Maryland Honors Idara e Jaferia and Shia Muslim Foundation at Faith and Mental Health Workshop

BURTONSVILLE, MD — The Idara e Jaferia and Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) each received a Governor’s Citation during their jointly hosted Faith & Mental Health Community Workshop on October 17, 2026. Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller presented the honors at Idara e Jaferia in Burtonsville, recognizing the organizations’ service to Maryland residents.

State Sen. Clarence K. Lam also presented a Maryland General Assembly proclamation recognizing SMF and Idara e Jaferia for the workshop and its contribution to the wellbeing of residents in Montgomery County and throughout Maryland. The honors marked a proud occasion for the organizations, their volunteers and the families they serve.

The Governor's Citation presented to the Shia Muslim Foundation, left, and the Maryland General Assembly proclamation presented to SMF and Idara e Jaferia. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

State leaders join a community conversation

The workshop brought public officials, psychiatrists, students and families together to discuss coping with tragedy, discrimination and stress through faith, professional care and community support. The Maryland Department of Health and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives participated, and SMF Executive Director Rahat Husain served as master of ceremonies.

Miller’s attendance brought statewide leadership into a local Shia Muslim institution for a discussion about pressures that affect everyday family life. Sen. Lam’s participation reinforced the value of direct engagement between elected officials and the communities they represent.

Making space for mental health care

The program featured Dr. Rachel Talley, Maryland’s Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health, and Dr. Lora Hargrove, Director of Faith Outreach in the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. Psychiatrists Dr. Syed Akhtar Naqvi, Dr. Mahvash Sheikh and Dr. Fezan Rizvi contributed clinical perspectives.

Speakers emphasized that mental health affects every community and that stigma can prevent people from seeking treatment. Dr. Hargrove discussed how an interest in holistic wellness can create openings for conversations about mental health.

The workshop gave adults and young people opportunities to ask questions and learn about available support. Its message was clear: seeking treatment deserves encouragement, and faith and community can support professional care.

Dr. Talley addresses the Faith & Mental Health Community Workshop at Idara e Jaferia in Burtonsville, Maryland, on Oct. 17, 2026. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

Recognizing Idara e Jaferia’s service

Idara e Jaferia’s Governor’s Citation celebrates an institution that serves the religious, educational and community needs of families across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Its Burtonsville center provides a place for worship, learning and connection.

That service extends beyond its congregation. Its activities include winter coat collections, food assistance for homeless shelters and student volunteer opportunities through Jaferia Islamic School. These programs reflect a commitment to making service part of community life.

Hosting the mental health workshop continued that commitment. Idara’s leadership and volunteers helped create a welcoming setting for a conversation that requires trust, compassion and a willingness to listen.

Recognizing SMF’s advocacy and community support

SMF’s Governor’s Citation recognizes its work connecting community needs with public institutions and practical assistance. Founded in 2020, the Maryland based nonprofit advocates for Shia Muslim civic rights, engages government officials on community concerns and provides direct support.

Its record includes advocacy on mosque security and religious discrimination, grocery assistance for Afghan refugee families in Maryland and laptop donations to community members affected by the COVID pandemic. That work reflects a sustained effort to make public engagement useful to families.

Building on a record of cooperation

The workshop followed other joint initiatives, including SMF and Idara e Jaferia’s Community Safety and Security Summit earlier this year. That program brought Rep. Sarah Elfreth, state homeland security leadership and Montgomery County police into the community to discuss safety and available resources.

The October gathering addressed another community priority: helping families speak openly about mental health and seek support without shame. Its success reflects the work of organizers, clinicians, volunteers and community members who made the discussion possible.

SMF congratulates Idara e Jaferia on its Governor’s Citation and celebrates the recognition received by each organization. SMF thanks Lt. Gov. Miller, Sen. Lam, the participating state agencies and every contributor who helped make the workshop a meaningful act of community service.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller Joins SMF Faith & Mental Health Workshop

Panelists at the Faith & Mental Health Community Workshop at Idara e Jaferia in Burtonsville, Maryland, on Oct. 17, 2026. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

BURTONSVILLE, MD — Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller joined members of the Shia Muslim community on Saturday, October 17, for the Faith & Mental Health Community Workshop at Idara e Jaferia in Burtonsville, a morning conversation about coping with tragedy, discrimination and stress through faith and community support.

The Shia Muslim Foundation (SMF) and Idara e Jaferia hosted the workshop with participation from the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives (GOCI). Rahat Husain, Executive Director of SMF, served as master of ceremonies.

Maryland State Sen. Clarence Lam, who represents District 12 in Anne Arundel and Howard counties, also attended.

The Lt. Governor's visit was a milestone for the community: a statewide leader coming in person to a local Shia Muslim center to take part in a conversation about mental health, grief and the pressures families carry.

A statewide leader in the room

Miller is the 10th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and the first immigrant elected to statewide office in the state. According to her official biography, her policy portfolio includes mental health, and she chairs Maryland's first Council on Interfaith Outreach, which brings together faith leaders from across the state.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller at the Faith & Mental Health Community Workshop at Idara e Jaferia. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

Rahat Husain, Executive Director of the Shia Muslim Foundation, said: “Having Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, the Maryland Department of Health and the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives in the room meant a great deal to our families. It shows that Maryland sees Muslim communities as partners in caring for one another.”

Guests and community members gather during the workshop at Idara e Jaferia. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

Shared themes: mental health touches everyone, and stigma has to go

Across the morning's presentation and community mental health panel, the speakers returned to two shared themes. The first was that mental health affects every community, whatever its faith or background, and the Shia Muslim community is no exception.

The second was the need to remove the stigma around seeking mental health treatment, so that people who are struggling feel able to ask for help.

Dr. Lora Hargrove of the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives observed that while a strong stigma around mental health remains, people tend to be very open to the idea of holistic wellness.

Husain added: “Our community has carried a great deal of grief and fear, and too often people suffer in silence. Mental health affects every family, and today we said clearly that there is no shame in seeking treatment. Our faith and our community can walk alongside good mental health care.”

Panelists listen during the community mental health panel. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

The program

Built around a presentation, a community mental health panel, and resources and support, the program featured:

• Dr. Rachel Talley, MD, Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health at the Maryland Department of Health, who previously served as the Behavioral Health Administration's Chief Medical Officer.

• Dr. Lora Hargrove, PhD, DMin, MDiv, Director of Faith Outreach in the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives, who builds partnerships between the Governor's office and Maryland's faith communities.

• Dr. Syed Akhtar Naqvi, MD, a psychiatrist in Laurel, Maryland, who treats depression, anxiety and substance use disorders.

• Dr. Mahvash Sheikh, MD, a board-certified adult psychiatrist and the founder of Progressive Psychiatric Services in Olney, Maryland.

• Dr. Fezan Rizvi, MD, psychiatrist.

A speaker addresses attendees from the podium at Idara e Jaferia. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

Recognition from state leaders

Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller presented the Shia Muslim Foundation with a Governor's Citation “in appreciation of your outstanding services to the citizens of this State.”

State Sen. Clarence Lam presented SMF and Idara e Jaferia with a Maryland General Assembly proclamation “in recognition of your 2026 Faith and Mental Health Community Workshop in supporting the well-being of the residents of Montgomery County and throughout the State of Maryland.”

The Governor's Citation presented to the Shia Muslim Foundation, left, and the Maryland General Assembly proclamation presented to SMF and Idara e Jaferia. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

A space for the whole community

The workshop was open to adults, students and young people in the Shia Muslim community, with time to discuss these pressures, ask questions and learn about available support and services. SMF first announced the workshop ahead of the event.

Community members listen during the workshop. Photo: Shia Muslim Foundation

Where to find help

Anyone experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, to reach a trained counselor at any hour.

Facing Threats Over New Prayer Hall, Mooresville Mosque Invites Its Neighbors to Dinner

SMF News

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — After months of anti-Muslim rhetoric and anonymous threats over its planned new prayer hall, the Islamic Center of Lake Norman is answering with an open door: the congregation is hosting an interfaith dinner this weekend and has invited some of the people who oppose its new mosque, The Assembly reported.

The center, the only mosque in Charlotte's northern suburbs, has rented space in a Mooresville building since it opened in 2011. In August, as attendance topped the building's capacity of about 100, members began holding two Friday prayer sessions, said Zahid Khan, a board member who has lived in Mooresville since 1993.

A modest building, allowed by right

The center spent about $350,000 in 2019 on 5.5 acres a few minutes away, and this spring it cleared land there for a 2,691-square-foot prayer hall, a 2,235-square-foot kitchen and office building, and 52 parking spaces. Khan told The Assembly the center has raised $1 million of the $2.5 million needed and expects the mosque to be ready for use by December 2027.

As with any place of worship in Mooresville, the project did not need the town's permission. In a statement after its Sept. 8 meeting, the Mooresville Board of Commissioners said religious assembly is "a by-right use" in the property's zoning district and that "the current Board cannot take any votes for or against building the Islamic Center of Lake Norman."

"Every property owner who builds in Mooresville goes through the same process under the same rules. The rules do not change based on who is building, and both state law and the Constitution will not let us change them." — Mooresville Board of Commissioners

Hostile meetings and a threatening voicemail

Opposition grew after equipment appeared on the site in the spring, Town Commissioner Dana Tucker told The Assembly. In early August, a members-only Facebook group critical of the mosque, called Mooresville United, was launched. At the town's August 3 meeting, one speaker described the faith as "this evil ideology," and the North Carolina office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned what it called "hateful, conspiratorial, and dangerous public comments."

Khan said the center has received several anonymous threats in recent months. One person left a voicemail saying, "Just as fast as it gets built, it can burn down." The mosque's board hired a security guard in late August and asked local police to monitor its current space. Tucker said he and other town officials met with the center's representatives to plan extra security for the September meeting after they voiced concerns about their safety.

The Lake Norman congregation is not alone. Al Rieder, manager of CAIR's North Carolina chapter, which represents 119 mosques across the state, said that since the chapter's founding in 2023 it had received maybe one report a year of a credible violent threat against a mosque. This year, seven mosques reported threats. "People are terrified," Rieder said. "They're on edge." Nationally, CAIR said it documented 17 incidents targeting Islamic places of worship in May, June and July, a 183 percent increase over the same three months last year.

Neighbors of every faith stand up

Faith leaders from across Iredell County joined CAIR-NC on Sept. 8 to support the congregation ahead of that evening's town meeting, WCNC reported.

"It is more important than ever to stand up for our neighbors and protect one another against the forces of bigotry and prejudice." — Rabbi Becca Diamond, Temple Kol Tikvah of Lake Norman

"I was appalled and shocked, and quite frankly upset with the rhetoric that was pointed to this wonderful community," said Rodney Courtney, pastor at Bethesda A.M.E. Zion Church.

"A house of worship should face the same standards, whatever faith is practiced there," Rieder said. "To those who oppose us, our door remains open," he added. "Changing your mind about a neighbor can take courage. We welcome that courage, and the chance to begin again."

— Al Rieder, CAIR North Carolina

That night, 29 people spoke about the mosque, 12 of them in support, according to The Assembly. Among them was Hadia Mubarak, an associate professor of religion at Queens University in Charlotte, who described growing up in Florida among Christians who lived the teachings of Jesus Christ "by loving their neighbors and welcoming the strangers." "What kind of America do we build when we teach our children to fear people who look different or pray differently than them?" she asked.

An open door

In recent weeks, opposition to the mosque has been less visible, and no one spoke about it at the town's October meeting, The Assembly reported. Now the center is inviting its neighbors in. The pastor of Cornerstone ARP Church, which sits across the street from the center's rented location and last month began promoting Sunday sessions called "What Americans Need to Know About Islam," has RSVP'd yes to the interfaith dinner, along with several of its congregants, Khan said.

Mubarak said she will attend. "This is a really important time for us to open our doors to the public, our neighbors," she said. "For them to see who we are."

— Hadia Mubarak, Queens University

Why it matters

Muslims have lived in Mooresville for at least 30 years, according to CAIR, and the Lake Norman congregation counts dermatologists, engineers and pharmacists among its members. Building a place to pray is a right every American congregation shares, and Mooresville's own leaders have affirmed that the rules do not change based on who is building. The Shia Muslim Foundation stands with the Islamic Center of Lake Norman and every congregation facing threats for how it worships, and we commend the neighbors of every faith who have chosen to answer fear with an open door.

Sources: The Assembly (Oct. 14, 2026); WCNC (Sept. 8, 2026); Town of Mooresville (Sept. 8, 2026); CAIR (Aug. 4, 2026); CAIR (Sept. 4, 2026).