Most mosque leaders said believers could learn from the nation's technological advances and should be involved in politics. But when asked whether America was an example of freedom and democracy that they could learn from, only 35 percent strongly agreed. Carl S. Dudley, co-author of the report, said Muslims were coming to the United States for jobs and a new way of life. And when they get here, they are finding lots of support. In Kansas City, Muslim business owners attend Chamber of Commerce meetings.
Residents belong to neighborhood groups.
Islamic women are breaking cultural stereotypes by becoming working moms. Students at the Islamic School of Kansas City visit regularly and play with students at a nearby Catholic school. Such integration would not have been likely even a few years ago, said Abdul-Munim Jitmoud, principal at the Islamic school. He remembers the threatening phone calls at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, when the attack was rumored to be the work of Islamic terrorists. When his school opened in 1995, neighbors seemed leery of the strangers in strange dress.