On Faith Mohamed Elmallah

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Interrogation disrupts Ramadan prayer trip

Waking up very early is never easy, at least for me, especially on a cold night. You always get this whispering in your ears telling you to keep sleeping.

It was around 4 a.m. and in my preparation for Ramadan, I was planning to go to one of the San Diego mosques, which was having a night prayer. I like night prayer, an optional prayer in contrast to the five mandatory daily prayers. In night prayers, you leave the world concerns behind you, when most people are asleep, and stand praying to God, confessing your wrongdoings and asking Him and only Him for forgiveness. That was my intention, to pray side-by-side to other members of my Muslim community, listening to the words of God recited to us by the Imam, who leads the prayer reciting from Quran.

I was getting upset, because I realized that the police officer ... is treating me as a suspect of terrorism.

I wore my hattah, a headscarf worn by men in many Middle East countries. Wearing a head scarf is a tradition more than a religious act and you will find Christian Arab men wearing it. I like wearing hattah, it reminds me of people of Palestine, plus it keeps me warm.

I got into my car and drove. I have not been to that specific mosque before, I printed the driving directions but nevertheless, I got lost. It was dark, with no one to ask. I did a U-turn, and started driving very slowly to be able to read the signs.

Suddenly, there was a car behind me, with its high-beams on. I slowed down and drove into the bike lane to allow it to pass me, but to my surprise it did not, so I had to go back into the street lane and continue driving slowly. This time the car behind me turned its flashing lights: It's a police car, what did I do now. I pulled over.

The police officer put his flashlight in my direction and asked for my driving license and registration. Then he started asking me where I was born, what is my citizenship status, and started checking the inside of my car. I had some documents in the back seat, which he saw and asked me if he can have a look at them.

I was getting upset, because I realized that the police officer is not treating me as a suspect of a driving violation, he is treating me as a suspect of terrorism. I asked him, why are you asking me these questions. He told me, "My country is being attacked and you are born in a country from which one of the terrorists came."

It was November 2001 in San Diego and I was born in Egypt. Yes, for a couple of days after the 11th of September, I, my wife and most of the Muslim community members were on alert, going out only if absolutely necessary.

There were hate crimes, with a couple of people killed. But there were also good people of conscience, non-Muslims who came to mosques showing their support of the Muslim community against hate crimes and vandalism. It was a tough time for people in the United States and tough for many Muslims, many of whom felt obligated to prove that they are as patriotic as the rest.

The officer spent 30 minutes checking my information then he let me go with a ticket, driving in a bike lane. It was my first Ramadan after the Sept. 11 attack, and it was my first ticket.

Since then, thanks to God, I have observed many other Ramadans in the United States.

This year's Ramadan is my first in the beautiful islands of Hawaii, where I wake up early in the morning to observe the prayer in the mosque. I'm mainly worried about parking availability at the mosque and not missing a part of the prayer.

I remember this incident and I believe more strongly that safety and security is a blessing. I ask God in the blessed month of Ramadan to preserve safety, security and justice in Hawaii, so you leave your house not worried about your life, your family and your rights. May God grant this blessing to the people who are deprived of it, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan where they need it the most.