WEEK,NEZ
WEEK,NEZ OBLATERRA, ABC NEWS, WASHINGTON.
NEWS, WASHINGTON. >>+@> THE PANDEMIC IS CHANGING
THE WAY MUSLIMS WILL BE
ABLE TO OBSERVE THE HOLIDAY.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO RAM MA DAN IS ALL ABOUT
PRAYER SERVICES,
PRAYER SERVICES, GATHERINGS.
GATHERINGS. HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO MARK
THIS MONTH IN SUCH A
DIFFERENT WAY?
DIFFERENT WAY? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S G+@OT A TANGIBLE EFFECT ON
OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR COMMUNITY. IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT FOR US TO
ENGAGE.
ENGAGE.
ENGAGE. BUT RAM MA DAN IS ABLE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. WE'RE USING TECHNOLOGY AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE
THAT WE STAY CONNECTED AS A
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. WE'RE USING ZOOM MEETINGS TO GO
THROUGH TEACHINGS OF
THE HOLY KORAN RIGHT BEFORE THE
OPENING OF THE FAST.
WE'RE ENGAGING WITH OUR
COMMUNITY AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. BUT ONE OF THE INJUNCTIONS IS
ALSO TO FOLLOW THE LAW
OF THE LAND, AND WE+@'RE
FOLLOWING CDC AND LOCAL
AUTHORITIES, RESTRICTIONS, IN
TERMS OF SOCIAL
DISTAN+@CING.
DISTAN+@CING. IT IS ABSOLUTELY GOING TO +@BE
VERY, VERY DIFFERENT
MONTH.
MONTH.
MONTH. USUALLY OUR ATTENDANTS AT OUR
MOSQUE IS THREE, FOUR
TIMES THE USUAL, AND IT'S A
FESTIVE TIME.
FESTIVE TIME. IT'S AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR
EVERYBODY TO DO SELF
INTR+@O SPECS, AND THINK ABOUT
HOW THEY CAN
SPIRITUALLY GROW.
SPIRITUALLY GROW. WE'LL HAVE TO DO ALL OF THAT IN
THE COMFORT OF OUR
HOUSES, AND IT'S GOING TO BE
VERY DIFFERENT,
VERY DIFFERENT, ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. >> SO FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE, HOW
BIG IS THE NORTH
TEXAS MUSLIM COMMUNITY?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT'S TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
MUSLIMS.
MUSLIMS.
MUSLIMS. AGAIN, CLOSE TO 50 MOSQUES IN
+@
AGAIN, CLOSE TO 50 MOSQUES IN +@THE AREA.
+@THE AREA. AGAIN, EVERY MOSQUE IS FILLED
TO THE BRIM USUALLY
DURING THIS MONTH.
IT'S BEEN -- AGAIN, IT'S BEEN
DI+@FFICULT FOR ALL
RELIGIONS, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR
MUSLIMS DURING THE
MONTH OF RAMADAN.
THIS IS ONE MONTH WHERE WE AS A
COMMUNITY ENGAGE
COMMUNITY ENGAGE VERY FREQUENTLY.
VERY FREQUENTLY. THERE'S EXTRA PRAYER SERVICES.
THERE'S EXTRA KIND OF COMMUNITY
EFFORT TO REACH OUT.
WE HAVE A LONG-STANDING
TRADITION WITHIN THE DALLAS
CHAPTER TO DO INTER-FAITH
EVENTS, OUR BRETHREN FROM
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS. WE'LL HAVE TO DO THAT VIRTUALLY
T+@HIS YEAR.
T+@HIS YEAR. THAT'S THE WAY IT'S -- WE'RE
DOING A VIRTUAL IFTAR
ON MAY 9th.
WE'RE GOING TO ASK OUR FELLOW
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND
PEOPLE FROM OTHER RELIGIONS TO
JOIN US.
JOIN US.
JOIN US. >> SO YOU'LL BE DOING SOME
PRAYER SERVICES
PRAYER SERVICES VIRTUALLY, BUT THEN ALSO
CELEBRATING AND BREAKING
BREAD VIRTUALLY AS WELL THEN?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S WHAT WE WILL HAVE TO DO.
>> WELL, HOW HAS THE RESPONS+@E
BEEN?
BEEN?
BEEN? I
BEEN? I UNDERSTAND THIS IS DIFFICULT,
BUT A LOT OF +@PEOPLE,
AS YOU MENT+@IONED, FOLLOWING T
LAW OF THE LAND, IS
IT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE
+@
IT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THERE'S JUST NO OTHER
+@ OPTION?
OPTION?
OPTION? >> YEAH, THERE ISN'T.
AND OUR MOSQUES ARE OPEN FOR --
WE'RE DOING BLOOD
DRIVES ACROSS THE NATION.
WE'VE GOT 60 PLUS CHAPTERS, AND
WE'RE OPENING THE
MOSQUES FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES
AND SERVING THE
COMMUNITY FOR SOME OF THE
ESSENTIAL SERVICES, BUT
YES, IT'S GOING TO BE
DIFFICULT, BECAUSE WE HAVE
MEMBERS WHO ARE THERE AT THE
MOSQUE 4, 5 TIMES A DAY
TO SAY THEIR PRAYERS, AND WE
CA+@N'T BE THERE
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. IT IS -- IT IS DIFFICULT, BUT
ALSO I THINK, IN
GENERAL, THIS HAS BEEN A GOOD
LEARNING EXPERIENCE +@
FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO DO THINGS
THAT WE NORMALLY
WOULDN'T DO AT HOME, RIGHT?
SO I ASKED MY SON, FOR EXAMPLE,
HE'S 11 YEARS OLD,
TO DO THE FRIDAY PRAYER FOR US
AT HOME.
AT HOME.
AT HOME. AGAI+@N, THAT WAS A NEW
EXPERIENCE THAT I THINK --
THAT'S THE SILVER LINING IN ALL
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. IT'S MAKING US BETTER MUSLIMS,
BY ENGAGING IN A LOT
OF THE SERVICES, AND ACTUALLY
SELF-INTRO SPECTING
SELF-INTRO SPECTING AND READING THE HOLY KORAN
OURSELVES.
OURSELVES. DURING THIS RAMADAN, EVERY DAY,
+@WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
A SERIES OF LECTURES ON THE
HOLY KORAN BEFORE THE
OPENING OF THE FAST.
THAT'S A TRADITION WE'RE GOING
+@
THAT'S A TRADITION WE'RE GOING TO DO VIRTUALLY THIS
YEAR, NOT PHYSIC+@ALLY.
>>