The Dangers of Islam: The Imam

Chapter 4

     Before Nedim could have a moment to dwell on his eldest child's words, a prominent member of the mosque's Board of Directors walked inside. Ruben Jackson was not only the head of the board, he was a prime example of Islam in America. Ruben's ancestors had been Muslim African slaves brought to the United States before the Civil War. They worked on plantations, fought in the Civil War, and then gave birth to the next generation of Muslims in America.

     "Imam Nedim, I was told that the Board wanted a meeting today. I took the day off to come here. You know how tough it is for me to take a day off. It's been a tough year," Ruben explained. 

     "I know, sir," Nedim nodded. He knew that Ruben was a hardworking middle-aged man. He also knew that sometimes hardworking, middle-aged men had a hard time making ends meet. If it had been any other situation, Nedim would have told Ruben to leave the meeting to him and head back to work. However, he knew that Ruben probably personally wanted to be there because Dawood had been a close friend of his. 

     "Did you already do your interview?" Ruben asked as the headed towards the community center. 

     "Yes. I-I'm not sure I did a good job, though. How-," Nedim paused, trying to find the right words. "How do you give an interview about your friend who you know couldn't possibly have done this? The media is out for blood. They kept bringing up his family. Did you know Dawood's eldest brother, Sulaiman, gave an interview about how he always feared that Dawood would side with terrorists."

     "Y'all know just how brotherly that a**hole is. You don't remember that stunt he pulled when their mother passed away?" Ruben snarled and held open the door for Nedim. "Those boys couldn't be any more different. Dawood is how I hope my boys grow up to be. There's no way in hell he'd do this, especially since he took his little girl with him." 

     Nedim couldn't agree more. He remembered the way Sulaiman had hidden the fact that Dawood's mother was near death. He remembered how the elder Khan rushed to have the janazah, or Islamic funeral prayer, before his little brother could come home. The youngest Khan managed to come home only a few minutes before the prayer. It had always bewildered Nedim that both Sulaiman and Dawood were related much less brothers. 

     "No, screw this. I'm not a part of this," a voice called out calmly once Ruben and Nedim entered the community center. Nedim noticed that the entire Board was present, but they were divided into two groups. The smaller group of four people stood to the right, while the larger group of eight stood at the left. The obvious leader of the smaller group was a usually soft-spoken woman by the name of Elena. She was of Arab descent, had a very meek demeanor, and always wore a beige scarf. She was ever present in all board meetings even if they were voluntary. Leading the group on the left was a fit middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. He looked to be of Arab descent as well, but Nedim knew that the man was as different as night and day compared to the leader of the other group.

     "What's going on?" Nedim asked while standing in between the two groups. 

      "Now why are y'all split like the Red Sea?" Ruben asked with his lip curled in a scowl. 

     "Brother Ruben, surely you can see the predicament we are in," the Arab man began. 

     "Brother Laith, you want to distance ourselves from Brother Dawood based on the words of the media? Brother Dawood was one of the original people to lay the foundation of this mosque. There is no evidence that he did anything that the media is accusing him of," the woman whispered in disbelief. 

     "Sister Amara, surely you cannot be that blind. They found guns in his house, they found violent verses of the Qur'an highlighted. His own brother has said that he always feared that Brother Dawood would become a radical extremist," Laith growled. 

     "Enough, Laith. I will never believe that the boy who once gave me his entire paycheck to make ends meet could kill innocent people," Ruben shook his head. 

     "The violent verses being highlighted were by Sister Iman. She was readying an Islamic conference to discuss taking verses out of context. As for Sulaiman, many of you know that he left Islam a long time ago. He wouldn't know Islam if you hit him in the face with the Qur'an," Nedim finally spoke up. 

     "Imam Nedim, the majority of the board wishes to distance itself from Dawood until the facts come forward. Your interview today was a great start. A lot of news agencies are already stating that many of us didn't know of Dawood's violent nature," Laith began again.

     "Brother Dawood's violent nature? What are you taking about, Brother Laith? I will not be a part of this. Brother Dawood always went out of his way to help all of us, even you. Remember when your house flooded? He stayed three whole nights removing the carpet and drying the floors with you. Dawood is a good man. The lies on TV will never change that," Amara whispered vehemently.

     "I agree with Sister Amara-," Nedim began, but was silenced by Laith.

     "Listen, Imam. The Board has decided that we WILL distance ourselves from Dawood. You've got the rest of the day to figure out how you'll do that. It's not open for discussion. Remember who signs your paychecks. If you can't do it, we may have to get a new imam," Laith growled before pushing past Ruben. He had only a few hours left. How would he defend Dawood and still keep his job?