Jameel Syed reciting the Adhan

DEARBORN — When Jameel Syed overheard three men bashing Muslims at a coffee shop, he did not debate them about theology or the First Amendment. Instead, he bought them drinks.

“We have enough lawyers, enough politicians who are bulldogs in the fight upfront,” Syed, who recited the Muslim call to prayers in all 50 states, said. “For me, I am taking a different approach. I want to empower myself, and I want to show the beautiful side of Islam and to encourage other people to do that as well.”

He said his aim is to fight bigotry by demonstrating the values of Islam, not by talking about it.

“You need to show Islam through positive interactions,” he said.

Syed, an Ann Arbor native who now lives in Auburn Hills, turned 40 before embarking on his trip last April. He also recited the Prophet Mohamad’s last sermon during his travels. He said his journey was a personal attempt to reclaim the narrative about the Muslim community.

“I also wanted to go out there and have fun,” he said. “I wanted to see the United States. I’m a Muslim American, so that’s got to mean something.”

Aside from the activism and personal adventure, Syed, who owns a marketing firm, perceives his project as a spiritual experience.

According to Syed, there is a mosque in every state except Montana, where he recited the Adhan (call to prayer) in a prayer room.

Syed said one of the most memorable moments of his travels was meeting the father of Deah Barakat, who was murdered in a suspected hate crime with his wife and sister-in-law in Chapel Hill, N.C., in February.

He now wears a bracelet displaying the names of the Chapel Hill victims — Razan, Yusor and Deah.

The 50 Mosque Man, as NBC called him, also visited the father of Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein, a 15-year-old Somali American boy who was run over in an alleged hate crime in Kansas City.

“What both of these people had in common is that they’re not seeking vengeance; they’re not hateful people,” Syed said.

Syed said he hopes his trip can break some of the stereotypes about the Muslim community.

In Honolulu, Syed had a Mickey Mouse mascot recite the call to prayer with him. The photo went viral.

Syed visited multi-million dollar mosques that are architectural wonders, but he said houses of worship are about their congregation. He said he found small African American mosques to be the most beautiful.

“Those are the communities that showed the most generosity, that were the most humble,” he said. “Beauty to me is community; beauty to me is when people come together.”

Syed heard about the struggles of Muslim communities across the nation— zoning issues for mosques, hate attacks, armed protests.

He said Muslim Americans are diverse; they come from different backgrounds, have multi-faceted identities and subscribe to different ideologies.

“Muslim America is a shifting paradigm,” he said. “It’s a mistake to try to box it. It’s so fluid… We’re health care practitioners; we’re educators; we’re taxi drivers; we’re your next door neighbors. I’ve seen all of it.”

Syed started his trip in Indiana and ended it in Michigan. He completed that full circle in 35 days. He is now trying to share what he witnessed in a visual presentation at community centers, houses of worship and college campuses.

He said he received hate messages and veiled threats during the journey.

“The fact that I practiced my freedom of religion in 50 states gives people hope, gives young people confidence and pride,” he said. “I belong here. When people say ‘go back to your country’, this is my country.” he said.

Syed is of Pakistani descent. He is married and has two children. He was a runner through high school and college, and his singing sharpened his vocal chords to recite the Adhan.

“I think America is diverse; I think it’s better than it’s portrayed to be,” he said. “I have seen physically that there are good people everywhere.”

He added that not all good people have access to the television airwaves.

“You have a few people who have that privilege, but they misuse and abuse that privilege and make everybody else look bad,” he said. “But now it’s the responsibility of the rest of everybody else to come together in solidarity and represent the values that are in the Constitution.”

Syed said the rise of anti-Muslim sentiments is due to misinformation. He urged Muslim Americans to be open to the wider society and share their Americanism.

“Stop getting upset with Fox News and CNN and Donald Trump; start taking matters into your own hands,” he said. “Get out there, have good experiences and write about them in your social media feeds and get them into the open. You’re empowered. You have control.”