Seattle Muslims Reach Out with Ramadan

November 6, 2002

Source: The Seattle Times

On November 6, 2002 The Seattle Times reported that "local Muslims are seeing the holy month of Ramadan -- which was expected to begin last night with the sighting of the new moon -- as an opportune time to organize their growing and diverse community and to reach out to the broader public. In the year since Sept. 11, Muslims here as well as nationwide have come under intense scrutiny. Locally, the attention flared again with the Oct. 24 arrests of John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, suspects in the recent East Coast sniper shootings. The two used to live in Western Washington. Muhammad is a member of Nation of Islam, a group that is considered outside the mainstream of the Muslim world. Educating the public about Islam, and issues such as the difference between mainstream Islam and the Nation of Islam, is why it's so important for local Muslims to get together and reach out."