mosque is located at 300 South Ave. in Fort Walton Beach. To learn more, visit fwbmasjid.org.
