From The Peopling of New York City
Contents |
The Presence of Islam
I would say about 50% of people here are Muslim. It may look like there may be more Hindus, but there are more Muslims. They have been recently buying the real estate around here, especially the Bangladeshis. Nineteen years ago this place was full of Hindus, but now that is not the case. ~Shahim of Mosque on 73rd Street
Globally Islam is increasing and the same can be said of it in Jackson Heights. Although Jackson Heights has usually been known for its large Indian and Hindu population, since 1990, more and more Muslims, mainly Bangladeshis have been moving into the neighborhood and have been buying up real estate and store fronts in Jackson Heights. There also exists a mosque on 73rd Street in Jackson Heights and a plethora of Halal meat stores that cater to Muslims who follow their dietary law. Another aspect of Islam’s increased presence is the numerous Islamic literature vending stands that litter the streets of Jackson Heights. These vendors sell all kinds of paraphernalia, mainly Islamic books and calligraphy, and are open throughout the day. These vendors are not the only ones however, as there also exist official stores that cater to Muslims as they too sell Islamic literature in Arabic.
Mosque on 73rd Street
But this mosque is really a mosque for business people. Muslims who work in Jackson Heights can come here to pray; they all have mosques at home, but they come here during their work day. That’s why many call this the business mosque, because business people come here.~Shahim, member of Mosque on 73rd
On 73rd street exists a hidden, nameless mosque. It’s located in the small basement of a building and is rather quite small. The main constituents of it are businessmen who daily work in Jackson Heights. Although the exact demographics are unknown, many different ethnicities use it; according to Shahim, members of every ethnicity in Jackson Heights visit the mosque; that includes Tibetans, Chinese, Hispanics, Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis, Nepalese, and Bangladeshis. How true this may be is unknown, but the mosque is inviting to all Muslims regardless of their race. When I went there myself the people there were very friendly and even asked me to pray with them, despite my East Asian identity. As for who exactly runs this mosque is unknown, but as far as most are concerned, they see it as a social service mainly for Muslims in Jackson Heights. Throughout my interviews, the businessmen Muslims I have met told me this mosque is where they attend to pray and such during the day because they cannot make it to their own mosque back home during the day. So in some sense, many see this mosque as really just a gathering place of various Muslims in Jackson Heights whose work prevents them from going back home to perform their religious observances. Hence, many refer to this mosque as the “Business Mosque.”
Islamic Vendors
Yes, they get their permits form the Department of Consumers, they can set up their shop anywhere in New York. They are not part of Jackson Heights and they have no actual shops, so they are not part of the business organization. ~Mohammed Pier of the Jackson Heights Business Association
Found on the open streets of Jackson Heights are the Islamic literature vendors. At first not much was known about them, and initially many incorrect assumptions were made, but now the exact nature of these vendors is known. First off, these men are not affiliated with any organizations within Jackson Heights. The Jackson Heights Business Association nor the Mosque in 73rd Street is in any way in contact with these street vendors. From what my interviews and research as shown, these vendors are just independent individuals who get their license to sell from the Department of Consumers and their wares from some wholesaler in New York City. Besides this, not much else is known. Most of them do not speak English well and many thought perhaps these men exist to propagate the spread of Islam within New York. But the view many fellow Muslims and immigrants have of these vendors is that they are just out there on the streets trying to make some money. These vendors are not at all working in unison and are all independently run; they affiliate themselves with no organization. In the end, I conclude they are just mere street vendors who happen to sell Islamic literature out in the public.
Islamic Book Stores
Bengalis go to their own stores and Pakistanis go to their own stores.~Owner of Mansoor Book Store on Broadway
Despite the presence of these Islamic street vendors, there also exist actual stores that sell Islamic literature. Often times these stores are divided up by ethnic lines; for example there would be one book and media store for Pakistanis and another one for Bangladeshis. Nevertheless both these stores that cater to different ethnicities sell the same Islamic literature, such as the Quran and Islamic calligraphy, in Arabic. When asked as to who purchases the Islamic literature within their stores, the owners would reply that simply their main constituents do. So Pakistanis go to a Pakistani book store to purchase Islamic literature, and Bangladeshis go to a Bangladeshi book store to purchase Islamic literature, despite the fact that both stores sells the same Islamic literature. Even though I have pointed this out to some residents of Jackson Heights, their reply to me was that Pakistanis go to their own stores and Bangladeshis also. It seems that although religions is a great unifier in many ways, certain divisions, regardless of it, will exist.
Halal meat store
Within Jackson Heights there are a couple of these Halal meat store. Mainly they cater towards Muslims who follow their strict dietary laws concerning how meat can be properly consumed. It is from these Halal meat stores that practicing Muslims purchase the meat they are eat while at the same time not violating any of their religious observances. Interestingly, these meat stores do not just serve the Muslim residents of Jackson Heights. Many Muslims come form as far as New Jersey or Upstate New York to purchase their Halal meat in Jackson Heights. In some sense, the existence of these stores that cater to religious practicing Muslims invite and bring Muslim populations outside of Jackson Heights into the business district.