International Food Fair draws hundreds to Islamic Center

CEDAR RAPIDS - Organizers say the annual International Food Fair held Saturday had the biggest turnout to date, thanks to a large outpouring of support from the community.

Hundreds visited the Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids throughout the day, sampling the diverse selection of food for sale and taking an opportunity to learn about another culture through their taste buds.

The food fair is an annual fundraiser for the My Iman Montessori Islamic school located within the Islamic Center, said Kristin Hale, director of the school. While organizers aren't sure of the total raised during this weekend's event, Hale said the goal was to reach at least $8,000.

Visitors were given the opportunity to get food from all over the world, including Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Pakistan and Malaysia.

Slaton Anthony, 46, of Mount Vernon, said he came especially for stuffed grape leaves. After spending 10 months in Afghanistan years ago, Anthony said he was looking forward to authentic Middle Eastern food.

For event volunteers, including Surriah Igram, the event is a positive way to share the Muslim culture with the community.

'It's a good thing to promote, especially now, since there's so much concentration on the negative as far as Muslims go,” Igram said.

Igram, the organizer who started the food fair eight years ago, said dozens of volunteers made food from their family's country of origin.

'The reason why I wanted to start the International Food Fair was because I want people to know, especially the outside community, that Muslim and Arab aren't the only thing,” Igram said. 'Anybody can be Muslim, from any country in the world. People associate Muslim and Arab and I want that stereotype broken.”

Hale said community members, mostly including parents and grandparents of children at the school, put in the effort to cook dozens of dishes for the event - all of which were sold by early afternoon.

One of Hale's goals is to introduce the Islamic community to the rest of the Corridor through the food fair, and introduce the culture through food.

'Food is a universal language,” Hale said. 'That's something they can understand, whether it's anything they've ever tried before or not. It's a good way to reach out to other people, which is through their stomachs.”

Both Igram and Hale, who does not practice Islam, attribute the large crowd to the current climate in the United States surrounding Muslims.

'I feel like people are really supportive, especially with the political climate,” Igram said. 'They want to show solidarity. People want to show their support, which is such a beautiful thing.”

Rhonda King, 53, of Marion and Cedar Rapids resident Kathleen Henricksen, 48, both came to make a point to show support for the mosque and its congregants, they said.

'It shows how much we have in common,” Henricksen said. 'It highlights what we have to share, not the differences we have.”

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