Local Awareness

“The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.'” Matthew 11:31a CEV

Meeting Your Muslim Neighbors

Welcome refugees

“Nobody from the mosque has ever visited our home. The people from the church come to see us.” This is what a refugee family from the Muslim world said to some of our church’s English as a Second Language (ESL) ministry volunteers.

When our church started an ESL ministry a few years ago, all of our students were refugees from Syria.

Our Syrian friends became very dear to us through the English classes and other activities, home visits, appointments we drove them to, etc. They were later joined by Iraqi refugees and then the program became more and more diverse, when some from Vietnam, the Congo, and China also came.

Some of our volunteers had never spent much time with Muslim people, so it was exciting to see them going in to the homes of our new Muslim international friends when dropping them off after classes. Drinking tea with Muslim people was a new experience for them.

If you were to ask me, “How have you met the Muslim people who are now your close friends?” I would have to start making a mental list of all the ways! Still, one of the most heartwarming ways is certainly through ministry to refugees from the Muslim world.

To get up to speed on refugee ministry, we suggest the following organizations and sources:

World Relief: https://worldrelief.org/

World Relief Church Leader’s Tool Kit: https://worldrelief.org/church-leaders-toolkit/

World Vision: https://www.worldvision.org/

Refugee Agencies Map

Visit mosques

Another great way to meet Muslim people is by visiting a mosque.

If you do decide to visit a mosque, you may find it helpful to look at our Visiting a Mosque Suggestions below for information on when to visit, what time to arrive, how to dress, etc.

What are the benefits of visiting a mosque? Actually, we have experienced many benefits:

It is an opportunity to learn about Islam from Muslims themselves, not just from books.
It is a great way to show respect for Muslim people and to demonstrate that you care enough to invest your time in their world.
It enables you to meet many Muslim people at one event.
It is often an opportunity to receive hospitality from Muslim people, famed for their gracious and generous hospitality.
It builds mutual understanding and trust, especially if you visit many times.
It gives you insight into the experiences and needs of your Muslim neighbors, even things like accidents, illness, and deaths, and teaches you about how to pray for your Muslim friends and neighbors.
It is a way to be informed about events in the Muslim calendar and upcoming events especially welcoming non-Muslim visitors, such as mosque open houses.
It can open the door to attend events like iftars, meals for breaking the fast at sundown during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Some of our most significant, long-term friendships with Muslim people began on mosque visits! We cannot even begin to count the times we have been invited into the homes and lives of Muslim friends, and also into the lives of their friends, after first meeting them while visiting a mosque!

You can go to https://www.islamicfinder.org/places/ to find mosques in your area.

Visit mosques

Another great way to meet Muslim people is by visiting a mosque.

If you do decide to visit a mosque, you may find it helpful to look at our Visiting a Mosque Suggestions below for information on when to visit, what time to arrive, how to dress, etc.

What are the benefits of visiting a mosque? Actually, we have experienced many benefits:

It is an opportunity to learn about Islam from Muslims themselves, not just from books.
It is a great way to show respect for Muslim people and to demonstrate that you care enough to invest your time in their world.
It enables you to meet many Muslim people at one event.
It is often an opportunity to receive hospitality from Muslim people, famed for their gracious and generous hospitality.
It builds mutual understanding and trust, especially if you visit many times.
It gives you insight into the experiences and needs of your Muslim neighbors, even things like accidents, illness, and deaths, and teaches you about how to pray for your Muslim friends and neighbors.
It is a way to be informed about events in the Muslim calendar and upcoming events especially welcoming non-Muslim visitors, such as mosque open houses.
It can open the door to attend events like iftars, meals for breaking the fast at sundown during the fasting month of Ramadan.

You can go to https://www.islamicfinder.org/places/ to find mosques in your area.

Visiting a Mosque Suggestions:

Show your respect for the mosque leadership by calling or visiting before the actual mosque service. The Friday prayer service typically begins sometime after 1:00 p.m. and lasts until 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. Our efforts to make contact in this way have been well received, resulting sometimes in an unofficial “guide” or “host.”
Dress conservatively. You will feel more comfortable and you will communicate respect for Muslim people and their sensitivities. Women should not wear tight clothing, short sleeves, or other revealing apparel. Long skirts or long shirts covering their bodies work well. During prayer women are expected to cover their heads. Men should wear long pants. Many Muslim men wear long sleeved shirts as well, a good model for visitors to follow.
Remove your shoes before going into the prayer area. In some mosques, visitors are asked to wash as Muslims wash before prayer, though we have not found this to be common. There is no harm in performing these ablutions (washings) but we refrain from taking part in the prayer ritual, sitting at the back instead during the time the Muslims are praying.
Be prepared for men and women to be separated, usually even entering the mosque through separate men’s and women’s entrances. A woman who visits a mosque will probably be more comfortable when accompanied by at least one other woman. The same is true for a man.
Spend significant time in prayer before attending a service at a mosque. Ask the Lord to help you to connect with a Muslim person there and to be able to begin a relationship that leads to opportunities for conversation. Pray for the Lord’s wisdom and grace, and for the attitudes of Christ to impact people through you.

We also suggest “Etiquettes of Visiting a Mosque”: http://www.icnm-abq.org/pages.php?pageid=42&sectionid=9

Go where Muslim people go

You might be surprised at just how many Muslim people live in your area. Most of us have at least met and had some kind of conversation with a Muslim person. In big cities and their suburbs in the U.S. and Canada, Muslim families sometimes live in particular areas according to where others of their ethnic background have settled. This is true of places like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Baltimore, Toronto, and Vancouver. Dearborn and Hamtramck, MI have high concentrations of Muslim people, with Dearborn being over 40% Arab American and Hamtramck being the first Muslim majority city in the United States.

Many Muslims in North America live in very typical neighborhoods as well, where their neighbors were not born outside the U.S. or Canada and represent a variety of demographics depending on the location. So how can you meet Muslims? Where do Muslim people go?

One place to start is by becoming aware of Muslim-owned businesses. Some restaurant owners or employees have become our long-time friends through our repeated visits. We can begin taking some of our business to Muslim people, which opens the door for friendship with them.

Try the Zabihah app or website to find restaurants, markets, and mosques near you:

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id325383348

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zabihah.ui

Windows Phone: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/zabihah/9wzdncrdlkwb?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Blackberry: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/zabihah/9wzdncrdlkwb?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Another app to try is the Muslim Directory App: https://muslimdirectoryapp.com/

Sometimes we just need to heighten our awareness of the Muslim people already among us. Many Muslims are professionals, such as doctors of many specializations, professors, engineers, lawyers, and accountants. Muslim children attend school and university with our children, which is a way for us to meet them and their families. Muslim people shop where we shop, in our grocery stores, at Sam’s Club and Costco, at home improvement stores, pharmacies, and malls. They eat at some of the same restaurants as we do, especially those offering halal (permitted for Muslims) food. You can meet Muslim people just about anywhere!

Go where Muslim people go

Try the Zabihah app or website to find restaurants, markets, and mosques near you:

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id325383348

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zabihah.ui

Windows Phone: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/zabihah/9wzdncrdlkwb?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Blackberry: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/zabihah/9wzdncrdlkwb?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Another app to try is the Muslim Directory App: https://muslimdirectoryapp.com/

Hang out with international students

My life, and the lives of many other Christians I know, have been deeply enriched by friendships with international students. Just the idea of trying to meet Muslim international students might be bewildering for some, though. Campus ministries are very helpful in this regard and offer many opportunities to meet students from all over the world. Muslim students sometimes attend the events organized by campus ministries, providing a way to meet and befriend them. People who are already reaching out to the international student population are also a great resource. And then there are also the opportunities at some universities to volunteer with international students in the area of English conversation practice. This is something that international students appreciate very much.

Here are two places to begin looking for English as a Second Language programs, which may offer opportunities to volunteer as a conversation partner or even as a host family for a Muslim student:

University and College Intensive English Programs (links to many US university programs): http://www.usjournal.com/en/students/campuses/uciep.html

English Language Schools in the USA: http://www.englishinusa.com/

Hang out with international students

Here are two places to begin looking for English as a Second Language programs, which may offer opportunities to volunteer as a conversation partner or even as a host family for a Muslim student:

University and College Intensive English Programs (links to many US university programs): http://www.usjournal.com/en/students/campuses/uciep.html

English Language Schools in the USA: http://www.englishinusa.com/

Do some research as a team

Imagine praying as a team and asking the Lord to introduce you to Muslim people in your area. Then, combining your skills, acquaintances, knowledge, and experiences, you can begin to learn and research more about the Muslim people who live near you.

Do some research as a team

An exponential effect

Most people I know who have Muslim friends have met many of them through other Muslim friends, so that they now know a lot of people by having just met one or two friends first. The Lord works in these kinds of ways to introduce us to many people. The love and grace and truth of Jesus Christ is a gift worth sharing, and patience and creativity in the process of meeting new friends is a wonderful way to spend our time.