From The Youngstown Vindicator (Ohio)
by Sean Barron
Azka Malik doesn’t do embroidery, but you might be hard-pressed to tell, given the colorful assortment of handicrafts from Pakistan surrounding her.
“My mother used to embroider a lot,” said Malik, public-relations officer with the Masjid Al-Khair mosque, site of Sunday’s fifth annual open house.
The four-hour gathering at the mosque, 1670 Homewood Ave. on the South Side, showcased a variety of ethnic foods, customs and information on Islam, a religion many feel is still largely misunderstood and maligned.
The event also brought together people of all faiths to better educate them about the Muslim faith, noted Naim Rasul, a mosque member.
The Islamic Society of Greater Youngstown hosted the festivities.
Malik, who came to the area 22 years ago from her native Pakistan, had for sale numerous hand-crafted shawls, scarves and other items, the proceeds from which are to benefit the mosque. Assisting Malik was her 18-year-old daughter, Amina Malik, a Youngstown State University student.
Similarly, Montaha Hamdan of Boardman had a large assortment of silk and wool hajabs (head and shoulder scarves) she sold for $5 to $15, along with decorative and traditional dresses, all of which are commonly worn in weddings.
“When you cover your hair, you need something pretty on top of it,” explained Hamdan, a first-grade teacher at the Islamic Academy of Youngstown and a Sunday school teacher at the mosque.
