TSA works to enlighten travelers as Ramadan begins

http://www.michiganradio.org/post/tsa-works-enlighten-travelers-ramadan-begins

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The Transportation Security Administration has issued a bulletin to help air travelers understand Muslim practices they might observe,  especially as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins on Tuesday.

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims, who observe the event with a variety of traditions.

The bulletin says Muslims abstain from food, water, smoking or vices of any kind during Ramadan.

It also says passengers  may be seen reading, listening to or orally reciting the Holy Qur’an at airports and on airplanes.

Dawud Walid directs the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

He says many Muslims carry prayer beads and may “whisper” prayers while they’re traveling.

Walid says that practice is often misunderstood.

“The ‘See Something, Say Something’ policy that the Department of Homeland Security has could trigger someone to report a Muslim who’s doing a peaceful activity during the month of Ramadan or outside of Ramadan,” Walid says.

Walid says the TSA bulletin stems from good intentions, but it demonstrates the public’s general lack of education about Islamic religious traditions.

“Obviously, TSA employees are fully briefed about it, but that doesn’t mean everyone is,” Walid says. “And there are many people who travel through airports, such as Metro Detroit, who have connecting flights and they may be accustomed to seeing Muslims, but it is definitely more of a problem in areas where there are fewer Muslims.”

Education, Walid says, is the key to preventing misunderstanding.

So would it be rude to ask about a religious practice?

Walid says it’s fine if you do so respectfully.

“In order for us to have a more congenial society and to bring about more tolerance and understanding, we have to learn about each other’s differences, and Muslims are open to letting  people know about our traditions.”

DawudWalid

Dawud Walid is currently the Executive Director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), which is a chapter of America's largest advocacy and civil liberties organization for American Muslims and is a member of the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) Imams Committee. Walid has been interviewed and quoted in approximately 150 media outlets ranging from the New York Times, Wall St Journal, National Public Radio, CNN, BBC, FOX News and Al-Jazeera. Furthermore, Walid was a political blogger for the Detroit News from January 2014 to January 2016, has had essays published in the 2012 book All-American: 45 American Men on Being Muslim, the 2014 book Qur'an in Conversation and was quoted as an expert in 13 additional books and academic dissertations. He was also a featured character in the 2013 HBO documentary "The Education of Mohammad Hussein." Walid has lectured at over 50 institutions of higher learning about Islam, interfaith dialogue and social justice including at Harvard University, DePaul University and the University of the Virgin Islands - St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses as well as spoken at the 2008 and 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Conventions alongside prominent speakers such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Congressman Keith Ellison. In 2008, Walid delivered the closing benediction at the historic 52nd Michigan Electoral College in the Michigan State Senate chambers and gave the Baccalaureate speech for graduates of the prestigious Cranbrook-Kingswood Academy located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Walid was also a featured speaker at the 2009 and 2010 Malian Peace and Tolerance Conferences at the University of Bamako in Mali, West Africa. He has also given testimony at hearings and briefings in front of Michigan state legislators and U.S. congressional representatives, including speaking before members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Washington, D.C. Walid has studied under qualified scholars the disciplines of Arabic grammar and morphology, foundations of Islamic jurisprudence, sciences of the exegesis of the Qur’an, and Islamic history during the era of Prophet Muhammad through the governments of the first 5 caliphs. He previously served as an imam at Masjid Wali Muhammad in Detroit and the Bosnian American Islamic Center in Hamtramck, Michigan, and continues to deliver sermons and lectures at Islamic centers across the United States and Canada. Walid was a 2011 - 2012 fellow of the University of Southern California (USC) American Muslim Civil Leadership Institute (AMCLI) and a 2014 - 2015 fellow of the Wayne State Law School Detroit Action Equity Lab (DEAL). Walid served in the United States Navy under honorable conditions earning two United States Navy & Marine Corp Achievement medals while deployed abroad. He has also received awards of recognition from the city councils of Detroit and Hamtramck and from the Mayor of Lansing as well as a number of other religious and community organizations.

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