Hamtramck residents after an iftar organized by Councilman Almasmari

HAMTRAMCK — Throughout the United States, Muslims break their fast to the timing of special calendars they often hang on their fridges. Here the sound of the Adhan, the Muslim call for prayer, declares the sunset, announcing the time for iftar.

“It’s like Old Sanaa,” said Faris Alsumiri of Hamtramck’s Ramadan atmosphere.

Alsumiri was stocking shelves at Al-Haramain International Food Center, which was packed with shoppers rushing to buy ingredients for their iftars in the late afternoon.

The grocery store employee said despite the hunger, thirst and hot weather, Ramadan is a blissful time in Hamtramck because of a heightened sense of community.

Around sundown, the streets become vacant and quiet, as observant Muslims, who constitute a majority of the city’s residents, indulge in their first meal of the day.

The diverse town comes to life at night. Young residents crowd the restaurants and cafes, as mosques fill up with worshippers.

A destination

Councilman Saad Almasmari said an influx of Yemeni immigrants has strengthened the Ramadan feel in Hamtramck this year.

He said the city has become a destination for Muslims who want to live the full Ramadan experience in America.

According to Almasmari, dozens of Muslims from across the country are spending the Holy Month in the city.

Most of Hamtramck’s Muslims come from the Arab World, south Asia and Eastern Europe. But the Holy Month is breaking the ethnic and even religious barriers between Hamtramckans, according to Almasmari.

This was apparent at an iftar the councilman organized on Tuesday. City leaders, activists and entrepreneurs of different backgrounds sat around a dinner table that looked like the United Nations.

Almasmari said Ramadan charitable efforts is a common factors among all Muslims.

The councilman said residents and the police department have been cooperative and accommodating of fasting Muslims.

“From the official side, we did all we can for the city to understand the exceptional situation that people are living this month,” he said. “We asked the police to understand people’s frustration when they’re fasting for more than 16 hours. We found positive responses.”

Hamtramck will close three main streets for a festival on Eid, a holiday that marks the end of the Holy Month.

Mohamed Bady immigrated to Hamtramck from Yemen, through Djibouti, about a month ago. He was shocked by the abundance of Muslims in the city and their strong ties to their faith.

“Ramadan is beautiful here,” he said. “Among family and friends, it feels like home.”

Excitement

Councilman Anam Mia said the Holy Month adds excitement to life in the city.

“All the businesses staying open late, people coming out to shop, patronizing the restaurants, the storefronts — it puts a thriving aspect to the community,” he said. “You see a lot of people out, walking, going to prayers.”

Mia added that over the past 30 years Ramadan has always been a joyful time in Hamtramck.

He said Ramadan is all about discipline and empathy.

“It’s about endurance, being able to persevere,” he said.

The town, which is almost surrounded by
Detroit on all sides, is the only American city that allows broadcasting of the Adhan.

Councilman Mohammed Hassan said hearing the call for prayer is comforting in that it can take Muslim residents’ mind off their daily stresses and remind them of their bond to God.

“It gives you a sense of home, a sense of peace,” he said.

All the flags

Joseph Campau Street, one of the main roads in Hamtramck, is decorated with 18 giant flags that represent Hamtramckans’ homelands. The city has the highest ratio of immigrants in Michigan. 

On a Tuesday afternoon, Kenneth Shelton, a Hamtramck-based entrepreneur, was absorbing the colors and backgrounds of the flags, contemplating all they stand for.

“I thought to myself, ‘Isn’t that beautiful?'” he told The Arab American News after the iftar Almasmari organized. “It’s a testament to the diversity of our community. To sit here and break bread with our friends and neighbors is equally beautiful.”

Councilman Ian Perrotta first learned about Ramadan through a Muslim friend when he was in his early teens in Germany. In Hamtramck, he started to fully understand the Ramadan experience.

He said there is a noticeable shift of activities from the morning hours to the evening during Ramadan. But he hasn’t heard any complaints about the change.

Last November, Hamtramck became the first American city to elect a Muslim-majority city council. The elections brought a flood of national media attention to the city. With the exposure, Hamtramck became a target for Islamophobic remarks that often bordered on threats of violence.

Perrotta slammed those who spread an irrational fear of Hamtramck.

He said it is foolish to assume that the way of life will change in Hamtramck because people of different religious backgrounds are rising to positions of power.

“It’s ignorant and it’s sad,” Perrotta said. “Just because somebody practices a different religion and has a different sounding last name, it doesn’t mean they aren’t the same type of person as you. We all have hopes and dreams. People are more alike than they are different.”

Although understanding and solidarity are prevalent among residents, fear of hatred in the city is not unwarranted.

Fox News viewers openly called for bombing Hamtramck after a distorted report that suspiciously re-aired after a terrorist attack in Brussels in March.

Councilman Almasmari said several women were harassed and threatened by a masked man after leaving a mosque last week.

The AANews accompanied Almasmari as he prayed Tarawih, a special Ramadan ritual, at Abu-Bakr Al-Siddique Center. The mosque, a former industrial facility, was so overflowing with worshippers that the imam grew frustrated with people piling their shoes in the wrong spot before entering the prayer hall.

Almasmari said he has warned residents to remain diligent and report unusual
activities.

“We must take these things seriously,” he said of the threats. “You might get an unstable person who wants to cause problems. Some people believe the media. They think we have ISIS here. I advise all Muslims here and in Dearborn to be cautious.”