HOUSTON (AP) - When Yasmin Saleh set out to attend a recent Monday evening prayer at Masjid Al-Ansaar Woodlands - or The Woodlands Mosque - she was anxious.

The Houston Chronicle (https://bit.ly/2lX8gS1 ) reports the day before, a Canadian student with far-right ideologies shot up a mosque in Quebec City, killing six and wounding 19 people.

And three days before, President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily barring travel from seven Muslim-majority countries and blocking entry for all refugees, sending shock waves across the nation. The tension was tangible.

But as Saleh drove past the quiet country estates and grazing horses just north of FM 1488 and approached the gates to the mosque, she saw something she didn’t expect.

About a dozen non-Muslim women stood outside the gates holding signs with messages of support. The sight put Saleh at ease.

“You belong here.” ”We stand UNITED with our Muslim brothers and sisters.” ”USA: made by and for immigrants.”

Trump’s presidential campaign and the travel ban he issued have thrown the national spotlight even more squarely on Muslims in the past few weeks. The attention inspired a smattering of anti-Islam actions across the country, from reports of obscene graffiti on an Islamic Center in Roseville, California, to a man arrested for harassing a woman wearing a hijab at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in late January.

But even as tension and anxiety has risen in the Muslim community, so has the expression of support from their non-Muslim neighbors. Thousands across the nation gathered to protest the travel ban at airports and in city streets. After someone set fire to a mosque in Victoria on Jan. 28, the local Jewish synagogue opened its doors for Muslims to pray there. Within a week, a Go Fund Me webpage raised $1.1 million to help rebuild the mosque, surpassing its $850,000 goal.

And Muslims around the Houston area have experienced a wave of solidarity from neighbors who have offered their acceptance, protection and friendship.

“We are extremely overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of support, solidarity and love that our non-Muslim neighbors have shown,” said MJ Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, which serves the roughly 300,000 Muslims and 21 mosques in the greater metropolitan area.

He said that the positive messages have far outweighed the negative.

On a recent Friday afternoon at The Woodlands Mosque, the signs of support lined the way to the front gate and adorned the inside of the building’s entryway as a couple dozen non-Muslim community members came to attend Khutbah, a sermon, and Jumu’ah, Friday prayer.

As the mosque slowly filled for the ceremony, Rodwaan Saleh, the imam, or prayer leader, stood before the congregation, most of whom sat on the carpeted floor. The visitors sat in folding chairs that had been placed in the back of the room so they could observe the prayer.

“There is no distinction between a white man and a black man, a red man and a yellow man,” Rodwaan Saleh preached. “All of us are created from Adam, and Adam was created from dust.”

He spoke of justice and kindness, encouraging those present not to do harm to anyone - even those who harm them.

“If I want to be respected, I must be respectful,” he said. “When you deal with someone who doesn’t like you, that’s the test . the world is watching us from afar, and we will be tested.”

As he concluded his message, Rodwaan Saleh began to pray. First, in English, he asked Allah - the Arabic word for God - to bring unity and blessings to their city, state and country.

Then, turning toward Mecca - Islam’s holiest city and the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad - he led the congregation in prayer.

Most of the congregation at Masjid Al-Ansaar Woodlands consists of first- or second-generation immigrants, with almost half emigrating from Pakistan, explained Ahmed Ibrahim, associate director for the mosque. The majority live in The Woodlands - a wealthy suburban enclave known for its strong Republican base - and work as doctors or engineers, he added.

The Woodlands Mosque is not unique in its demographics. As immigrants from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa have moved to Houston and the surrounding suburbs over the past couple of decades, the number of mosques in the area has grown, said Rodwaan Saleh, who serves as executive director for the Islamic Society of Greater Houston and is the U.S.-born son of Sudanese immigrants.

Although Trump’s executive order banned travel from only seven countries, many Houston-area Muslims from other countries still worry that, if they leave the country, they might not be allowed to return, Khan said.

“There is anxiety because of the uncertainty as to what it all means,” Khan said. “I’m getting calls from people, ‘Should I cancel my trip?’ There are students who wanted to visit their families; green card holders or permanent residents who wanted to visit their families.”

A U.S. judge blocked the president’s travel ban and a federal appeals court refused to reinstate it.

Rodwaan Saleh said that he understands and shares the desire to protect America, but believes that the rhetoric used by Trump has emboldened “closet haters.” He spoke of recent incidents where people have shouted at women wearing hijabs, telling them to “go home” or chanting “Trump! Trump!”

“The president is the most powerful person in the world,” Rodwaan Saleh said. “It trickles down. . Words matter.”

After Jumu’ah, Rodwaan Saleh addressed the visitors in the back.

“We are absolutely honored that you are here today,” he said, inviting everyone to share food and socialize after the service.

In the back room where the women pray to avoid distracting the men, dozens of Muslim women turned to smile at the visitors sitting behind them. They flocked to greet their guests. Some extended hands, others embraced, still others bestowed kisses on each cheek.

“Thank you for coming!” ”We appreciate your support.”

“I’m so happy to meet them,” said Medinat Adewale, a Nigerian immigrant, who recently moved to The Woodlands from Katy.

“It’s very heartening,” said Fatima Ashraf, a Pakistani native who lived in Canada for 10 years before moving to the U.S. five years ago.

The group of visitors, many of whom attend Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in The Woodlands, responded with smiles, handshakes and hugs of their own.

“We came to show our Muslim neighbors that we love them,” said Sharilyn Wood-Merriam, a retired English professor who lives in The Woodlands. “The ban - that’s not the right way to go about protecting America. It’s ridiculous.”

Khan, the president of ISGH, believes the Muslim-American’s testimony of the U.S. as a great and welcoming community can be a powerful defense against what he says is a false narrative crafted by extremists that the Western world is the enemy of Islam.

“We want to make sure we’re part of the narrative to condemn that propaganda,” Khan said. “The Muslim community will always be in the forefront in the fight against extremists. . We have a wonderful story to tell about America. We believe America is the best country on Earth.”

The sentiment rang true at Masjid Al-Ansaar Woodlands.

Yasmin Saleh, who was born in Pakistan and lived in New Jersey, Florida and Louisiana before settling in The Woodlands, has two teenage children. Saleh said she was nervous the first day her daughter chose to wear a hijab to school. She had heard stories of discrimination and nearly asked her not to wear it, but her daughter’s friends were supportive and respectful.

And that’s how Saleh feels her neighbors in The Woodlands are - respectful.

“I love it here,” she said. “This is home.”

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Information from: Houston Chronicle, https://www.houstonchronicle.com

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