Anxiety Over New York Islamic Center Felt In Fargo
While most Muslims in Fargo, N.D., say they feel accepted within the wider community, many are watching protests over the proposed Islamic cultural center near New York City’s Ground Zero closely, particularly as they plan to expand their own mosque.
Fargo’s Muslim population swelled in the 1990s after refugees arrived from war-torn countries including Somalia, Bosnia and Iraq. Since then, the community of approximately 3,000 Muslims has expanded to include people from Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, Sudan and the Ivory Coast.
Relations between Fargo’s Muslims and the larger Christian community have been good. Jobs and housing are plentiful, and Muslims say they value the safety and friendliness of this area.
Gatherings at the mosque are lively affairs. Children’s voices are heard over the call to prayer, and women kneel toe-to-toe in a room that seems to grow smaller as the community expands.
The long-term plan is to move into a bigger mosque and create a community center somewhat like the one proposed in New York City.
But Ahmer Qarni, a leader among local Muslims and a physician who immigrated to the United States from Pakistan, worries that the anger sparked by that proposed center could reverberate all the way to Fargo.
“I think I feel more anger, more hostility against building of the mosque and mosque expansions in general. So obviously when you hear about small communities being targeted, you know, who knows? You could be next,” Qarni says.