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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; Muslims living in the Wyoming Valley say that much like their non-Muslim counterparts, they&#8217;re committed to faith, family and country.</p><p>As the number of Muslims has grown both nationally and locally in the past decades, Muslims struggle to overcome stereotypes, integrate their children and build positive relationships in the community.</p><p>Roya Fahmy Swartz teaches Islamic studies at King&#8217;s College. She shares the belief that the religion is predicated on a desire to help others and to treat each other with respect.</p><p>Her course, she said, is much more than simple book learning and understanding the pragmatics of Islamic culture.</p><p>Swartz uses the class to build relationships and respect among students of different cultural and religious backgrounds.</p><p>For example, last year the class included non-Muslim female students learning how to correctly wear Muslim head coverings.</p><p>&#8220;They were interested, and they wanted to do it,&#8221; said Swartz.</p><p>Swartz sees bringing the international community together a life&#8217;s mission, and she has been working at it for about 20 years.</p><p>&#8220;On 9/11, I was living in the Washington, D.C., area, and I knew immediately there would be a need to bring the international community together,&#8221; she said. &#8220;People were divided. They were looking for someone to blame.&#8221;</p><p>By 2002, Swartz had founded Visions of Tolerance, a consulting firm which offers programs to schools and other organizations that promote diversity, tolerance and multicultural understanding.</p><p>Although Swartz&#8217;s mission is broad, she believes it can be accomplished by one person, one relationship at a time.</p><p>&#8220;I encourage everyone to simply make one friend of a different faith,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Dyana Elbattah, a Kingston resident and a Muslim, agrees.</p><p>A graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School, Elbattah said Muslims and non-Muslims are more alike than different.</p><p>Muslims, however, are often misunderstood, she said.</p><p>Elbattah vividly remembers sitting in a classroom at Wyoming Valley West High School the morning of 9/11.</p><p>With many people immediately jumping to the conclusion that the tragedy was attributed to those who embrace the Islamic faith, she noticed the attitude of her classmates and even her teachers, changed immediately.</p><p>Up until that point, she said, she had many friends, and teachers often complimented her on her study habits and attitude.</p><p>Afterward, people were, at best, standoffish, and, at worst, hateful.</p><p>&#8220;Now when a tragedy happens, we steel ourselves, hoping that a Muslim didn&#8217;t do it, that a Muslim isn&#8217;t blamed for doing it,&#8221; she said.</p><p>When 49 people were gunned down at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June, Elbattah grieved twice &#8212; once for those lost in the tragedy and once for the Muslim community blamed for the incident.</p><p>She doesn&#8217;t believe those shootings were motivated by a true commitment to the Islamic faith.</p><p>&#8220;It took place during Ramadan,&#8221; she said of the shooting. &#8220;Devout Muslims would have been preparing for a day of fasting.&#8221;</p><p>Elbattah said both she and her mother try to build bridges within the community.</p><p>When someone is unkind, she said, her mother often brings food to them, hoping to win them over.</p><p>Still, many misconceptions remain, she said.</p><p>&#8220;Recently, I was with my mother who covers (her head) at the supermarket,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And someone asked me if I spoke English. I told them, &#8216;not only do I speak English, so does my mother &#8212; fluently.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>Elbattah embraces the non-Muslim community and, occasionally, plays matchmaker with non-Muslim friends.</p><p>When her friend Nicole Johnson was single, Elbattah thought a family friend, Ayman Omar, might be a good match.</p><p>Both Nicole and Ayman thought she was right.</p><p>Eight years ago, Nicole met Ayman at Elbattah&#8217;s home.</p><p>&#8220;Our eyes locked and it was just kind of &#8216;wow,&#8217;&#8221; Nicole said.</p><p>Marriage, two kids and one mortgage later, the love continues to grow.</p><p>Nicole said the traditional view of Muslim men as overbearing or disrespectful is patently inaccurate.</p><p>When Nicole had surgery recently, she counted on her husband to help take care of her and their two children.</p><p>A Christian, Nicole said she and her husband hardly ever disagree over issues of faith.</p><p>&#8220;We have a mutual respect and understanding. I don&#8217;t feel that Islam is what I believe. I&#8217;ve been a Christian all my life and that is where I find, I guess, peace,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But, that doesn&#8217;t make his faith any less important than mine and vice versa. We celebrate each other&#8217;s holidays without any arguments.&#8221;</p><p>Ayman Omar is equally content with his life and his marriage, which he describes as a perfect match.</p><p>&#8220;I love my family and couldn&#8217;t be happier,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We are a perfect match and a perfect family. Religion doesn&#8217;t matter when you are in love and a team&#8221;</p><p>Nicole said she spends a lot of time with members of the Muslim community, feeling comfortable and accepted.</p><p>Still, the two remain aware of the challenges of being Muslim in a predominantly Christian country.</p><p>&#8220;The funny thing is how judged Muslims are here, but when I go overseas I am treated like royalty,&#8221; said Nicole, &#8220;Everyone opens their home to me. I am an American woman who doesn&#8217;t cover (her head) in a conservative village and am never, ever treated like anything less than royalty.&#8221;</p><p>Perhaps children, more than anything else, reflect both the challenges and the beauty of diverse faiths.</p><p>At a recent religious gathering celebrating the conclusion of Ramadan, men and women, separated during prayer time, solemnly spent time on their knees in prayer.</p><p>As they rose, one little boy said quietly, trying to contain his excitement, &#8220;I heard they&#8217;re going to set up a bounce house.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_muslims.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_3-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Men of Islam gather at Kirby Park before morning prayer on Wednesday for a day of food and celebration after fasting for the month of Ramadan which ended at sunset Tuesday.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_3-1-.jpg</photo1><caption1>Men of Islam gather at Kirby Park before morning prayer on Wednesday for a day of food and celebration after fasting for the month of Ramadan which ended at sunset Tuesday.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_einstein.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Omar family brings together tradition from both the Christian and Muslim faiths. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_einstein.jpg</photo2><caption2>The Omar family brings together tradition from both the Christian and Muslim faiths. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Men gather at Kirby Park before morning prayer for a day of food and celebration after fasting for a month during Ramadan. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Men gather at Kirby Park before morning prayer for a day of food and celebration after fasting for a month during Ramadan. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Islamic Association President Dr. Ibrahim M. Almeky, right, leads the call to prayer to mark the first full day after Ramadan at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_2.jpg</photo4><caption4>Islamic Association President Dr. Ibrahim M. Almeky, right, leads the call to prayer to mark the first full day after Ramadan at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bilah Allouz, of Forty Fort, takes a photo of the Ramadan celebration from a high vantage point in Kirby Park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_4.jpg</photo5><caption5>Bilah Allouz, of Forty Fort, takes a photo of the Ramadan celebration from a high vantage point in Kirby Park. </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Muslim men bow in prayer the morning after the ending of Ramadan Wednesday in Kirby Park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_5.jpg</photo6><caption6>Muslim men bow in prayer the morning after the ending of Ramadan Wednesday in Kirby Park. </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bandar Alajmi, left, and Abraham Almaki, both of Kingston, fold their prayer carpet after morning prayer in Kirby Park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_6.jpg</photo7><caption7>Bandar Alajmi, left, and Abraham Almaki, both of Kingston, fold their prayer carpet after morning prayer in Kirby Park. </caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_7.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mohammed Alajmi, 8, of Kingston, takes some candy from Saud Almoqbel, of Wilkes-Barre, after morning prayer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_7.jpg</photo8><caption8>Mohammed Alajmi, 8, of Kingston, takes some candy from Saud Almoqbel, of Wilkes-Barre, after morning prayer. </caption8><photoCredit8></photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_8.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Men carry a large speaker into Kirby Park for prayer the morning after the end of Ramadan. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_8.jpg</photo9><caption9>Men carry a large speaker into Kirby Park for prayer the morning after the end of Ramadan. </caption9><photoCredit9></photoCredit9></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Men gather at Kirby Park before morning prayer for a day of food and celebration after fasting for a month during Ramadan. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo10>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL071016Muslims_3.jpg</photo10><caption10>Men gather at Kirby Park before morning prayer for a day of food and celebration after fasting for a month during Ramadan. </caption10><photoCredit10></photoCredit10></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Followers of religion say faith is basis for peace, family</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Area Muslims say their faith is basis for peace, family