Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 6-12-20

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Citizens Of Tampa Served During The Month Of Ramadan And Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic
BY ERIC TURE MUHAMMAD @etmuhammad
The 30-day effort could have been styled, ‘no retreat, no sur- render,’ when one is made to think on the sheer desire of Masjid An Nasr to feed more than 1,000 Tampa residents during the Islamic Holy Ra- madan observance held April 25-May 24.
Ramadan is a globally recog- nized holiday of Muslims around the world and lasts an entire month, celebrating the revela- tion of the Islamic Holy Book Qur’an to Prophet Muham- mad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH) more than 1,400 years ago.
Along with fasting during the daylight hours and observance of prayers, the holiday is a month of service. Masjid An Nasr (An Nasr, means ‘divine support’) led the charge, calling on the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay, Islamic Circle Religion of America, members of the Nation of Islam and other progressive organizations to figure out a way to stay within the faith tradition and city quarantine mandates.
“We thank Allah (God). To know that the people of Sulphur Springs, South Tampa, North Tampa and the homeless on Ne- braska Avenue were in need of relief, we were able to get hot meals for their families,” re-
flected Richard Muhammad,
are annually conducted. But, Ra-
From left are: Jarvis El Amin, Richard Muhammad, Mayor Jane Castor, Idris Faruq Muhammad, Abdul Malik and Larry Muhammad.
State Representative Dianne Hart, center, with Jarvis El-Amin and Larry Muhammad.
Councilman Gudes assisted with the distribution of meals.
particularly on the institutions of learning, nursing homes, child care and health centers. Not to mention suspension of work and the economic hard- ships. The COVID-19 Pandemic placed tremendous strain on re- ligious communities where con- gregants had to adapt to new ways of worship and offer com- munity service.
“We had strategy meetings,”
Founder and Chairperson of Masjid An Nasr.
“To know that we, could make this happen is such a blessing” and a credit to so many people and organizations,” he noted.
The famed masjid is no stranger to community service. Three times per year drives for turkey give-a-ways, schoolbook bags, supplies and health fairs
madan 2020, like the Easter sea- son of the Christians and Passover of the Jews, all having its beginnings this year in the same month of April, were met with new challenges. Social dis- tancing, shelter in place and city curfews had now become the new normal.
The suspension of gatherings would lend additional strains,
said Masjid co-founder and Sec- retary Treasurer, Idris Faruq Muhammad, “Tactical distri- bution was tantamount. We needed protective gear —masks, face shields, gloves -- all neces- sary equipment. Recipients did not leave their vehicles. We would run the hot, secured food to them. We focused on safety,” he said.
The Islamic Society of Tampa provided the safety equipment throughout the 30-day excur- sion. Mr. Muhammad said a lot of his efforts were rooted in his experience under the Honor- able Minister Louis Far- rakhan as many of the coalition participants in the carryover pledge of the historic Million Man March of 1995, to make and keep the communities a decent place to live.
“This undertaking proved that collaboration works,” noted Jarvis El-Amin, Vice Chair- man of Masjid An Nasr Board. “The unity and sense of purpose showed within the local Islamic Community, Black media and the broader Black community. Mayor Jane Castor, Judge Jack Gutman, Florida House of Representative Dianne Hart, and Councilman Or- lando Gudes participated in the food drive. These contribu- tions,” he said, “cannot be over- stated. Everyone performed above and beyond and with a tremendous sense of purpose,” he closed.
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