PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2023

‘COME AND LEARN’ Though anti-Muslim sentiment has cropped up nationally in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2016 election, such sentiments were largely absent in central Illinois outside of a few “pockets of hostility,” according to Alrefai. “Overall, I think the Peoria commu nity is one of the best communities for someone to live in,” Alrefai said. “Peo ria is one of the best places to raise a family.” One high-profile exception stemmed from an incident in early 2017, when someone vandalized the Islamic Cen ter’s roadside sign with a spray-painted numerology allegedly associated with a white supremacist group. But the defacement did not inspire fear in the Muslim community of Peoria. “Our community was not shaken by that here,” Alrefai said. In fact, some of those who publicly shared anti-Muslim sentiments were invited to the Center for a dinner at the mosque, emblematic of the open-door policy that Alrefai extends to the entire Peoria community. “Come and learn about Muslims from the believers and practitioners them selves,” Alrefai said. “We’re more than happy to answer people’s questions.”

A large playground sits in front of the building. There’s also a garden tended by the students. The gym hosts basketball, volleyball and badminton tournaments on the weekends, drawing in teams from across the state. As the Islamic Center’s footprint has grown, so has its membership, said Al refai. “We were in the hundreds when we were founded, and now we’re in the thousands,” he said. ‘IT'S ABOUT SUBMITTING AND SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF ALLAH’ — Imam Osama Alrefai The members of the Islamic Center stretch across nearly every profession in Peoria: physicians, lawyers, engineers, business managers, sports coaches, small business owners, etc. Indeed, a number of Muslim construction engineers are helping to build the new McClugage Bridge span, said Alrefai. THE PILLARS OF ISLAM An imam — the Muslim term for the religious leader of a mosque — is a voluntary, unpaid position. The imam’s role, said Alrefai — who otherwise works as a senior director of product engineering for a higher education consulting firm — is one of leadership and service to the community. Alrefai said he has always gravitated toward that archetype. In the second grade, he began leading the morning assemblies at his school and later excelled in speech competitions. His

father spent 38 years as a schoolteacher and principal in the country of Jordan. “If there’s an opportunity for peo ple to help people, you help people,” Alrefai said. “You take the initiative. That’s the upbringing my father raised us all in.” Alrefai’s first stint as the Islamic Center of Peoria’s imam lasted from 2013 to 2017. He returned to the role earlier this year, spending from four to six hours daily at the Center joining in prayers, leading study sessions of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, and delivering a weekly sermon during the Friday prayers, which is the largest con gregating day for Muslims each week. Alrefai summarized the message of Islam as being a simple one: Muslims believe that there is no god or deity worthy of worship except Allah (God), and that the Prophet Muhammad is the final messenger of Allah. “It’s about submitting and surren dering to the will of Allah,” Alrefai said. “Whatever he tells us to do, we do it. Whatever he tells us not to do, we don’t do it.” That tenet marks the first of the five pillars of Islam, Alrefai explained. The other four pillars are prayer, performed five times daily; charity to the poor and needy, at 2.5% of one’s excess sav ings each year, if able; fasting during the month of Ramadan, from dawn to sunset; and pilgrimage, or traveling to Mecca once in a person’s life. Finally, Muslims believe in a final judgment day, when people are judged for their actions, both good and bad.

Thomas Bruch is a writer and editor based in Peoria Heights. He has worked for the Journal Star, Peoria Public Schools and Bradley University

OCTOBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 47