CAIRO – In a good gesture to spread mutual understanding, the imam of America’s oldest mosque has invited Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to visit their mosque and talk to his fellow American citizens.
“As an imam and director of the first mosque of North America, I, Imam Tawil, declare that we would love to have our candidate Donald Trump to come and talk to his fellow citizens who have been born here, whose parents were born here, as Americans, to come talk to us about his plans, to come to tell us his philosophy, and to tell us how he can help us out as American citizens,” imam Tawil told TIME.
The unexpected invitation came as Trump released his first television ad in Iowa—marketing himself as America’s savior against “radical Islamic terrorism”.
Imam Tawil is the imam of Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids, which is the oldest surviving mosque not just in the United States but also in North America.
The community dates to Syrians who settled in the Cedar Rapids area in the late 1800s, and Mother Mosque formally opened in 1934 in the midst of the Great Depression.
The area is also home to the Muslim National Cemetery, whose land in honor of military servicemen who fought in World War II.
Only about 1% of Iowans are Muslim, mirroring the national average, according to the Pew Research Center.
“[Candidates] say things to market themselves, and get votes … it is their job to make us look bad,” Tawil said.
“Unfortunately, they are wasting their money, they are not gaining anything, because the community knows who you are, and we are dealing with the fourth generation [of Muslims in Iowa].”
Mother Mosque’s old heritage in US runs deep as a photo caption on the group’s website reads, “Is this heaven? No, it is Cedar Rapids, Iowa!”
At times its welcome page seems more about Iowa than about Islam: “The Mother Mosque is in IOWA, the hearthland of America, Cedar Rapids, Iowa where hospitality, generousity, and tolerance is well known facts,” a history section on its website reads.
“From fields of tulips … to the field of dreams … From covered bridges … to covered wagon … From America’s castles … to classic barns … From fields of corns … to Quaker Oat … From Czech Museum … to the Mother Mosque of America … IOWA welcomes you.”
As the majority of Iowans, imam Tawil is a registered Republican.
Yet, the anti-Muslim rhetoric by both Trump and Dr. Ben Carson is trapping him.
“I cannot deny that the comments of Mr. Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson have been very hurtful and very damaging,” he says, saying he will have to pray to discern which candidates are close to God’s will.
“We are shaken….Right now I am sure I will not vote for him, that is 100%, but as a religious leader I cannot tell people what to do.”