Islam gaining ground in Eastern Connecticut
By JULIE A. VARUGHESE
Norwich Bulletin
NORWICH -- Sami Ahmed, who left Pakistan for the United States in 1983, began a Friday night Muslim prayer meeting at his house in Greeneville five years ago. At the time, three or four people attended the meetings. Now, between 30 and 40 Muslims meet weekly at his house.
NORWICH -- Sami Ahmed, who left Pakistan for the United States in 1983, began a Friday night Muslim prayer meeting at his house in Greeneville five years ago. At the time, three or four people attended the meetings. Now, between 30 and 40 Muslims meet weekly at his house.
"It seems like it is growing," Ahmed said of the practice of Islam in the region. Ahmed, who owns Sunshine Farms convenience store on Central Avenue, said Islam is the faith of his upbringing in Pakistan.
Indeed, Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the United States, is having its own, small growth spurt in Eastern Connecticut, fueled partly by foreign-born residents who have moved here for jobs at the regions' two casinos and who continue to practice the faith of their native lands.
A lecture being held Thursday night at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson is intended to educate residents about Islam, which gained a reputation as a religion of extremists, misogynists and terrorists after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
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posted by jillosophy at 2/21/2007 11:29:00 AM
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