Muslim Heritage Festival in Lindenhurst encourages unity, cultural appreciation

Unity, love and cultural appreciation were on display at the first-ever Muslim Heritage Festival in Lindenhurst on Saturday.

The free event held at Babylon Town Hall showcased elements of Muslim culture, from Middle Eastern food to handcrafted jewelry, clothing and henna tattoos.

“We made history today,” said Lamiaa Elkoulily, founder of the American Muslims of Suffolk County, which organized the celebration. “We are brothers and sisters in humanity coming from different backgrounds to spread love and stop hate.”

Saturday’s festival drew a diverse crowd of all ages and backgrounds. Elkoulily said she was most excited to see Muslims and non-Muslims come together for what she hopes will become an annual tradition.

Jasmine Robinson, 29, of Bay Shore, and her husband, James King, 30, were on their way to a brewery when they drove past and decided to stop in on a whim. “We didn’t know about this [in advance], but I’m glad we happened to go,” King said.

Robinson agreed, as she admired a rack of beaded garments imported from Pakistan. “Everything looks super cool. The clothes are so gorgeous, and I love appreciating other cultures.”

Visitors tasted the flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine, both savory and sweet.

Rana Samhoury, her husband, Yuoseph Kazoan, and daughters Lilyann, 12, and Lamese, 9, launched Babylon Baklava, a home baking business, during Ramadan this year and served the sweet, nutty phyllo dough pastries their favorite traditional way: with a cup of mint tea.

Samhoury, 37, a West Babylon resident, uses a recipe passed down from her dad, who sold it in his Manhattan deli for decades. She was thrilled to participate in the event. “This is amazing. We should be able to do stuff like this for all cultures, all heritages,” she said.

Other vendors were excited to share different aspects of their culture.

Menna Ibrahim, 36, of Westbury, is a full-time physical therapist but also owns a boutique in Astoria. Her booth featured hijabs and other traditional scarves in an array of colors and patterns that serve as a form of self-expression. Since immigrating to the United States from Egypt nearly seven years ago, Ibrahim said she saw a dearth of stylish options for Muslim women available locally. “I love fashion, and what I found here was there were not a lot of good materials for scarves, so I import them,” she said. “This is my passion.”

Religious leaders also led an afternoon Islamic prayer, a moving moment for many, including Atef Chisty, 30, of Queens. “It feels great seeing different ethnic backgrounds, cultures and countries coming together,” he said.

Chisty and two friends recently used their backgrounds in engineering and business to launch a 3D printing business, making everything from coasters and bookmarks to a Qibla finder, a miniature mosque with an arrow intended to point in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which Muslims around the world face during prayers. 

Elkoulily, a Huntington resident, formed the American Muslims of Suffolk County earlier this year with a mission to fight stigma and strengthen community and cultural awareness. She said the group is also breaking barriers within the Islamic faith and has members of different groups, including Sunnis and Shias.

The heritage festival comes as the Muslim population continues to grow on Long Island. A decade ago, there were only about two dozen mosques on Long Island compared with more than 40 today.

Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said he was honored to host the inaugural festival. “It’s a great way for people to come and explore the different cultures amongst the Muslim religion,” he said. “It shows unity and the ability for all of us to get along.”