Moving Past Stereotypes in the Park

In our discussions of the Park, we often forget that the modern people of the Park lead normal lives and experience the same issues as the rest of the country. Recently, given the Syrian refugee crisis and the attacks on Islam in the media, there has been a new conservation underway about Islam in the Adirondacks. Local faith groups have held discussions focused on the refugee crisis; recently a group of Syrians spoke in Keene and Plattsburgh about the future of their war-torn country. There has also been a new effort to connect people in the Park with their Muslim neighbors. Although the Park is not known for its diversity, the people of the Park are working to embrace the differences in their communities and to connect with their neighbors of other faiths.

                  Recently, Mufti Muhammad Abdullah, a retired prison chaplain, held an open discussion at the Saranac Lake Free Library with the goal of educating his community about Islam. He mentioned that there have been a few times when fear shaped the way people saw him, with people calling “Bin Laden!” from their vehicles as they pass him. But on the most part, Abdullah said that has not been his experience living in the Adirondacks, saying “I have found the regular people of this country, in general, they are very, very nice and good people.” Most of Abdullah’s talk focused on the main tenets of Islam, including faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. He told the 90 people he was speaking for to “not take Islam from Fox News”, which drew a laugh from the crowd. However, he did say that he regrets that Muslims in the United States have not done enough to educate Americans about their religion, causing that vacuum to be filled with prejudice.

                  Many people in the community felt that the discussion was a good start in creating a more open environment in the Park. The conversation was bittersweet for the Abdullah family, as they plan to leave Saranac Lake to be closer to family in New York City, but Miralem Cecunjanin, whose Bosnian family funs a restaurant in Saranac Lake, said he hopes the dialogue will continue. Cecunjanin said, “We don’t always have to agree with each other. We don’t always have to accept other information, but at least we got it out. At least we had a chance to say what we needed to say, in hopes of spurring some change.” Given what is being said about the Muslim religion in the world outside the Park, the organizers of the event encourage more communities to have these kinds of conversations. Joann White, a pastor at Saranac Lake’s Presbyterian church, said, “I think people are really eager to have meaningful discussions and to be able to listen and develop a deeper understanding and move past stereotypes.”

Source:

Knight, Chris. “Muslims Connect with their Adirondack Neighbors in Saranac Lake.” North Country Public Radio; April 11, 2016. Web. Accessed April 11, 2016.