Lebanon County mosque leaders not worried about Trump
Lebanon Valley Mosque leaders Magdy Hassan, left, and Bellali el Mostafa showcase the interior of the men’s prayer room at the mosque at 1300 Florence St., Lebanon. (Photo: Daniel Walmer, Lebanon Daily News)
Lebanon Valley Mosque invites non-Muslim community to visit
(Lebanon) — Lebanon Valley Mosque President Magdy Hassan and Treasurer Bellali el Mostafa are focused on a lot of things: They are leading the mosque, going to work, caring for their families.
One thing they aren’t worried about is the election of President Donald Trump.
“You go to work and come back home – we are (doing the) same thing. Whether it is Obama or Trump or someone else – we do our job, practice our religion, that’s all,” Mostafa said.
Hassan and Mostafa have been involved in the mosque since its founding in 2009 in a rented building on 9th Street. The current location, which features both men’s and women’s prayer rooms and a kitchen area, was established in 2011.
Since then, the community has been “growing up,” Mostafa said, and now has at least 50-60 weekly attendees at Friday afternoon prayer, the principal weekly service for Muslims. Most of the attendees are immigrants from Egypt, Morocco or Pakistan living in the Lebanon area, although they also get visitors from the New York and Philadelphia areas, they said.
“The economy in our country is bad,” Mostafa said. “We moved here looking for (a) good life. Now we are working, we have family, we practice our religion.”
Mostafa said he would like people to know that Islam is a religion of peace.
“We are looking for peace – that is all,” he said.
Mohamed Omar, former leader of the Lebanon Valley Mosque, explains why he believes terrorists aren’t behaving in the way that Islam truly instructs its followers to behave on Dec. 3 at Lebanon Valley College. Daniel Walmer
Leaders of the mosque say they have a great relationship with the Lebanon community. National politics also aren’t causing any fear, they said.
“We don’t worry about anything because we don’t do anything wrong,” Hassan said.
For any non-Muslims who are curious about services at the Lebanon Valley Mosque, their doors are always open for Friday prayer, Mostafa said. The service consists of a speech by an imam, followed by a time of prayer.
Members of the public are always welcome to attend the service at about 12:45 p.m. on Fridays and ask them questions afterward, he said.
This story is part of a partnership between WITF and the Lebanon Daily News.
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