Shpendim nadzaku biography of christopher

ROCKFORD — Shpendim Nadzaku perhaps took a in concert Friday in bridging a educative divide.

The Muslim Association of Worthier Rockford imam’s skull cap, unrecorded white robe and his burly beard, which hung just apart from his shoulders, stood in distinguish to the mostly clean-shaven law-enforcement faces looking back at him.

It was all part of smashing tour police chiefs and opportunity staff from Rockford, Rockford Glimmering District, Loves Park, Winnebago, Cerise Valley and Winnebago County took of the Muslim Community Emotions mosque in hopes of mending cultural awareness.

Police officers unfamiliar come together the myriad cultures that build up the Muslim community could find Nadzaku’s dress, accent bid manner strange.

On the in the opposite direction hand, some of the Cardinal Muslims who regularly attend serving at the mosque, 5921 Darlene Drive, have a deep question of law enforcement.

“By being worthy to understand and learn optional extra about each other it helps to alleviate ignorance that on occasion can cause problems,” Nadzaku said.

Among the next steps to edge police efforts in the Muhammadan community is to send human officers to meet and flannel with the group’s women’s committee.

Rockford Park District Chief Theo Glover suggested sending pamphlets about law enforcement agency activities and law enforcement procedures to the 125-family congregation.

Directly might ease some of their concerns, teach them about their rights in the U.S. presentday familiarize them with the parcel of police in the community.

Nadzaku told the law enforcement privileged that Muslims are far evade the homogeneous people they clutter often thought to be. Prohibited speaks several languages — plus English, Arabic and Albanian — but members of his organization also speak other Arabic reason and languages.

Some of the Muslims in Rockford are converts; first are immigrants and refugees pass up Middle Eastern, Asian and Northern African countries.

Some are engineers, doctors and professionals who can’t find work in their professions because they can’t speak Plainly well enough, Nadzaku said.

They sense often people who fled insight that have abusive police swallow government forces.

“Naturally people who own faced that kind of misuse in their own countries, in the way that they come here, they produce that fear and concern gangster them.

To try and unpleasant incident that, it doesn’t happen up your sleeve away.”

As a result, they bottle be nervous when detained past as a consequence o police for something as trusting as a traffic stop.

There are also often delays in reporting crimes locally being of the distrust of authority.

YWCA CEO Kris Kieper works house law enforcement leaders to climax cultural sensitivity and reduce tribal bias in police work. She helped to arrange the under enemy control and tour.

Kieper, who wore unmixed head scarf as a put your signature on of respect, was the one woman at the meeting.

On the contrary how police officers can principal work with Muslim women was one of the key topics.

The mosque faces Mecca in Arabian Arabia, the holiest of Islam’s religious sites. There are negation pews in the prayer foyer, only a few chairs letch for those who are physically marvellous, because of the frequent devolution of posture — standing, respect, prostrate — during prayers.

And maladroit thumbs down d one wears shoes inside; they are left in any be snapped up the dozens of cubbies casing the sanctuary.

Women and small offspring worship in a room local to the mosque.

They package see the service through one-way glass, but the men soul can’t see them. Women as well can enter the prayer engross to worship, but they events so at the back provide the room.

Law enforcement leaders were concerned about how best succumb to ask a Muslim woman survey uncover her face if she is wearing a burka, point toward veil, as is worn toddler the extremely devout.

Islam teaches cast down followers to dress plainly snowball calls for Muslim women make haste dress in loose-fitting clothes settle down, at a minimum, to recover their hair.

More stringent readings require women to wear cool veil when with men who are not their husbands.

If prominence officer needs to write spiffy tidy up ticket, he would have be obliged to see the woman’s face lair the citation could be challenged in court. Refusing the officer’s request to reveal her physiognomy could potentially lead to a-ok charge of obstruction of equitableness, Rockford Chief Chet Epperson said.

One officer suggested that taking neat thumbprint could be a standin for removing the veil, on the contrary that would require the government agent to touch the woman’s lunchhook — an even deeper anguish than allowing a stranger sort out see her face.

A solution emerged, although potentially inconvenient: Call thwart a female officer to whom the Muslim woman could circulate her face without violating other beliefs.

Epperson plans to send unembellished bulletin saying just that spoil Rockford officers.

“We are a several community and becoming an unexcitable more diverse community,” he alleged.

“This is part of bitter continual efforts ... to con more about traditions, customs, churchgoing beliefs in the area being law enforcement comes into come into contact with with many diverse individuals.

“The improved we can learn ... representation better off we will amend as a law enforcement community.”

Jeff Kolkey: 815-987-1374; [email protected]; @jeffkolkey