Ramadan At The Uyghur Mosque : Community, Prayers, And Grief

In a nondescript building in Northern Virginia, sitting amongst others just like it, comes together much of the displaced Uyghur community of the United States. The mosque is new, less than two years old, and each night of Ramadan, as the sun sets and the evening call to prayer sounds, the mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons of the community break their fast together on food made with love by volunteers from among them.

Polo, alternatively known as Plov in Uzbekistan or Pilaf elsewhere in Central Asia, is a staple – but the Uyghur iteration is sweeter, with more softened carrots and less garlic, and is heaped onto each plate. There is no buffet to be found most nights – rather, volunteers create varied platters and serve guests individually. While they wait to be served, hungry guests seated at white-clothed tables pick at presented dates, pastries, and fruit already evenly placed around the room. Volunteer servers glance around the room and speak quickly to each other in spurts – who still needs a plate? Which table has run out of Samsa -another iteration of a flaky dough/meat combination found across Central Asia-, and needs more? Each volunteer works as if serving important visitors in their own home, and each guest feels profoundly taken care of. This is no rushed or desperate wait for food after a long day of fasting. Uyghur hospitality is contagious, and smiles are everywhere.

After eating, guests file into a room barely large enough to hold them. Standing in rows, they listen to the melodic recitation of the Qur’an from the lips of one of their own sons and, sometimes, they cry. It is not uncommon for sounds of sorrow and grief to permeate the otherwise silent backdrop of the Qur’an. It is in this moment, after filling our stomachs with delicious food, after greeting dozens of strangers eager to welcome you into their space, after feeling as though you’d just been ushered into one large family and stood shoulder-to-shoulder as we begin prayer, that a layer of grief underpinning all these interactions becomes clearer and clearer.

A young man near the front wipes away his tears as he thanks God for the ability to practice his faith here— a right deprived to many just like him back home. The woman standing to your right silently cries as she finally allows the ever-present thoughts she had failed to compartmentalize of her sister to come to the forefront of her mind – her sister was taken to the camps four years ago and she hasn’t seen or heard from her since. The shoulders of the small old man a few rows ahead shake as he prays silently for his sons who, while living in Kashgar, are under constant threat of incarceration. You remember suddenly where you’d seen the face of the woman who, with a warm smile, passed you the first date of the evening to break your fast– you’d read an article about the death of one of her babies while separated from her and interred in a “re-education facility.” Her other children play around the room, but now they seem lonely.

In fact, everyone seems lonely. What had first felt like a tight-knit family now reads as mismatched patchwork. Displaced and isolated children find parents from among those whose own children are unreachable. Brothers find father figures, and sisters find best friends. The Uyghur system of titling, wherein people are always hede, or sister, aka, or brother, apa for mother and dada for father, takes on here another meaning. Before we know it, we stand together for the last prayer of the night– it is a special treat we look forward to every evening.

After the usual recitation of two chapters of the Qur’an and bowing, we whisper to ourselves, “Glory be to God, the most magnificent” three times. We then straighten up and, instead of going next into prostration, we raise our hands in supplication. Our imam asks God for us to be among those he has guided, and together, in one voice, the congregation says Ameen. He asks God to strengthen us, and we say Ameen. He asks God to take us into His care, and we say Ameen. He asks for God’s blessing in what He has blessed us with, and we say Ameen. He thanks God for the blessing of our faith, and we say Ameen. For a few minutes, this call and response continues, and the tears continue with it. Towards the end, our Imam asks for God to aid and give triumph to those in East Turkistan, their occupied homeland– and now the Ameen is different. The tears momentarily stop, and their cathartic depth permeates our bones. We are enveloped by its hope – or perhaps by its certainty.

***

Bismillah ar Rahman ar Rahim

Assalamu Alaykum dear friends and family of Muslims who glorify Allah day and night. And, with Allah’s عز و جل power, people who mutually pray for each other’s well-being in their absence.

Ramadan Mubarak to you all. We pray Allah عز و جل accepts from us with great acceptance.

After 20 years of hard work and striving for the sake of Allah , the Uyghur community in the DC-MD-VA region has a masjid.

Our masjid provides spiritual guidance and a place to worship for all Uyghurs and other Muslims nearby. It also offers daily iftar for Ramadan and is led by American-born and raised Uyghur Hafiz brothers. Outside of Ramadan, this masjid offers a range of beautiful programming including Jumu’ah khutbahs, classes of Qur’an, halaqas, Qur’an competitions, women’s and children’s specific programming, community gatherings, and activities for all.

While we believe that Allah, Al-Razzaq, is the best of all Providers, we present to you the opportunity to support our masjid as we strive to build a permanent place for our community.  The goal is to purchase the property with the sole intention to create a safe and welcoming masjid for all to worship Allah . Please help us reach this goal by sharing this campaign and supporting with what you can!

Masjid Donation Accounts:

Zelle: donation@uyghurmasjid.com

Venmo: donation@uyghurmasjid.com

CashApp: donation@uyghurmasjid.com

Related: 

– This Eid And Beyond Boycott Goods Made With Enslaved Labor Of Uyghurs Even If It Is Your Favorite Brand – MuslimMatters.org

– Uyghurs In East Turkestan Face Forced Starvation – MuslimMatters.org

– This Eid A Uyghur Muslimah Tells Her Story – MuslimMatters.org