The women amongst the pioneers of the sunni tradition were the backbone of the efforts in establishing Islam in America.
In 1938, Sister Fareda Sadek along with her Husband Hafez, were with the early group of 57 Muslims, who under the leadership of a Black American, Azhar trained, convert to Islam, Shaykh Professor Muhammad Ezeldeen, one of the premier imams of the sunna, purchased 300 acres of land in West Valley New York.
It was situated alongside a mountain across the cattaraugus river up to 40. The land was rocky, the trees were bare, and the surface of the ground was uneven. There was a little handmade sign nailed to the tree in both English and Arabic that read, “Jabil Arabiyya, Muslim community, governed by Sharia”. It became the first and only incorporated hamlet, governed by Islamic law in the state of New York.
Imam Luqman Ahmad is an Associate Imam, a researcher, and a resident scholar at the Toledo Masid al-Islam. He can be reached at, imamabulaith@yahoo.com
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 