Basel Saqr wears facial hair today because of the events of 9/11.
A Muslim born in Kuwait who was clean shaven before the attacks, Saqr decided to change his appearance to illustrate what he said is the true face of Islam.
"After 9/11, the image of Muslim men with beards got associated with terrorists, and I wanted to show people that you can have a Muslim man with a beard who does not support terrorism or hateful acts against innocent people," said Saqr, a permanent U.S. resident living in Amelia and board member of the IHSAN Muslim community and mosque in Milford.
Saqr, now 32, holds himself personally responsible to speak and act in accordance with Islamic teaching - which promotes love and peace and condemns the taking of innocent life - and to advance the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Here, as it has across the country, that inter-group fabric has frayed, torn or even stitched itself back together stronger. What is the state of the larger community's relationship to Muslims in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky? Opinions vary.
"New and emerging and promising," said Lynnette Heard, president and chief executive of Bridges for a Just Community, the region's primary human relations organization, when asked about the relationship.
The local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in Blue Ash, still receives hate mail, which has increased to about a dozen a year in recent years.
"We receive threats and report them to authorities," said Karen Dabdoub, executive director of CAIR-Cincinnati. "(Yet) there are a lot of good things. People respect and want diversity. They want a connection with people who are different. They learn about Islam and see shared values."
CAIR-Cincinnati's participation last month as co-host of an iftar - an evening meal that breaks a fast - at Mother of Mercy High School led to its cancellation by leadership of the all-female school in Westwood, who had consulted with an Archdiocesan official.
The iftar was moved to the Catholic Center at St. Monica-St. George Parish in University Heights and attracted double the anticipated crowd. More than 160 people attended, some saying they showed up simply to show support for Muslims and its efforts to join a pluralistic society.
Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurrsaid he is heartened by the many examples of interfaith communication and programs with Muslims involving Catholic parishes and schools in the Cincinnati Archdiocese and the Diocese of Covington.
He toured the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati in West Chester in November.
"We have discovered that, in the face of a secular culture which too often promotes consumerism and immediate gratification, our two faiths share many principles that can benefit humanity's physical as well as spiritual existence," Schnurr wrote in an email to the Enquirer.
"We also have far to go. We have witnessed moments when it becomes more attractive for us to point the finger at a specific group for our nation's woes - or even for the challenges within our respective faith communities. In such a time of confusion, it may seem appealing to bolster our own identities by labeling another group as the enemy, especially if we have not even met people face to face.
"However, the more we nurture opportunities to work together, the more our two communities will strengthen our pluralistic community in a faith in one God."
Based in Washington, CAIR has been scrutinized for years by federal agencies investigating suspected terrorist threats and links. Critics say CAIR supports an extremist agenda. CAIR says it is subject to an Internet-based misinformation campaign led by "anti-Muslim bigots."
That campaign, say leaders of CAIR and other Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups, has come in the form of organized opposition to Muslim communities wanting to build mosques.
That opposition expressed itself last year in Florence, where the Islamic Center of Northern Kentucky revealed renderings of a planned 8,000-square-foot mosque on Clayton Road, near Mall Road.
Joseph Dabdoub, a spokesman for the Northern Kentucky Islamic Center and the Mercy Foundation, declined to comment about the group's plans. The Mercy Foundation is still listed as owner of the 5.5-acre property, according to Boone County public records.
The proposed Florence mosque was one of 37 nationally to encounter organized resistance in the past three years, according to a Pew Research Center 2011 study of Muslims in America.
Opponents to the Florence mosque circulated fliers in encouraging American citizens to "stop the takeover of our country" by Muslims.
The relationship goes back and forth here.
Saqr is committed to doing his part to improve it. He was beginning his final year at the University of Cincinnati toward earning a bachelor's degree in computer science on 9/11. The son of Palestinians, he left Kuwait after finishing high school in 1997 and came to Northern Kentucky to live with relatives.
He was at work the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, a co-op job for a computer infrastructure company. He watched television that day with co-workers, most of who were non-Muslim, and felt that reports portrayed all Muslims as culpable in the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
"I tried explaining to people that Islam does not permit the killing of innocent men, women and children, but unfortunately some would not listen and accused me of supporting terrorism," Saqr said. "Luckily, some people differentiated between (Islam and terrorists) and defended me. After that incident, I worried about my family and friends because I knew there were some ignorant people who might try to harm them.
"I lost a few friends," he said.
Saqr decided then to make it his mission to explain Islam and answer any question he might be asked. He has maintained his bald, bearded look.
His worst experience: "As I was talking with an individual about each others' faiths, he proceeded to tell me I was going to hell."
Among the best: A former co-worker, a non-Muslim, "always reminded me that she and her family loved me and understood that Muslims are good people."
On Sunday, hundreds of people here are expected to participate in a commemoration at the Cincinnati Museum Center. "9/11 Tenth Anniversary: Remembrance, Unity, Hope" was organized by more than a dozen diverse organizations - including the local CAIR chapter, the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, Bridges, the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation.
An organization not listed but still supporting the event is the American Jewish Committee Cincinnati Regional Office.
"In the post 9/11 era, the Jewish community seeks compatible partners in the Muslim community to continue that positive history," director Barbara Glueck said in a statement to The Enquirer. "Jews understand that the Islamist terrorists behind 9/11 are not representative of true Islam, and yet there is some caution in our outreach.
"We remain committed to the necessary and important work of Muslim-Jewish dialogue and welcome opportunities to find allies in our pursuit of the shared goals of immigration reform and separation of church and state."
Saqr said another shared interest of all people of good will - Muslims, Jews and Christians included - is the fate of the poor and marginalized in American society.
His commitment to personally displaying the teachings of Islam has deepened. He completed a master's in business from Northern Kentucky University but has suspended studies toward a Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati to work at a financial company in Blue Ash.
Saqr directs his mosque's Care, Share and Support program, which fights hunger, poverty and homelessness through a variety of projects. He leads IHSAN's participation in the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati.
One person at a time, or through community service projects, Saqr continues and expands the mission he started on 9/11. On Sunday, he said he will continue to grieve the 2,977 innocent victims of 9/11 and renew his commitment to work in a united front against terrorism and improve understanding of Islam.
The cautious stares and the negative comments motivate him.
"It reminds me of the struggle of every American who was singled out because of their color, race or beliefs - as they vowed to work hard for an America that understands and appreciates each member of its family," he said.
"I vowed to follow their legacy and keep America true and a warm home to every person that lives in it."
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