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Ismaili Muslims compete in Snellville |
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Saturday, September 04, 2004 |
 More than 1,000 Ismaili Muslim athletes and fans from around the country will gather today at T.W. Briscoe Park in Snellville for a national sports tournament featuring everything from cricket to three-legged races.
The weekend event, modeled after the Olympic Games, is intended to promote healthy living and showcase metro Atlanta's growing Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community. And it's a chance for local Ismailis to mingle against a backdrop of friendly competition, said Sajida Shroff, an Atlanta-based volunteer for the Ismaili community.
"They're just kids playing sports," she said. "Young people having fun, being the kids that they are."
Ismailis live in more than 25 countries around the world, from India, Pakistan and East Africa to Europe, the United States and Canada. They are a minority within the minority Shia branch of Islam and account for about 15 million of the world's 1 billion Muslims.
The Ismailis' spiritual leader is Prince Karim Aga Khan, a billionaire philanthropist who traces his lineage to the prophet Muhammad. Ismaili's consider the globe-trotting businessman, Harvard graduate and renowned horse breeder to be the 49th hereditary imam.
Ismailis began settling in the United States in the 1960s, drawn to the country's colleges and universities. The influx increased in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of political instability in parts of Asia and Africa.
As part of the national sports competition, athletes from California, Texas, New York and states in between will compete Saturday and Sunday at Briscoe Park, not far from the spot on Five Forks Trickum Road where Ismailis plan to build a new community center.
"We're very pleased and happy to be able to host this event," said Snellville Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer, who attended the Ismaili community's culture and arts program in Atlanta earlier this year at the invitation of an Ismaili friend active in the Brookwood Cluster Schools Foundation. "It's really a chance for us to reach out to all the citizens of Snellville. . . . They're a great addition to our community."
This is the first time the Ismailis' national sports tournament has been in metro Atlanta. The opening ceremony is 8:30 a.m. today.
Shroff said she's not sure how many Ismailis live in Gwinnett or metro Atlanta. Many live in and around Decatur, where the Ismailis have established a community center off DeKalb Industrial Way.
More recently, Ismaili families have flocked to the good schools and safe neighborhoods of Gwinnett. They plan to break ground next year on the new community center off Five Forks Trickum Road near Snellville. The center will give Ismailis a place for prayer, social gatherings, sports and other activities.
The Ismailis' next major event is the Aga Khan Foundation Partnership Walk. The walk, on Sept. 26 in Centennial Olympic Park, is an annual effort to raise funds for the needy overseas.
Among the events featured at this weekend's tournament are golf, softball, soccer, tennis, track and field, flag football and lemon spoon races. Snellville, the city once known as New London, also will have a chance to get better acquainted with its English roots. Cricket matches begin at 9 a.m. today.
"We're really encouraging the public to come out and watch," said Cyndee Bonacci, director of Snellville Parks and Recreation.
Oberholtzer said he may try to join the bowlers and batters himself.
"I'm a little confused on how you score," he said. |
