“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

-Franklin Delano Roosevelt
MARYSVILLE – Like many others in the world, Mustafa Al-harab thinks, “ISIS is worse than the devil.”

Mustafa, who is Muslim, is associated with the Al-Mustafa Center in Marysville. He said the terrorist Muslim group called ISIS is not Islam.

“They teach to hate,” he said of ISIS, which is the complete opposite of Islam, which means “peace.”

“It can’t be more clear than that,” Mustafa said. “Islamic people accept other religions.”

Mustafa, who is from Iraq, said Muslims associated with ISIS come from many parts of the world that teach the ideology of Wahhabism.

“Do it our way or be killed,” he said of ISIS. “We don’t associate with them.”

Mark Austin, who has gotten to know Mustafa as a member of Mayor Jon Nehring’s advisory council on diversity, said attending a service at the Islamic Center is not much different than going to a Christian church service.

He said there are prayers and songs, Sunday school for children, and someone leading the program. It was in arabic so Mustafa had to translate for him.

“There’s a Creator, the planet, and we all have to live with one another,” Mustafa said.

He came to the U.S. in 1995. In something like a lottery, his father was picked to go to the Everett area. He took a job as an electrician. Mustafa grew up, went to Seattle University and now works at Boeing. He, his wife and two children recently bought their first home in Lake Stevens.

Mustafa said knowledge is the key to getting along. He said all people can get along if they learn to accept rather than to hate.

“If we are not brothers in faith we are brothers in humanity,” he said. “We respect our neighbors and love them as people.”

Mustafa said worldwide news reports focus on extreme violence of ISIS in places such as Paris and San Bernardino.

“The news makes people think wrongly” about Muslims, he said.

He asked people to get to know their Muslim neighbors.

“Get off the couch and meet the Muslims, talk to them. Your perspective will change 360 degrees,” he said.

Mustafa said despite the increase in ISIS attacks, people in Marysville seem to understand it’s not local Muslims involved. There have been some instances of bullying in school. And some women on a pilgrimage from Everett to Marysville were threatened.

“There always will be people who react quickly,” without thinking, he said.
Mustafa said there is a lot of misinformation being thrown about considering things like Sharia Law.

“It can’t even be done unless it’s a Muslim country,” he said, adding that’s why many Muslims in the U.S. don’t follow it. Only a leader who is a descendant of a prophet can administer is justly. “You can’t force people to do it.”

Another misnomer is that ISIS is sneaking into the U.S. with Syrian refugees.

“ISIS forced them out. What could they do? They had to flee. We should open our hearts to help refugees. Where’s the humanity?” he asked.

Mustafa said men and women at the center meet in separate buildings a few times a week for services. About 90 percent of the members live in Everett and south of there. They usually have around 100 folks weekly, but special celebrations draw 300 or more. They welcome the public to come and feast with them on those occasions.

“Knowledge is power. It controls how you think about things. We’re all humans on earth, and god wants us to live peacefully,” Mustafa said.