Muslims Seek To Engage Charlotte Community

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Several leaders of Charlotte's Muslim community said they need to be more assertive in greeting strangers and spreading a message of peace.

On Friday night, two imams were kicked off a Charlotte-bound flight from Memphis because they were dressed in traditional clothes. One imam said Saturday night that after the death of Osama bin Laden, Muslims need to be more outgoing in public.

"It is a fact that Muslims need to not be so reclusive and engage the community at large," said Imam John Ederer, of the Muslim-American Society of Charlotte.

Imam John Ederer spread that message to hundreds of people during a special address Saturday night at the Islamic Center of Greater Charlotte.

Ederer was raised as a Christian in Tulsa, Okla., but has been a practicing Muslim for nearly 15 years. He said Muslims have been dealing with stares and insults since Sept. 11, but given the recent killing of bin Laden, it's important to greet strangers who are unfamiliar with the faith.

"When people stare and when people seem to have some problem with you, you should go spread that compassion, spread that mercy," Ederer said.

Haroon Sait flies out of Charlotte-Douglas monthly, and he said he often faces cold stares walking through the concourse. Still, he said he couldn't believe it when he learned a pilot refused to take off with two traditionally dressed Muslims on board the plane.

"This can happen to me. Because that is how I am dressed all the time, it can happen to me. I am going to fly again shortly, and it can happen to me; it can happen to my wife; it can happen to my children," Sait said.

Saturday night's speech was actually planned more than a month ago. But Sait said given bin Laden's death and the recent plane incident, the message of tolerance and peace had extra meaning for his family.

WSOC