Houstonian Corner (V9-I44)

Uniform Traffic Control Devices – Masjid Signs In Harris County

As many of us have seen orange or dark yellow color Church Uniform Control Signs to specify that along the road a church is about to come: Similarly in Harris County Houston Texas (the 3rd most populace county in the nation), signs have been recently erected, which say “Mosque” meaning along the roadway a Masjid is about to arrive. The most interesting thing is that these signs have been paid for by Harris County, while the signs for Churches are paid by those Churches themselves. This was informed by Shariq Abdul Ghani, Director of CAIR-Houston at one of their recent dinners

CAIR-Houston Joined By Councilman Peter Brown

On an invitation from CAIR-Houston, City Councilman Peter Brown of Houston’s District 1 visited the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) Main Center on Wednesday October 10th for the evening’s Iftaar (fast breaking). The Council Member broke his own fast at the mosque and took the opportunity to address the Muslim community.

The Iftaar began with oranges and dates along with water and was followed by the Maghrib (sunset) prayers. After the prayer Councilman Brown spoke about the importance of maintaining cultural identity as residents of Houston. “Retaining your heritage and religion is a vital part of being a Houstonian, and no one should ever give that up,” said Council Member Peter Brown.

Attendance of the event was the first time Councilman Brown attended an Iftaar or visited a Mosque in Houston. Inviting the Houston City official was a part of CAIR-Houston’s Ramadan community outreach initiative, which sought to encourage elected officials to fast and attend Iftaar at the Mosque with their constituents. Officials who had confirmed to participate are Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Councilwoman Ada Edwards, Councilman Adrian Garcia, and Councilman M.J. Khan.

Dr. Tarek Hussein, President of CAIR-Houston said, “Inviting elected officials to the masajid [mosque] during Ramadan gives them a greater understanding of what Muslims are about and provides them an opportunity to interact with their constituents in a very direct manner. We are very pleased that Councilman Peter Brown fasted with the entire Muslim community and we hope he will continue to do so in the future.”

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