Photographer Ziyah Gafic provides an intimate portrait of America’s Islamic community
Fashion Designer
American-born Sarah Mussa, 23, is of Palestinian and South Korean descent. She is currently pursuing a degree in fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology in N.Y.
After Prayer
Worshippers gather outside At-Taqwa Mosque in Brooklyn, New York. At-Taqwa, which generally means "the God-fearing" in Arabic, has opened a number of stores, bakeries and halal shops in the surrounding area in order to make the institution more self-sustainable.
Prayers of the Youth
A young boy stands near a mosque in Monticello, N.Y.
In the Light
A young girl sits in the Bosnian mosque Ali Pasha in Queens, N.Y.
Downtime
Young Muslim community members hang out near the Jarrahi Order Mosque, where dervishes perform zikr, or remembrance of God. The center also provides a space for prayer and weddings and raises funds for victims of natural disasters.
Hanging Out
IT analyst Aaisha Shaikh (left), immigration paralegal Liz Nettleton (center) and special education teacher Labinsky Roach Falah (right), gather together after a Sunday brunch in the Village.
Natural Light
A young woman looks out the window of the Jarrahi Order Mosque, a non-profit organization, in Spring Valley, N.Y.Photographs for TIME by Ziyah Gafic / Getty
Friends
A group of girls gather together in their Staten Island neighborhood, where a large number of people from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia immigrated in the 1970s and formed the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in 1973.
Playing Around
Children from an Islamic school are chaperoned after Friday noon prayers at at-Taqwa, one of Brooklyn's mosques, where Imam Siraj Wahhaj has managed to significantly lower the crime rate.
Dressed Up
Ferhana, born in Bangladesh, attends a traditional Muslim wedding performed at the Jarrahi Order Mosque in Spring Valley, N.Y.
On Time
Prayer, the second pillar of Islam, should be completed without delay. Laying out a clean sheet and facing towards Mecca, women pray after dinner at Ricardo's restaurant in Queens.
A Father, a Founder
Smajo Serdanovic, a senior manager at a large New York real estate firm, speaks to his daughter in the mosque he helped to build. Serdanovic immigrated to the U.S. fifteen years ago.
The Young Leader
Khaled Latif, New York University's Muslim chaplain, is one of the youngest and most prominent imams in the New York Muslim community. In this photo, he prepares himself on graduation day at NYU where he will march alongside the university's rabbi and priest.
Bridesmaids
Little girls play during a Muslim wedding between a Serbian bride and Turkish groom at the Sufi-oriented Jarrahi Order Mosque in Spring Valley, New York.
At School
A student sits in class at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in Staten Island. The center offers a complete American curriculum alongside Islamic studies.
