Masjid Al Salam
The Masjid Al Salam (Mosque of Peace) is located at 1005 7th Street in the city of Oakland, Alemeda County, Calif., 94607. (data) The property is owned by members of the Yemeni community, and building was converted from office spaces to a mosque about 25 years ago. Al Salam is situated near the West Oakland BART station, right along the waterfront of the Port of Oakland.
Masjid Al Salam: The Mosque of Peace, Love, and Community
According to our interview with Imam Mohamed, the mosque was founded at least 25 years ago, at a time where there were nearly no mosques in the area. After 1989, Masjid Al Salam was one of eight mosques in Oakland. Since its establishment, Al Salam has provided a much needed religious sanctuary for the Yemeni community, which makes up 90% of the mosque's 200 members. There is a long history of Yemeni immigration to the United States, which began in the 1920s, when there was a large influx of immigration from Yemen to the Detroit area of Michigan. A large proportion of the Yemeni population in Michigan at this time found employment at the Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant in Dearborn. Having stable employment allowed the Yemeni community to prosper and attracted a constant stream of immigration to the US that continues to the present day. In the Bay Area, Yemeni-Americans make up 2% of the Muslim population and live mainly in concentrated communities in the inner cities of Oakland and San Francisco. While Al Salam primarily serves the Yemeni community, it has some African American, Pakistani, Afghani, and Sudanese members.
During our visits to the mosque, we interviewed Imam Mohamed, an Islamic Sunday school teacher named Sabah, and two other members of the community, Nabil and Zazh. A common thread throughout our interviews was the mosque's emphasis on community service and charity. The mosques organizes trips to feed the homeless throughout the neighborhood. One of our interview correspondents, Nabil, commented that "We like to keep our community clean and often do projects cleaning the streets surrounding the mosque." Sabah, a Sunday school teacher, noted that mosque organizes basketball, camping, skating, and hospitals volunteering trips for some of the young men. The Imam also provides counseling services to members of the Muslim and non-Muslim communities. The mosque sustains itself through the generosity and commitment of its members. Al Salam is a registered non-profit, but receives no support from the government or city. The operations and new renovations of the site are fully funded by donations.
For the members of the mosque Al Salam provides prayer space, community events, and even wedding services. It also provides weekend Islamic school for children. Most of the children are 3rd or 4th generation immigrants. The run 3 hour classes on both Sundays and Saturdays. The subjects are include reading the Qu'ran, Hadeth (words from the Prophet Muhammad) and learning Arabic. There are separate classes for boys and girls - downstairs and upstairs, respectively. One of the children who attends the school, Zazh, remarked on how warm and welcoming the community is. In addition, The mosque often has guests come in to give lectures - the last guest being Imam Amir Abbalmarek. As students from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, all of us are used to some degree of privilege; we feel confident in our intellect and abilities because we have been told that we have reason to be so. However, as visitors to this mosque, we were the inexperienced outsiders. Critically reading books and articles can only get a person so far. Although at times we felt like fish out of water, all the members of the mosque were approachable and wanted to do everything within their power to help us learn about their culture and religion. Even the children were very knowledgable in topics we have not come close to covering in the classroom. It is very easy to dismiss and be afraid of that which is unfamiliar to you, but this project taught us that the rewards of stepping out of one's comfort zone and being willing to take advantage of the many resources outside of the library available to us are great. |
"The true servants of the Most Merciful are those who behave gently and with humility on earth, and whenever the foolish quarrel with them, they reply with [words of] peace."
al-Furqan 25: 63 |
Biography on Imam Mohamed
The Imam of the mosque, Mohamed, was born in Michigan but moved to Saudi Arabia to study. After finishing high school he moved to Yemen to complete a Computer Science degree. After moving back to the US he began leading prayers, first in Bakersfield during Ramadam. From 2009 until now he has been the Imam of the The Masjid Al Salam mosque in Oakland. He leads prayers, gives counseling and leads the members of the mosque in their wider activities - charity, education and wider community work.
Demographic Information on West Oakland
The mosque is situated in West Oakland, a predominantly black and latino neighborhood of the City of Oakland. The median household income in West Oakland in 2011 was $38,948, placing it below the average in California, with one third of the population below the poverty level. One fifth of males and one third of females in the neighborhood are employed in service jobs. Even though the mosque is located in an economically disadvantaged metropolitan neighborhood, it continues to thrive due mostly to the donations of its members, many of whom do not live nearby the mosque itself. In fact, only about twenty families reside within walking distance.