Nazir (Naz) Mohamed-Ahamed
Hampshire mosque representative
ION Amherst – Interfaith Opportunities Network
Naz O. Mohamed
She came to the Valley in the late seventies to complete her master’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in developmental psychology, and stayed on to do her doctoral work at UMass. She met her Indian-Muslim husband, who passed away two years ago, in Northampton where he owned an oriental art and textiles gallery.
A native of Pakistan who came to the United States in 1977 to attend Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mohamed said she received mostly support from friends and colleagues in the aftermath of 9/11. She also gave a number of talks about Islam.
Abida Adnan, left, Naz Mohamed-Ahamed, Abeda Mohamed, Elizaveta Lozovaya, Nevine Ibrahim and Parvin Niroomand gathered at Adnan’s Amherst home last week with a variety of dishes that they traditionally serve during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began this year on Sept. 1.
Abida Adnan (L) wife of Dr. Muhammed Awaisi, hosts a 2008 Ramadan dinner with Naz and other Hampshire mosque supporters. The men did not want to be photographed and were hiding in the other room.
NOTES AND QUOTES
Before the meeting, Naz described the October wedding of her son, Zafir. To everyone’s delight, she brought photos of the couple’s two-day celebration.
“We’re all believers in the same universal God, and we should try to remember that,” said Naz Mohamed. “There’s a universal thread that goes through all human beings.”
“I don’t wear a hijab outside the mosque, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the core of my existence” she says, adjusting her red framed glasses. “I don’t feel I need to flaunt my religion; I want everyone to feel comfortable when they talk to me. I see myself, and all of us from the community, as ambassadors of Islam. We need to show that a few misguided people don’t represent all Muslims. All religions have extremist factions and groups.”
“I was stunned something so horrific could have happened and embarrassed and sad that Islam and Muslims will be blamed for the acts of some fanatics who are ignorant of their own religion and felt justified to take innocent lives. This is not jihad,” said Mohamed, a former early childhood educator.
“Jihad in Islam is not against innocent people. It is a personal struggle to improve oneself and to improve your surroundings,” Mohamed said. “Nothing happens on that scale without a deep-rooted, long-term cause.”
Naz Mohamed, a board member of the Hampshire Mosque in Amherst.
“Since then I think there are people who are trying to become more tolerant and then there are those who are becoming more and more intolerant to not just Muslims but to those who are different,” said Mohamed.
BASHA AHAMED
Basha Ahmed (Ahamed), Naz’s husband, passed away in 2008. His son, Hafiz, was born in Pakistan around 1981.
Bashir Ahamed, Naz’s late husband. “…not looking for the hook-up, specifically, but romantic soul-mates for the long winter nights.”
Memorial for Basha – Leverett 2008
Naz with her brother-in-law and Hafiz Ahamed from Kashmir at Basha’s memorial service in 2008
CHRONOLOGY
In 1983 Bahsa was enjoying the “swingin’ single” life in Northampton, but by 1985 he had “hooked-up” with Naz and decided to settle down.
It was October 1983… The Montrealer had brought me to Northampton one cold night from Washington, DC..I needed to change my life and Basha had been imploring me to come up to Western Massachusetts..”There are beautiful college girls here, Vasant, and art and music and culture, all the things you love, why die in DC?..come join me!”… Northampton went straight to my head..the bohemian five college art culture, the New England autumn, Smithies..and Basha….Basha was in his prime, just 30, equal parts businessman, shaman, mystic, musician, rogue, charlatan, romantic.. I found all the young college women very distracting, with their intoxicating young girl scents and vivacious ways.
Basha and I had long lunches of pita bread, dahl and rhita, chatting up some of these lovelies, in earnest, pseudo-mystical conversations… but really we were just two romantics, naive in that Indian way, not looking for the “hook-up”, specifically, but romantic soul-mates for the long winter nights.
Just after the 9/11 celebrations in 2013 a memorial Owl was erected to honor Basha.
The Bohemian Owl honoring Basha Ahamed in Northampton
In honor of Bashir Ahamed
Basha opens the Islamic Arts and Crafts Museum of America in Northampton in 2007.
NORTHAMPTON – If you are interested in Islam, you might get some insights into the religion at the Islamic Arts and Crafts Museum of America. With proprietor Bashir Ahamed showing you around, you are likely to get a lot … more.
