Successful Food Drive by Montgomery County Muslims By Nuzaira Azam “Muslims are an integral part of the County,” said Montgomery County Chief Executive Douglas Duncan while thanking a gathering of over 200 Muslim residents at the Black Hill Park in the County for their hard work in collecting food for needy citizens. The volunteers and families of Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC) members had assembled Sunday, September 14 at a festive picnic to bring the contributions and food items they had collected through their countywide food drive efforts. Over 200 volunteers went door to door to distribute more than 10,000 door hangers across the county appealing the residents to donate non-perishable goods for the food drive. Appeals were also made to major grocery stores like Giant and Safeway. The organizers were very pleased to see an overwhelming response from the community. About 5,000 pounds of food was collected and distributed to the needy through Manna Food Center in Rockville and Hearts and Homes For Youth in Silver Spring. Welcoming the volunteers, Khalid Chaudhry, Director of the Food Drive, emphasized the significance of the duty of every Muslim to help the needy and said that Allah has ordained that we, as Muslims, will be accountable if our neighbor went to bed hungry. Zahid Bokhari, President of the Council, appreciated the efforts of the community as well as the support of the area businesses and politicians. He pointed out that in addition to food collection for the hungry, the event has also provided an opportunity to let the county residents know that Muslims do care about their neighbors and participate in providing help to the needy. “Our participation in grassroot politics and social programs has become more important after the unfortunate incidence of September 11 that has cast a negative image of Muslims”, he said. Addressing the perceived negative stereotyping of minorities, including Muslims, US Congressman Van Hollen assured the community that he, along with colleagues, is working hard to safeguard the rights of all citizens and residents in this country. Doug Duncan, County Executive, and several other elected officials also shared the concerns about perceived racial and religious discrimination. Others who addressed the gathering included Councilmen Howard Denis, Steve Silverman and George Leventhal; Delegates Susan Lee, Herman Taylor, Joan Stern, and Karen Montgomery; State Senator Robert Garagiola; Green Party leaders Joseph Hogan and Dianne Cameron; Dr. Gail Street (Office of Senator Barbara Mikulski), Elisha Pulivarti (Executive Director, Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs), Chung Pak (President, Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats); Umair Khan (Office of Congressman Honda), Umar Khawaja (Office of Congressman Kobe), and Beth Wong, Head of Multicultural Division, PG County. The Maryland Food Drive was sponsored by area Muslim organizations and businesses that included the Islamic Center of Maryland, ICNA Relief, Muslim Community Center, Millennium Settlement Attorneys, Safa Market, In Vogue, and Home Furnishing. It was supported by the Association of Indian Muslims, Pakistan Association of Greater Washington Metropolitan Area, Bangladesh Society of America, Inc., Hyderabad Association of Greater Washington Metropolitan Area, University of Karachi Alumni Association, Aligarh University Alumni Association, Cyrus Allfund Mortgage, Crescent Financial, America’s Beautiful Florist, Fauzia Siddiqui Realator, and Pakiza Market. Tufail Ahmad coordinated the drive with the help of Khalid Chaudhry, Syed Saqib Ali, Syed Naved, Zahid Bukhari, and a large number of volunteers.