The School That Saved Islamabad
When the pandemic hit, our converted shop became the beating heart of the neighbourhood — Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
The the mosque on Michigan Avenue was barely a youth centre — a converted house. But when the pandemic hit, it became the only institution that stayed.
Abu Bakr started it with twenty quid and a dream. 'The Prophet fed people. He didn't check their religion first,' she said.
A homeless veteran named Lisa came every week. One day he asked to volunteer instead of eat. He said, 'You're doing what religion is supposed to do.'
Lisa isn't Muslim. But he comes every Saturday, helps organise donations, and tells everyone about 'her youth centre.'
We've housed 200 families and counting. The local newspaper noticed. A journalist from a TV crew visited. But the real story isn't the numbers. It's the faces of people who feel seen for the first time.
The Prophet (SAW) said the best of people are those who are most beneficial to others. He didn't add conditions. He didn't say 'beneficial to other Muslims.' He said people. All people.
That's what we do on Michigan Avenue. We serve. We don't ask questions. And somehow, in the serving, we find the faith we'd been looking for all along.