Mahmoud Othman Atta: A Mosque for Milwaukee

[bright string music] [baby crying] – Othman Atta: Mahmoud Othman Atta felt like the happiest man in Milwaukee!

His family was together and his third child had just been born.

– Mahmoud: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar… – Othman: It was the summer of 1967.

Mahmoud and his family were spending the year together in Wisconsin, visiting from their home in Palestine.

For many years, Mahmoud had been living in the U.S. to work and send money back home to his family, so getting to spend so much time together was really something special.

[children playing] But while they were still in the hospital, Mahmoud’s wife saw images on the TV that immediately caused her to worry– things that would turn her family’s life upside down.

Israeli soldiers were occupying parts of Palestine, including their hometown of Al-Bireh, as part of fighting between Israel and several Arab nations.

Mahmoud’s wife knew this was very bad for them.

And Mahmoud knew this too.

What would this mean for his family?

When would they be able to return?

Who would take care of their house, their relatives, their things?

The war was over quickly, lasting only six days, but fighting had been brutal.

And with Israeli soldiers still occupying Palestine, it wasn’t safe for Mahmoud and his family to return.

What if they could never go back?

Mahmoud had an idea.

If he and his family couldn’t return to Palestine, they would try their best to make a home in Milwaukee.

Mahmoud already knew the city well.

His father had been coming to Milwaukee from Palestine since before his birth.

He worked as a peddler, traveling and selling all sorts of goods.

This helped him support his family back home, and was a common job for many of the Arab immigrants who came to the U.S. in the early 20th century.

When Mahmoud was a teenager, his dad wanted him to broaden his experiences, so he brought him to Milwaukee and enrolled him in West Division High School.

Mahmoud was a good student, and he ran on the school’s track team and won medals.

But before he graduated, his father died very suddenly.

He was thousands of miles from his home in Palestine, away from his mother and siblings.

What would he do?

Luckily, Mahmoud wasn’t alone.

He had a small community of people he could count on.

Arab Christians and Muslims had been coming to the United States for decades, and they helped look out for each other.

Mahmoud also had an uncle who watched over him.

He managed to finish high school, start college, and then join the U.S. Army and spent time serving as a medic– all before returning to Palestine to marry and start his own family.

Now, just a few years later, he knew he could make things work once again.

Mahmoud was a Muslim.

His religion, Islam, was very important to him.

For him and Muslims all over the world, part of their religion means praying five times a day, facing the direction of the Kaaba shrine in Mecca.

Doing this in their home in Milwaukee was a way to feel connected to Muslims everywhere.

Being connected to the local community was also important to Mahmoud.

He and his family regularly welcomed people from all over Milwaukee to join their gatherings.

Milwaukee was starting to feel like home, but there was something missing: There was no official place for all the city’s Muslims to gather together and worship.

Mahmoud began reaching out to other Muslims in Milwaukee and forming connections.

Many were Black Americans who were new to the religion.

Segregation was a big problem in the city, so Mahmoud built bridges by connecting with Black Muslims.

He taught about Islam, led prayers, and sometimes was even asked to pick Muslim names for babies!

Now Milwaukee was really starting to feel like home, but something was still missing: They needed a mosque!

Mahmoud knew that a mosque was essential for their community.

A mosque was more than just a special place for prayer.

It was a gathering space that could serve as a center for education, social activism, volunteer work, and so much more.

But how could anyone take on the huge cost and work of building a new mosque?

The answer was right in front of him: he could help make it happen by bringing people together.

In 1982, two Muslim groups in Milwaukee decided to combine their resources to buy an old school building.

Over the next few years, the old building filled with the sounds of prayers, of children laughing, of families talking.

The Islamic community became more diverse with each passing year, and in the end, they built a new mosque for Muslims all across Milwaukee and beyond.

For Mahmoud Othman Atta, this was a dream turned into reality.

Mahmoud eventually was able to go back to see his extended family in Palestine, and over the years, he would return whenever he could.

But by that point, he had a new home: one with his family, his community, and his mosque– right here in Wisconsin.

[lively oud music]