In Iowa: Bringing people together in spirit of the season

I'm dedicating this column to Cedar Rapids resident Hassan Selim.

An imam at the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids, Selim, 28, has been raising money for the Salvation Army.

He's not bothered the organization is a Christian one. The point, he said, is that it's an organization dedicated to helping others, a tenet of Christianity and Islam alike.

'I'm a Muslim. I take my faith seriously,' he told me. 'And part of my faith encourages me to be charitable, and part of my faith encourages me to be good to my neighbors.'

Originally from Egypt, Selim moved here four years ago with his wife, an American who has lived most of her life in Iowa. They met in Egypt while she was studying there and decided to leave after the 2011 uprising, during which he helped document human rights abuses.

He now is a naturalized American citizen.

'I know what human suffering is like,' he said. 'I want to counter this.'

He also wants to change negative images of Islam. To do so, he set up a fundraising campaign, Muslims Help Salvation Army, on the website GoFundMe.com.

'So much is going on in the media — Islamophobia, terrorist attacks,' he said. 'I just felt like a lot of good things need to happen to counter this. I'm tired of people like ISIS defining who I am and what my faith is.'

Let's be clear. Selim and others like him shouldn't have to defend the reputations of all Muslims against a group of radical extremists. If a Christian goes on a shooting rampage at a church or school, it's already assumed the vast majority of Christians repudiate such acts. No public relations campaigns are necessary.

But our instinct is to see things as us versus them, especially in uncertain times. Bringing people together takes work, Selim said, and he's willing to do that work.

'I hope people will start working together to keep the Cedar Rapids community a diverse, welcoming, supportive place,' he said. 'I hope that Cedar Rapids will be a model for other places to follow.'

Other community members have jumped on board.

'Muslims and non-Muslims alike have been contributing. It's bringing people together,' Selim said.

He said even though he reads about growing Islamophobia around the country, he hasn't felt that in Cedar Rapids, and for that he is grateful.

'I feel safe here. I felt I should do something to help the people who make me feel safe,' he said. 'I'm doing this for my wife and small children as well. I hope I will leave something for my daughters to learn from.'

Selim may not be a Christian, but he's got the spirit of Christmas down to a tee.

Scratch that. Generosity, compassion and kindness aren't the province of any single religion or religious holiday.

By the time this column appears in print, Selim plans to have wrapped up the campaign and presented the local Salvation Army with a check. I don't know what the final amount raised will be, but I'm not sure the dollar total is really the point.

The point is we are one community, whatever our faiths and backgrounds, and we are strongest when we help build each other up.

You can find the campaign at gofundme.com/Muslims4CRSA.