“Opening yours doors on Id day to refugees and people in need is a form of worship” says Imam

On the eve of the Id al-Adha festival, one of Islam’s holiest days, the mosque became the temporary home for 15 of the thousands of Harvey evacuees, Muslim and non-Muslim. And though it was to host hundreds of people during the Friday morning prayer, the mosque’s leaders were clear about one fact: no matter how many people attended the prayers, the evacuees weren’t going anywhere.

“They are the No. 1 priority. They will not be disturbed, they will not be displaced, they will not be moved,” said M.J. Khan, the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, which operates the Champions mosque and several others that are providing shelter. “People who come, if they have to pray in the parking lot, they’ll pray in the parking lot.”

Spirit of the festival

As in other catastrophes, from Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, American Muslims have been counted both as victims and as participants in the recovery. Houston’s Muslim community, an estimated 2,00,000 people, has opened many of its community centres and sent hundreds of volunteers to serve food and deliver donations. Some have rescued neighbours from high water.

Islamic leaders and scholars say the work underscores the spirit of the festival, which coincides with the hajj.

“The ultimate goal of holding and practising all of these rituals... is to help others,” said Imam Hassan Qazwini, leader of a Detroit-area mosque and one of the top Shia Muslim leaders in the United States.

His mosque, the Islamic Institute of America, is dedicating this Id to raising money for storm victims, and state and national Islamic organisations also have been spearheading similar efforts.

“I believe opening your door on the day of Id for refugees and people in need is a form of worship itself,” he said.

At the George R. Brown Convention Center, which gave shelter to around 10,000 people at its peak, a handful of Muslim evacuees were organising a small Id prayer for Friday.

Liyakat Takim, a professor of global Islam at McMaster University in the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario, said what’s happening in Houston is the best example of Islam in action and what is most important to the faith.