*(Have a) blessed Ramadan
How Muslims in Greensboro are observing the holiest month of the year as the genocide in Gaza rages on.
BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA | PG. 12
Coconut Cake @ HanesBrands Theatre (W-S) 7:30 p.m.
The NC Black Repertory Company presents Coconut Cake, a play in which four retirees meet for coffee and games of chess at a local McDonald’s, but “when a mysterious woman moves to town, tempting Eddie Lee and his chess buddies to indulge in melt-in-your-mouth coconut cakes and medicine cabinet secrets, their lives are changed forever.” For more information and tickets, visit ncblackrep.org/events/coconut-cake
Rodeo Thursdays @ 1614 DrinksMusic - Billiards (HP) 8 p.m.
Take advantage of free entry and drink specials during Rodeo Thursdays at 1614. Show off your line dancing
and mechanical bullriding skills, too. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.
Healthcare Clinic Volunteers Needed @ Forbush Middle School (East Bend) Online
Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics delivering free quality dental, vision and medical care to those in need, is seeking volunteers for a clinic at Forbush Middle School in June. Find more information and register to volunteer at https://www.ramusa.org/
FRIDAY
Carve a Wooden Sword @ Mixxer Community Makerspace (W-S) 5:30 p.m.
Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events
In this two-session woodshop class, participants will learn the basics of using a band saw and belt sander to create a wooden sword. Sign up at wsmixxer.org
Exploring the Cosmos Through Sound:
Analog Ambient Music with Brian Haran @ GreenHill Center for NC Art (GSO) 6 p.m.
Analog ambient artist Brian Haran will take listeners on a journey through the cosmos as he plays spaceinspired sounds from multiple instruments, including a reproduction of a synthesizer created by fellow Grumman Apollo project engineer Alan Pearlman, made by Haran with modern, accessible materials. Head to greenhillnc. org for more information.
SATURDAY
Farm Day at Water Tower Market @ Radar Brewing Company (W-S) 12 p.m.
This market includes a showcase of artists and makers selling handmade items and visits from farm guests! Details on Facebook
BTB Anniversary Party @ Brown Truck Brewery (HP) 12 p.m.
Brown Truck Brewery invites you to celebrate its 8th anniversary with a full lineup of activities including a popup vendor market, brewery tours, live music and more to enjoy. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.
Greensboro African-American History
Walking Tour @ Historic Magnolia House (GSO) 3 p.m.
Learn more about the history of Greensboro’s Black community including leaders in academics and business, stories of navigating discrimination and the foundation of church communities during this walking tour. Tickets available at trianglewalkingtours.com
7
SUNDAY
Piedmont Craftsmen’s 60th Anniversary Celebration & Fundraising
Auction @ the Barn at Reynolda Village (W-S) 2 p.m.
Enjoy an afternoon of champagne, hors d’oeuvres and jazz with Joe Robinson as you bid on works by
Piedmont Craftsmen exhibiting artists and friends.
Preview the auction catalog and purchase tickets at piedmontcraftsmen.shop
Miss Chemistry 2024 Pageant (GSO)
9:30 p.m.
Head to Chemistry and watch contestants participate in three categories — evening gown, on stage question and talent — as they compete for the title of Miss Chemistry 2024. Featuring former Miss Chemistry titleholders Miss Gay NC America 2023 Saniya Chanel Iman, Miss Hocus Pocus 2023 Jasmine Summers and Paris Brooks Bonet. More information on the Facebook event page
8
MONDAY
Grand Opening: Carolina Core FC Merchandise Store @ Stock + Grain (HP) 11 a.m.
Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events
Stop by Stock + Grain for the grand opening of the Carolina Core FC Merchandise Store. There will be meetand-greets, giveaways, discounts and more. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.
11
THURSDAY
2024 New York Dog Film Festival
Screening @ a/perture cinema (W-S)
5:30 p.m.
Celebrate the bond between dogs and people around the world and learn more about the work being done in animal warfare during this screening of the NY Dog Film Festival. Learn more and purchase tickets at aperturecinema.com
Receive weekly updates on breaking News stories with Monday Mix, stay in the loop with our curated events calendar The Weekender, and view our headlining stories with TCB This Week
I’ve never been religious. I grew up in a Japanese household that was secular and atheist. But being in the South, I was confronted with many types of religion and faith traditions from a young age. And I didn’t understand them until I was older.
I always thought that religion and faith were unnecessary, that the idea that people had to be believers to be moral, to be good, was flawed. And I still think that. I know plenty of godless people who lead ethical lives, folks I consider friends and loved ones.
so I don’t know much about different faith communities.
This past month, I visited a mosque for the first time; I wore a hijab for the first time; I observed a breaking of a fast for the first time. And while I’m no closer to converting to Islam than I am any other religion, I knew it was important to convey those moments to a wider audience.
There are many Muslim friends and families in our community. And they are hurting so deeply right now as the genocide in Gaza continues to unfurl before our eyes.
When one person is hurting, we all are.
So it may seem strange that we’ve dedicated almost an entire issue to the observance of Ramadan. As I mentioned, I’ve never been religious, and
And so, despite my own personal misgivings with religion, I knew that shining a light on this culture, this faith tradition was what was needed in the paper this week. Because as they say in Arabic, when one person is hurting, we all are.
And I think we can all agree with that sentiment, religious or not.
as much as possible from things that are
really
Greensboro leaders want to enact a 1-percent prepared-food tax.
Here’s how that’s worked in Charlotte.by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com
Aslice of the Sleeping Beauty from Zämbies Pizza in Charlotte’s NoDa district rings up at $7. On top of that dough — other than the bubbling cheese, peppers, onions and a savory drizzle of balsamic glaze — is 58 cents of tax. Thirty-three of those cents go to the state, 14 go to Mecklenburg County and four are directed to transit. The final seven are collected due to the county’s 1-percent prepared food and beverage tax, enacted by the state legislature in 1990.
Those tiny bites out of consumers’ bills reap more than $40 million annually for the city of Charlotte.
Greensboro’s Mayor Nancy Vaughan is hungry for a piece of that pie.
For the last several months, city leaders in Greensboro have been toying with the idea of a countywide 1-percent prepared-food tax that could be levied by the state legislature — with or without a voter referendum. Thus far, city leaders and power players have been pushing for the latter option.
In May 2023, TCB uncovered emails between the Greensboro Coliseum’s Managing Director Matt Brown and leaders such as Vaughan, County Commissioner Skip Alston and other local power players.
In a September 2022 email, Brown wrote that he was “compiling information” on NC cities and counties that have “enacted this tax (without the necessity of a voter referrendum [sic]).”
But in May 2023, Vaughan told TCB that there was “no movement.” Still, Greensboro Sports Foundation’s president and CEO Richard Beard, who is “leading the effort” according to Brown, had employed lobbyists with KTS Strategies since January 2023.
In June 2023, Councilmember Sharon Hightower said that she “can’t support a food tax without a referendum.”
The city of Greensboro has been enjoying the tourism attracted by events at the Greensboro Coliseum and the Tanger Center, as well as youth sports tournaments. But city leaders and leading business moguls are worried that decaying and out-of-date facilities will fumble the bag.
A prepared-meals tax like Charlotte’s could help, Vaughan said at this year’s State of the City address on March 20. She estimates that a county-wide prepared-meals tax would bring $20 million into the community, which could be used to upgrade the city’s current facilities and invest in new sites. Cities that benefit from this tax, such as Charlotte and Raleigh, are “ahead of us with prepared-food tax money,” Vaughan said. Mecklenburg and Wake also have a hotel-occupancy tax. The profits from this, plus the meals taxes, are specifically designated for tourism projects.
According to the city of Charlotte, their 1-percent prepared food and beverage tax brought in more than $42 million in fiscal year 2022.
In October, more than 66,000 people crammed into Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium to watch Charlotte Football Club play International Miami Football Club — featuring the famous Lionel Messi. Fans of the soccer star traveled from far and wide to the Queen City to watch him play, and brought their wallets to the city’s hotels and restaurants with them.
The plan is to eventually upgrade the stadium — built in 1996 atop a hospital for Black residents — and potentially draw from their pot of tourism tax money. Using those taxes, Charlotte put more than $200 million toward upgrading the Spectrum Center in 2022.
Tucked away into a pocket of NoDa is the beloved Smelly Cat Coffeehouse and Roastery, a relaxing “third space” with a steady stream of chatting customers.
When she heard the Spectrum Center’s price tag on the news, owner Cathy Tuman said that she was “shocked” by the amount.
Still, Tuman added that these venues reward local businesses.
“The success of these venues does produce jobs, and also brings in business to us,” she said.
A $3.25 cup of the shop’s refreshing wild berry hibiscus iced tea has 27 cents of tax tacked onto it; three cents come from the 1-percent tax.
“I don’t see people not coming because of taxes,” Tuman added.
The city’s prepared food and beverage tax was originally scheduled to sunset in 2031, but has proven so fruitful that the North Carolina General Assembly extended its reign over Mecklenburg County’s restaurant bills to 2060 last year via Session Law 2023-144
At the address on March 20, Beard talked about the Gate City’s effect on sports — and sports’ effect on its economy.
“This sports tourism has a huge impact and even more reason to keep these facilities relevant so we can keep what we have but also build on it,” he said, referencing facilities like soccer fields, pools and pickleball courts.
Still, restaurant owners and locals who enjoy a bite out to eat will be paying the price along with tourists. Some have called it a “burden” on small businesses.
osh Lemon, the owner of the Southern Wok, a Triad-based dumpling business, expressed worry about how the tax will affect the consumers.
“When you get home from a long day of work, you don’t really want to cook your own meals so you go out and get a prepared meal,” he said.
Surging prices could mean less visits from their customers.
“People are already complaining about the fact that it’s expensive to eat out, so that one percent might go a long way with that, who knows?” he said.
As for Lemon’s business, which he runs out of a food truck with his wife Megan, the tax could “make it a little bit harder” for him to get everything done, he said.
“As far as finances go and stuff it’s not much, but everything counts,” he said. “It’s already been kind of a rough year, like the winter was a little bit slower than usual this year, where people were just opting not to go out to save money. It’s gonna make small businesses that can’t really afford even a nominal increase struggle a little bit more.”
Other Greensboro locals such as Austin Jeffries, manager of Double Oaks and cofounder of Borough Coffee, want more information on exactly how raising their prices will benefit them and the residents they serve, including what the money will go toward.
“Given my general ideology, I am pro taxes for public improvement,” Jeffries explained. “I just think that it is the lowest barrier of their job to spell out precisely what it’s for. They could do a lot higher tax from me if they spelled out a very specific project.”
And despite Lemon’s concerns, he agrees.
“Paying your taxes is important,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll get us to fund some stuff.”
If the tax is passed, via the legislature or through a voter referendum, there are many ways the proceeds could be spent.
Asheville put some of their tourism-tax funds toward greenways and, according to the city’s Mayor Esther Manheimer, there’s talk of spending it on transit. It could even be spent on creating affordable housing for the tourism-industry workforce.
And even though the tax has been successful in Charlotte, residents there make more money than those in Greensboro.
According to Census data, the median household income in Charlotte is $74,070; in Greensboro it’s $55,051. Additionally, 18 percent of Greensboro’s population lives in poverty compared to Charlotte’s 12 percent.
The two cities have stark design differences, too.
After Saturday’s match against Cincinnati’s football club, fans emerged from Bank of America stadium straight into uptown Charlotte’s many culinary offerings — or hopped on the light rail to one. Restaurants all over the city buzzed with fans.
After an event at the Greensboro Coliseum, visitors have to drive nearly three miles to access downtown’s bars and restaurants.
But Vaughan argues that this tax will level the playing field.
“We should have the people, who are coming to Greensboro to use these facilities, to have some skin in the game,” she said.
During the March 20 address, Vaughan pointed to Guilford County Schools’ field trips to the symphony at the Tanger Center.
“That is why we need to have buildings like that, to expose people to arts and culture,” she said. “It’s not only about sports.”
Beard told TCB that in that way, the tax “also benefits the community.”
As reported by TCB last year, lobbyists with KTS Strategies have been employed by Greensboro Sports Foundation since January 2023 to lobby for the tax. KTS was being paid $10,000 per month for their services and four of their lobbyists were registered in the state’s lobbying directory — up until December 2023
That month, Ches McDowell — one of GSF’s KTS lobbyists — announced his new lobbying firm, Checkmate Government Relations, taking other KTS team members such as Nelson Freeman, Hampton Billips and John Easterling with him. All four were previously assigned to GSF to lobby for the tax.
“We don’t have anybody contracted right now, so no, we don’t have a lobbyist,” Beard said in a recent interview with TCB. Beard added that there have been “no decisions on pursuing legislation” during the General Assembly’s upcoming legislative session
But he’s not giving up any time soon.
“The prepared-food tax, at least out of my mouth, will not go away,” he said. “It’s too important for the area.”
It started at a kitchen table more than 15 years ago.
In 2008, Greensboro mother of two Kristy Milholin noticed signs of food insecurity among her daughters’ classmates at Morehead Elementary School. She and her husband, Don Milholin, took it upon themselves to pack up bags of free food for several local families every Friday.
“She went into mom mode. She couldn’t see kids go hungry,” said Beth Crise, who is the president and executive director of Out of the Garden project, the nonprofit that the Milholins founded after receiving increased requests from families in need. Crise took over the organization after the couple retired.
About 26 million meals later, the Out of the Garden Project has grown to be the largest independent, non-governmental food insecurity nonprofit in North Carolina’s Piedmont area, with about 800 monthly volunteers serving more than 130,000 individuals and families annually. Now, Crise is working to increase those numbers by developing new faith-based partnerships to meet the needs of Greensboro’s growing refugee and immigrant communities. The group is expanding its popular Fresh Mobile Markets, a mobile grocery store that offers free produce, meats, bread and shelf-stable items, with an inaugural Refugee Resettlement Market aimed at new arrivals.
The market had its first event on March 22, but it isn’t the first time that Out of the Garden Project aimed its services at new arrivals. Crise recalls they had great success with a similar concept last year.
Edward Moreno is the head of his household and an immigrant from Venezuela. He attended Out of the Garden Project’s first Refugee Resettlement Market and says it was a huge help.
Out of the Garden Project
Operates several monthly Fresh Mobile Markets in over 20 locations and is open to income-eligibale families with children from 0-18 years of age. For more information about how to receive food, volunteer or sponsor, visit their website: outofthegardenproject.org
“In my condition, as an immigrant, I don’t have work yet,” he said. “And this helps a lot.”
“We noticed that after that market, they came to us less and less, so we knew we were making a difference and could fill that need,” she said.
The market, which serves new arrivals and sponsors, is a touchpoint for Greensboro’s newest residents, but it’s also a safe place to buy culturally relevant foods. In this market, there were two types of rice on offer, which are a staple food for many people around the world. Then there are sources of starches like plantains and yucca, which are important for Caribbean, Latin American and West African cuisines. The market also offers fish and meat, which Crise says many people who maintain a halal diet opt for, although the organization is still looking for a steady supplier of halal meat.
At the launch of their newest market, Crise observed that the food options were welcome as many immigrants came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Latin America and the North African and Middle East region.
With the help of early Out of the Garden Project volunteer-turned-board chair, Akir Khan, they are finding ways to connect with Greensboro’s growing Muslim population. Khan is a prominent member of the local Muslim community, a mentor for several students at Guilford Technical Community College, and former chairman of the Piedmont Interfaith Council.
“What we found is that it’s always our faith communities that are first to respond,” said Khan, who became involved with the Out of the Garden Project when they were still packing bags on kitchen tables.
“Our oldest relationship is with the Church on 68 and during COVID, it was our faith communities that stepped up.”
Since 2013, Out of the Garden Project has operated out of the Church on 68. The church’s pastor, Whitmand Toland, met the Milholins at a tennis club and ended up offering a portion of the 80,000-square foot space — formerly a furniture store — to the nonprofit.
“It’s funny, I remember walking through the property when we first got it, and I just had this profound vision, like walking into a Costco or a Sam’s Club, that this space would have racks of food,” Toland said. The partnership made that vision a reality.
A decade and a half later, Out of the Garden is still operating from the church. The nonprofit mostly uses the space as a warehouse to receive and store donations, the majority of which come directly from local farmers and producers.
Though its headquarters haven’t changed, they have expanded in other ways: what goes into a bag of food, who receives their services and how those in need access those meals.
Since COVID, Crise has seen more families lining up in their cars for their monthly Fresh Mobile Markets at various locations. But hard data also illuminates the scale of the real problem: childhood hunger.
“Two-thirds of the Guilford County school system qualifies for free and reduced breakfast and lunch,” said Crise. “That data shows the need.”
Crise notes that many of the people receiving their weekly bag of food are on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is getting stretched thin with increasing food prices.
“Something we hear a lot is that benefits got cut,” Crise said. “We’ve noticed a trend that federal nutrition benefits are just not enough for a month. A lot of the food they can buy isn’t the freshest or the most nutritious. They rely on us because the fresh produce or meat we provide really fills in that gap.”
Although many of Out of the Garden’s initial sponsors for their Fresh Mobile Market have been churches, they’ve since set up regular operations at local schools, community centers and higher education institutions. That’s not out of coincidence. The general public tend to see schools, churches, and community centers as institutions where they can receive help; it’s a logical place to reach a general population.
But many newly arrived immigrants and refugees don’t necessarily see themselves as part of the community quite yet. Greensboro has one of America’s largest populations of asylum seekers and newly-arrived immigrants. With Crise taking over the reins of the organization, she’s on a mission to strengthen ties with various faith communities.
“I felt strongly that we should be more intentional with providing food that is more culturally appropriate,” she said. “That would bring [newcomers] joy, and make them feel welcome. And talking to Dr. Khan, a first-generation immigrant, he was also passionate about doing the same.”
Khan has introduced dozens of volunteers from the Muslim and refugee community to the nonprofit, like 20-year-old Sameer Qureshi. A basketball player for Guilford Technical Community College and a child of Pakistani refugees, Qureshi was an Out of the Garden Project’s summer intern. He liked the work well enough, but the job also put his family’s story in perspective, specifically his mother’s journey as a refugee.
“She doesn’t talk about her struggles a lot; she only wants to support me,” Qureshi said. “Just seeing the refugees, and seeing her, I kind of learned from her without her having to tell me.” The work emboldened him to do something beyond just his internship.
Qureshi decided to get his whole team on board to help raise $1,000 to co-sponsor a new Refugee Resettlement Market in May.
“As student-athletes, we can do something more,” said Qureshi.
“In different churches who are also serving as food banks, they can reach their constituency just fine, but it’s not always about giving people the food they need to survive, but the food they’re familiar with,” Crise said. “We’re not just giving people aid, but helping them celebrate with foods that are culturally appropriate.”
Khan says this market is just the first phase in including more faith communities in the mobile market system.
“Whether you’re from the Christian community, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Baháʼí, Hindu, agnostic, atheist, Sikh, it does not matter,” Khan said. “The common cause is eradicating childhood hunger.”
Winston Salem Symphony & Jeans ‘N Classics
Rique Franks | Kathryn Rose | Johnny Rutledge
Michelle Merrill Conductor Reynolds Auditorium
Even if you don’t follow college basketball — which in North Carolina is considered to be kind of a crime — you must have heard about the incredible run in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament by the NC State Wolfpack.
But if you haven’t, here’s a quick recap.
The Wolfpack weren’t even supposed to appear on college basketball’s biggest stage.
After a lackluster season, they were seeded 10th out of 15 teams in the ACC Tournament. They became just the second men’s team in NCAA history to win five games in five nights against higherranked opponents — including those darlings of NC hoops Duke and UNC — to take the ACC Tournament earlier this month. Without that decisive win in the finals against UNC, they would not have been invited to the big dance, relegated to the lesser NIT tournament, the one UNC declined to participate in just last year and another ACC team, Pitt, turned down this year.
That NC State bested Duke this weekend to become one of a small handful of 11-seeds in history to make it to the Final Four makes it all the more delicious. Or painful, depending on where your allegiances lie.
But at this point, even Tar Heel and Blue Devil fans need to get in on the Wolfpack bandwagon if they haven’t already.
For one, NC State exists outside that college-hoops dyad that dictates most fandom in the state, which can be boiled down to the question: Which shade of blue are you?
NC State has been a perennial underdog since the last time they made the Final Four, which was in 1983, the year they won the whole thing. Anyone can root for NC State, just like anyone can say they spent “a couple semesters” there.
At this point, even Tar Heel and Blue Devil fans need to get in on the Wolfpack bandwagon if they haven’t already.
For another: The women’s team made the championship round as well, beginning their tourney as a 3-seed and plowing through the competition for just their second-ever appearance in the Final Four; the last time was in 1998. And when they next take the cohort, it will be with freshman guard Jannah Eissa, the very first basketball player in ACC history to wear a hijab on court.
This is a huge deal.
To be sure, the ACC sent five teams, fully one-third of their members, to the Final Four Tournament this year. All of them, save for Virginia, which got knocked out on the very first day, did quite well. UNC, Clemson and Duke all made it to the Sweet 16, noteworthy in a year that saw so many sportswriters describe the conference as one in decline
And it all comes to a head this next weekend. The women play 1-seed South Carolina on Friday night, time to be determined; the men’s team takes on 1-seed Purdue on Saturday at 6 p.m. And we all need to be there — in spirit anyway — as the Wolfpack teams bring honor upon our state. Wear something red.
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By the time 7:30 p.m. rolls around, Aya Abdelaziz is nearly dizzy from hunger pangs.
“As we’re fasting, I’m so hungry,” she says.
“So before iftar, I’m so hungry. I’m consumed by the thoughts of breaking my fast, and as soon as I break my fast, my body starts to calm down.”
Abdelaziz is a 24-year-old Palestinian Muslim who has been observing Ramadan this year since March 11.
Taking place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the monthlong ritual is believed to be when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago. In observation of the holy month, most Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from dusk to dawn, which lasts 12-17 hours, depending on their location in the world.
According to 2020 Census data, there are approximately 10,000 Muslims living in Guilford County.
This year, as Muslims start their days early before the sun has risen with the suhoor and end every evening by breaking the fast with the iftar, they’re thinking about those living and dying in Palestine.
“You sit with the thought of those kids who have died from
starvation, and knowing that they don’t have that mental guarantee that there will be food on the table — I can’t imagine that,” Abdelaziz says.
Since the surprise attacks by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, the world has watched in horror as the Israeli government has launched retaliatory attacks on Palestinians in Gaza. In the last six months, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by the unceasing bombings and air raids, which have been largely funded by the US government. That combined with the blocking of any aid into the area by Israeli forces has led to mass starvation and death in the region
As Abdelaziz and other Muslims in Greensboro observe Ramadan, it’s impossible to think of the toll that the devastation is having on their brothers and sisters in Gaza.
“This Ramadan is definitely different for me,” says Maitha Ali, a 25-year-old Palestinian Muslim. “It’s very different; I don’t think anybody will be the same. I will never be the same after what I’ve seen from Oct. 7 and onwards.”
From inside mosques to a restaurant’s dining room to families’ homes, the holy holiday looks, feels and signifies different things for many partaking in its rituals this year.
Alaikum: A greeting which means “Peace be upon you.”
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala: An honorific for God meaning “May he be praised and exalted.”
Eid: A celebration of the end of Ramadan
Iftar: The evening meal with which Muslims break their fast during Ramadan.
Mecca: Islam’s holiest city where Muslims are expected to make pilgrimages
Mosque: The place of worship for Muslims; pronounced “masjid” in Arabic
Quran: The religious text of Islam
Salam: A word meaning peace
Suhoor: The morning meal before Muslims start their fast
Four women kneel in the main prayer room at the Islamic Center of the Triad. PHOTO BY SAYAKA MATSUOKAMaitha Ali, Aya Abdelaziz and Juliana Ganim are young Palestinian women in their twenties who have been leading protests in Greensboro for Palestinian liberation.
But the drive to speak out on behalf of their people didn’t start with their generation.
“We have grown up protesting for Palestine as long as we can remember,” Ali says. “We used to do protests downtown and on Wendover Avenue and Gate City Boulevard. We did some in High Point; this was back in maybe the early 2000s.”
Ali — whose father Badi Ali founded the organization Muslims for a Better North Carolina — recalls how being raised in an active family affected her as a child.
“It instilled a lot of values of justice in us,” Ali says. Her father, who was imam and president of the Islamic Center of the Triad, died in 2022 after contracting COVID-19.
Abdelaziz shares a newspaper clipping from November 2001 chronicling a protest in which her mother can be seen carrying Abdelaziz in her arms, who, at the time, was just a baby with chubby arms and legs.
And while the passion for their people’s cause hasn’t changed over the years, the amount of support that they’ve gotten from surrounding communities has.
“I would say it’s bittersweet,” Ali says. “It’s very unfortunate that there’s a genocide that’s happening and that’s what had to happen to capture the attention of the world, even though this has been going on for 75 years. It’s beautiful to see that the community can come together. Globally, there are millions and millions of people doing something for Palestine and calling for action for Palestine.”
Half of Ali’s family was expelled out of Palestine and now live in Jordan. The other half — on her father’s side — still lives in a village in the West Bank.
At the protests she was taken to when she was younger, Ali says she remembers seeing about 40 people or so show up. At the protests they’ve held during the last six months, hundreds have attended.
“In the beginning it was very much Muslim- or Arab-heavy,” Ali says. “But there has been a large number of non-Muslims and non-Arabs coming out who are very serious and dedicated to show their solidarity to Palestinians.”
Abdelaziz’s family immigrated to Jordan and part of her dad’s side of the family lives in Jerusalem. Ganim, who grew up Christian, says her mother’s side of the family fled to Lebanon in 1948, the year that Israel was established by Zionist forces in the wake of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. Her dad’s side of the family is spread throughout the world, including in the West Bank.
While the three of them rarely hear from their families in Palestine, they watch on their phones and TV screens the devastation taking place in real time. And as American citizens, they say it’s up to them to speak out.
“Living in America is the reason,” Ganim says. “They fund the genocide; we are committing it. Without our finances and our weapons, it wouldn’t be happening. The fact that we live in America means that we have the most power in this issue.”
Many Muslims, including Ali and Ganim, tie their activism and calls for justice for Palestine directly with the tenets of Islam. They mentioned how Islam is a religion of peace and justice. That’s part of the reason why Muslims choose to fast during the month — to get closer to God, but also to humble themselves and empathize with the poor.
“I find a lot of peace whenever I’m praying,” Ali says. “I just find a lot of peace and hope in prayer and believing in God. I’ve grown stronger in my faith in that manner.”
Moussa Issifou is president of the Islamic Center of Greensboro, a mosque off of Sixteenth Street that caters to a majority AfricanMuslim congregation. Originally from Togo, Issifou explains how the month of Ramadan is often synonymous with fasting, but it’s also a time to get deeper into the faith.
“I have a very close relationship with God, in terms of believing that he’s the only one who has created the universe and that it has a purpose,” Issifou says. “The purpose of our creation is for us to worship him and live by what he has ordered us to live by, such as doing good, helping your neighbor and standing for justice.”
While most of the congregation at the mosque is African, Issifou says that
they have gathered funds and donated what they can to the people in Gaza.
“We are in solidarity with their plights,” he says.
That’s another part of one of the Five Pillars of Islam, according to Issifou.
The First pillar is to believe in the one God and that Muhammad is the messenger of God. The Second is to pray five times per day facing Mecca. The Third pillar is for Muslims to donate a fixed portion of their income to community members in need. The Fourth relates to fasting during Ramadan and the Fifth pillar refers to the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who can afford it.
“Being Muslim humbles me,” Issifou says. “Knowing that whatever we do, regardless of your position, you are going to be equal to anybody.”
That kind of mentality is physically evident in a community calendar posted on the wall of the mosque that outlines which family is cooking the meal for the iftar on each day of the month.
On one Monday, Houssein Ahmed’s family spent hours making seasoned rice, baked chicken, a mixed salad and vegetables.
Dozens of community members gather outside of the mosque at picnic tables to break their fast; they open the meal by eating dates and drinking water or juice.
For Imam Yaser Ahmed, one of the most significant parts of Ramadan is this communal aspect.
“It’s the month to focus towards your family,” says Ahmed, who has four children of his own. “You get more connected to your family because you break your fast with that dinner. Iftar is highly preferred to be done with the family, but it also brings the community together. People get connected in Ramadan more than any other time.”
Sumaya Tabassum, a 25-yearold from Bangladesh, wears a tealgreen scarf at one of the picnic tables outside the mosque. She takes her first sips of water for the evening to break her fast. For her, the best part of Ramadan is doing the iftar with her family, but now that she’s thousands of miles away from home, she seeks community at the local mosque.
She and her husband moved to Greensboro last year to attend graduate school at NC A&T State University and this is her first Ramadan at the center. She sits on one side of the patio outside the mosque in the area reserved for women. She’s surrounded by the mothers, daughters, sisters and wives of the men who sit on the other side as they chat and eat.
That meant that as a child exploring the tenets of Islam on her own, she was often the only one who would fast for Ramadan. Now, decades later with her own family, Abdo says she doesn’t fast or wear a hijab, but will do the iftar with another Muslim family on occasion.
“It’s an opportunity for people to spend time with each other,” she says.
Abdo says that during Eid, the celebration at the end of Ramadan, she takes her kids to buy new clothes to wear on that day, much like her parents did when she was a child.
For her, being a Palestinian means picking and choosing parts of the Muslim identity that work for her.
“I’m not very attached to the particular rituals,” she says.
But the parts that she does observe have to do with community and self-reflection.
“The month is supposed to be about contemplation and reflection,” she says. “You’re trying to rid yourself as much as possible from things that are distracting. You’re really contemplating the world and your relationship and responsibility to the world.”
And as people continue to die in Gaza, Abdo says doing the iftar has become a way for her to teach her kids about the resilience of her people.
“It’s a way to show my kids and say, ‘This is our culture,’” she says. “It’s a reminder to my children: ‘This is part of who you are.’”
The local business
Maher Said can handle the hunger; it’s the thirst that really gets him.
As the owner of Nazareth Bread Co. and Restaurant in Greensboro, Said is used to cutting, prepping, cooking and serving all day, even when he is fasting. But the heat of the grill makes the lack of drinking difficult.
“You feel the thirst more than the hunger,” he says.
By Wednesday evening around 6:30 p.m., Said has been fasting for more than 12 hours. In about 60 minutes, he’ll feel the sweet relief of breaking his fast with the iftar that his restaurant serves every day during Ramadan.
Sixteen aluminum platters of food line the buffet tables inside the restaurant. That evening, they’re filled with stewed okra, garlic chicken, baba ghanouj, lamb shanks, rice, slaw, shawarma, burgers and sauteed spinach and onions.
“I’m so proud to be Muslim,” she says.
This gathering to break the fast is something that Imam Ahmed remembers witnessing as a child growing up in Sudan. He recalls seeing families bring out pots and pans of food filled with bread, lamb, beans, hummus and seafood to the parking lot where people would gather to eat together.
“Islam bridges the gap between rich and poor people,” Ahmed says. “It’s a time when the community comes together and people give food and anything that they can share, sharing blessings in general.”
And just as the Muslim community is vast and diverse in its racial and ethnic makeup within Greensboro, the ways in which each individual person observes Ramadan can differ, too.
Diya Abdo, a professor at Guilford College, grew up Muslim to Palestinian parents. She was raised in Jordan in a secular household.
“My family identified as Muslim because we grew up in a country where you identified with a religion, but they were very secular,” Abdo explains.
It’s a tradition that Said has kept going since he opened the business 13 years ago. A Palestinian from Nazareth, Said says that being able to observe Ramadan through this business and offer the iftar to the community is a reflection of his faith.
“Ramadan is one of the best months you will ever celebrate,” Said says. “It brings families to the table every single day.”
While the buffet only happens during the month of Ramadan, Muslims and nonMuslims alike flock to the business to indulge in the food.
“We get a full house,” Said says.
At a row of tables nearby, Doha Altaki from Syria, sits with her coworkers to break the fast. Sometimes she does the iftar at home; other days, like today, she enjoys the moment with friends. Her favorite part, she says, is what the ritual of fasting represents.
“To pure my body; to pure my soul,” she says. “I feel I am closer to God, to Allah. At the same time, it’s worship. I love to do that; I love Ramadan.”
Still, unprompted, Altaki brings up the plight of people in places of war like Syria and Palestine.
“I’m thinking about our people,” she says. “In Syria or another country. They are
fasting, but they don’t have enough food.”
Said echoes Altaki’s comments.
“It hurts all of us,” Said says of the death in Gaza. “It’s affecting us; it makes this year feel different. The minute you sit down at the table and you’re ready to break your fast, it makes you think, What about those kids who have no food? What about those children who are starving? Not only starving but cold and homeless? Because the purpose of Ramadan is to feed with the poor people.”
On the counter near the register, a plastic box asks for donations for Palestine. Said says he wants the death and the genocide to end.
“I wish the war to stop,” he says. “I want the whole world to remember that Muslims or Jews or whatever you want to call us, we’re all brothers and sisters. We need to look at each other equally. We need to stop the bloodshed that’s going on in the Middle East. And it’s easy; if we can look at each other equally and respect each other, the whole thing can be just gone, you know?”
Iman Khan started wearing a hijab a year ago.
“I wear it like a crown,” she says. “It’s empowering.”
Khan, a 21-year-old Pakistani, has been going to the Islamic Center of the Triad where her father Maqsood is part of the management team, since she was a child.
When she talks about her decision to start wearing the headscarf, her father’s eyes fill with tears.
“My parents wanted me to wear it, but I wanted to wear it in my own time,” she says. “And that’s something they always said, ‘When you feel comfortable, wear it when you want to.’ And ever since I’ve worn it, I have loved it.”
A student at UNCG, Khan says that being able to wear the hijab and see other students around campus wearing them too, offers her a sense of community and shared identity.
“That camaraderie exists,” she says.
fasting, the other core tenet of Ramadan is to study the text during the month.
For Mujahid Ashqer, a community member at the mosque, Ramadan isn’t about celebration, especially this year.
At the mosque, congregation members delight in that sense of community. After the Zuhr prayer at noon on a recent Friday, dozens of Muslims gather outside of the building to catch up.
Inside, a few men sit and read from the Quran, poring over its verses. In addition to
Ashqer was born in Ohio to Palestinian parents and lived in Palestine for decades before he moved back to the US in 2011.
“The month of Ramadan is the month of generosity,” Ashqer says. “It’s not about celebration; it’s about getting closer to God (Allah) subhanahu wa ta’ala, increasing our worship to Allah, charity and good deeds.”
That means an adherence to justice and peace, Ashqer explains.
The word Islam comes from the word salama, which means peace,” he says. “There is no difference between an Arab and non-Arab. We don’t differentiate depending on race or ethnicity…. If you’re American, if you are Asian, if you are African, it doesn’t matter. except in terms of piety and righteousness”
What he wants more than anything is for that kind of peaceful thinking to reach his people back in Palestine, Ashqer says. Currently, most of his family lives in the West Bank where moving inside the city is segmented through checkpoints manned by members of the Israeli military. Ashqer said that for one of his brothers, it takes two hours to travel 15 miles to get to work because of the blocks.
Thinking about the death and destruction in Gaza, Khan points out the word “ummah,” which means “all of us Muslims.”
“There is an Islamic narration that says, the ‘Ummah is like one human body; if the eye is sore, the whole body aches, and if the head aches, the whole body aches,’” Khan says.
And that’s why so many of the Muslims are speaking out in support of Palestine, especially during this month, regardless of where they were born.
“There’s a verse in the Quran that says, ‘whoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind. And whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he has the life of all mankind,’” her father says.
As she reflects on the month, activist Juliana Ganim says that she’s never seen this much support for Palestine.
“Palestine has never had this momentum,” she says. “This is our chance.”
Her fellow activist, Aya Abdelaziz agrees.
“This is bigger than us.”
First day of April.
Thu 4/04
Jason Bunch Music: Summer�eld Farms @ 6pm Summer�eld Farms, 3203 Pleasant �idge �d, Sum‐mer�eld
Brother Maven: Wyndham Championship Kick-Off @ 7pm Wyndham Championship, 3201 Forsyth Dr, Greens‐boro
Leanne Morgan: Just Getting Started @ 7pm / $35.75-$65.75
Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, Greensboro
Evening of Short Plays #42 @ 7pm / Free
Stephen D Hyers Theatre, 200 North Davie Street, Greensboro
Fri 4/05
Evening of Short Plays #42 @ 7pm / Free
Stephen D Hyers The‐atre, 200 North Davie Street, Greensboro
Sat 4/06
Charlie Hunter: Sam Fribush Organ Trio @ 8pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro
Sun 4/07
Mercy's Well @ 6pm
Southside Baptist Church, 1001 Greenhaven Dr, Greensboro
Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. @ 10am / $5 SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro
Evening of Short Plays #42 @ 2pm / Free
Stephen D Hyers The‐atre, 200 North Davie Street, Greensboro
Tue 4/09
Guilford College Bryan Series Presents: Judy Woodruff @ 7:30pm / $60-$80
Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, Greensboro
River & Rail @ 7:30pm
Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro
Sat 4/13
Christian Science Lecture @ 12pm
A free talk on Christian Science entitled "Be Set Free" by Nicole Virgil, a member of the Christian Sci‐ence Board of Lectureship First Church of Christ, Scientist, 105 Arden Place, Greensboro. clerkgso@ gmail.com
City with Dwellings
Birthday Party @ 2pm / $25
Fun and informative event for all! Learn more about CwD's work in our community and support the mission with your ticket purchase. Music, speakers, cake, snacks, photo booth, silent auction, and more! 502 N Broad St, 502 North Broad Street, Winston-Salem. suzie@ citywithdwellings.org, 336-790-9766
BandemicGSO: Dink & Drink with Rock 92 @ 4pm
The Lawndale Club, 2919 Keats Pl, Greensboro
Spanish Nite Gala @ 5:30pm / $25-$100
The Benton Convention Center, 301 West 5th Street, Winston Salem
pARTy! - Kaleideum After Dark @ 7:30pm / $40
Kaleideum, 120 West 3rd Street, Winston-Salem. lwoodruff@kaleideum.org
The Tan and Sober Gentlemen @ 9pm
Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro
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Sheryl Bailey 3 @ 7:30pm / $10-$30
SECCA - Southeastern Center for Contempo‐rary Arts, 750 Mar‐guerite Drive, Winston Salem
Sun 4/14
Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. @ 10am / $5 SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro Calendar
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