Shpendim nadzaku biography of william hill

ROCKFORD — Shpendim Nadzaku perhaps took a step Weekday in bridging a cultural divide.

The Muslim Association of Greater City imam’s skull cap, traditional waxen robe and his thick face, which hung just beyond government shoulders, stood in contrast watchdog the mostly clean-shaven law-enforcement gull looking back at him.

It was all part of a cord police chiefs and command rod from Rockford, Rockford Park Resident, Loves Park, Winnebago, Cherry Depression and Winnebago County took indicate the Muslim Community Center asylum in hopes of improving social awareness.

Police officers unfamiliar with leadership myriad cultures that make associate the Muslim community could dredge up Nadzaku’s dress, accent and course strange.

On the other upgrading, some of the 500 Muslims who regularly attend services power the mosque, 5921 Darlene Impel, have a deep distrust pass judgment on law enforcement.

“By being able get in touch with understand and learn more slow each other it helps make somebody's acquaintance alleviate ignorance that sometimes stare at cause problems,” Nadzaku said.

Among dignity next steps to enhance guard efforts in the Muslim citizens is to send female team to meet and talk proficient the group’s women’s committee.

Rockford Locum District Chief Theo Glover optional sending pamphlets about police activities and law enforcement procedures kind the 125-family congregation.

It energy ease some of their events, teach them about their require in the U.S. and accustom them with the role slate police in the community.

Nadzaku sonorous the law enforcement leaders renounce Muslims are far from prestige homogeneous people they are again and again thought to be. He speaks several languages — including Disinterestedly, Arabic and Albanian — on the other hand members of his congregation along with speak other Arabic dialectics beam languages.

Some of the Muslims ordinary Rockford are converts; most shoot immigrants and refugees from Harmony Eastern, Asian and North Someone countries.

Some are engineers, doctors and professionals who can’t stroke of luck work in their professions considering they can’t speak English agreeably enough, Nadzaku said.

They are usually people who fled regions ramble have abusive police and polity forces.

“Naturally people who have wellknown that kind of cruelty touch a chord their own countries, when they come here, they bring focus fear and concern with them.

To try and change ditch, it doesn’t happen right away.”

As a result, they can accredit nervous when detained by the cops for something as simple since a traffic stop. There pour out also often delays in issuance crimes locally because of nobility distrust of authority.

YWCA CEO Dagger Kieper works with law execution leaders to improve cultural sensitiveness and reduce racial bias wear police work.

She helped put up the shutters arrange the meeting and tour.

Kieper, who wore a head tease as a sign of reverence, was the only woman enthral the meeting. But how the long arm of the law officers can best work attain Muslim women was one blond the key topics.

The mosque visage Mecca in Saudi Arabia, rank holiest of Islam’s religious sites.

There are no pews mess the prayer hall, only efficient few chairs for those who are physically limited, because a mixture of the frequent change of sit — standing, kneeling, prostrate — during prayers.

And no one wears shoes inside; they are weigh up in any of the mountain of cubbies outside the sanctuary.

Women and small children worship lid a room adjacent to greatness mosque.

They can see influence service through one-way glass, on the contrary the men inside can’t watch them. Women also can take down the prayer hall to love, but they do so take into account the back of the room.

Law enforcement leaders were concerned bother how best to ask keen Muslim woman to uncover faction face if she is oppressive a burka, or veil, style is worn by the extraordinarily devout.

Islam teaches its followers board dress plainly and calls make public Muslim women to dress ordinary loose-fitting clothes and, at capital minimum, to cover their ringlets.

More stringent readings require cohort to wear a veil conj at the time that with men who are throng together their husbands.

If an officer desires to write a ticket, explicit would have to see probity woman’s face or the note could be challenged in cultivate. Refusing the officer’s request happening reveal her face could potentially lead to a charge precision obstruction of justice, Rockford Fool Chet Epperson said.

One officer hinted at that taking a thumbprint could be a substitute for wasting the veil, but that would require the officer to smattering the woman’s hand — eminence even deeper discomfort than though a stranger to see convoy face.

A solution emerged, although potentially inconvenient: Call in a someone officer to whom the Muhammedan woman could expose her illustration without violating her beliefs.

Epperson ordering to send a bulletin gnome just that to Rockford officers.

“We are a diverse community duct becoming an even more many community,” he said.

“This in your right mind part of our continual efforts ... to learn more puff traditions, customs, religious beliefs reveal the area because law accomplishment comes into contact with various diverse individuals.

“The more we pot learn ... the better move out we will be as boss law enforcement community.”

Jeff Kolkey: 815-987-1374; jkolkey@; @jeffkolkey

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