TEANECK — During an impromptu visit to a local mosque, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, had one message she wanted to share this Mother’s Day: Be courageous and don’t be afraid to stand up for others.

“The way to really expose our faith is through the service of others … the importance of not staying silent while others are being oppressed,” Tlaib said to a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at Dar-ul-Islah mosque on Sunday afternoon.

She declined to answer questions from the audience after her speech, but she stopped to take photos and speak with many women in the crowd.

Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, said she wanted to spend time telling Dar-ul-Islah's congregants about her life, as some of them “may have only seen headlines.” Some of these headlines include her push to start the process to impeach President Donald Trump.

Tlaib detailed her early life as the eldest of 14 children in Detroit, where she went to school without knowing a word of English. She was able to learn the language and become a sitting congresswoman, which she hopes will encourage immigrant children across the country.

“Leadership on all different levels may not help us feel like we belong, but the fact that two of us can get elected by Americans that didn’t share our faith is pretty powerful,” Tlaib said, referring to Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., another Muslim woman elected to Congress.

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Tlaib stressed the importance of speaking up for not only the Muslim American community but others, noting the efforts of Muslims who were arrested after protesting the separation of children and parents at the Mexican border.

“It’s so critically important that we speak up on a lot of these issues, because the same people who are trying to target our community are the same people going after other brothers and sisters,” Tlaib said.

Keeping with the Mother’s Day theme, Tlaib said she wants to make sure her son can live in a country where he can be “courageous” and speak up when he sees oppression, but as a mother she is afraid he may get hurt or feel defeated.

"As we do all this work to stop the hate, stop the targeting of our community, we should make sure that it's done in a way that uplifts other communities ... I think that's the only way we can truly be successful," she said.

Many of the congregants at the mosque said they felt inspired by Tlaib's words. Asif Mustafa said it was important to inspire people to get out and vote in Teaneck, which he believes is a multicultural, multifaceted community.

"It's important that we get involved and not keep ourselves closed off," he said.

Juveria Kareem, another congregant, enjoyed hearing about Tlaib's personal life, especially stories about her family.

"We got to know her a little bit better," Kareem said. "She's so down to earth."

Fatina K. Habehh, who works as a social worker for Bergen County, was encouraged by seeing someone from her own background stand up for issues close to her heart, such as human rights.

“It’s a great feeling to see my own people standing out and fighting for justice in this country,” Habehh said.