That freedom is firmly rooted in Rhode Island, a state founded by Roger Williams on the principle of religious tolerance.

10:33 AM EST on Thursday, February 19, 2004

BY EDWARD FITZPATRICK
Journal Staff Writer

The call to prayer went out from a white-shingled building in Providence's West End yesterday, the Arabic words amplified by a loudspeaker on the side of the mosque.

"Allah is the greatest. I bear witness that none deserves worship except Allah. Come to prayer." Inside the Islamic Center of Rhode Island, three men knelt at one end of a large carpeted room, bowing forward, facing Mecca, praying in silence.

Freedom of religion -- one of the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment -- is a valuable right for all Americans but especially for Muslims, who have faced suspicion and, in some cases, harassment after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"The First Amendment is very valuable, particularly for those considered a religious minority," said Imam Farid Ansari, of the Muslim American Dawah Center of Rhode Island. "This is one of the beauties of America. If ever there was a point of light, that is it: freedom of religion."

Editor's note: Governor Carcieri has proposed legislation that some experts believe would impose limits on how Rhode Islanders exercise the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Providence Journal today explores how the state's citizens use these freedoms daily.

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Digital Extra: Read the full text of Governor Carcieri's proposed legislation relating to homeland security

It is a freedom firmly rooted in Rhode Island, a state founded by Roger Williams on the principle of religious tolerance. The concept is literally carved in stone -- above the south entrance to the State House: "To hold forth a lively experiment that a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained with full liberty in religious concernments."

"That is a very comforting thought," Ansari said of the inscription. "It's something I cherish as a Muslim-American and as a citizen of Rhode Island."

But America became a very uncomfortable place for many Muslims after the terrorist attacks. Ansari calls it "Islamaphobia." He noted, for example, that the son of the Rev. Billy Graham -- the Rev. Franklin Graham -- called Islam "a very evil and wicked religion."

And closer to home, authorities swarmed the Providence train station one day after the attacks to arrest a man wearing a turban and a Sikh ceremonial dagger. Charges were later dropped.

"He wasn't Muslim," Ansari said. "That's an excellent example of a stereotypical response and a complete lack of knowledge of what a Muslim even appears to be."

Nasser Zawia, a board member of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement and a University of Rhode Island professor, said most Americans are not affected by the federal government's Patriot Act. "They don't have FBI or Homeland Security agents visiting their homes, but our community has felt it. For Muslim-Americans it's been a nightmare."

And with that federal law in place, Zawia said he sees no need for Governor Carcieri's proposed homeland security act. "I'm not aware of any problems specific to Rhode Island that would prompt this," he said. "I think it's an overreaction."

Zawia emphasized that the United States should protect itself, but he said there should be a "healthy balance" between security and citizens' rights.

While Carcieri's bill does not infringe on religious liberties, Zawia said he fears Rhode Island will end up on a "slippery slope that forgets about the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights." Given this state's history, he said, "we should be more cautious and more tolerant than anybody else."

At the Islamic Center of Rhode Island, the three men turned to each other as they concluded afternoon prayer, saying, "Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you."

Imam Abdul Hameed explained that this was one of five daily prayer sessions. Hameed, 72, the mosque's imam since 1984, recalled the phone messages left after the terrorist attacks. "Somebody told me to go back home," he said with a chuckle. "I said, well, maybe I'll go back to Brooklyn."

Hameed scanned a copy of Carcieri's homeland security bill. "I just hope they don't tamper with the First Amendment," he said.