When Catholic Charities called Dr. Basheer Ahmed in the early 1990s, asking for help relocating Muslim Bosnian refugees, he quickly realized something larger was missing across Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no Muslim social service organization or charitable organization helping people,\u201d Ahmed said.<\/p>\n
That phone call led Ahmed, now 90 years old, to found the Muslim Community Center for Human Services<\/a>, a North Texas nonprofit that has since grown into a network of free and low-cost medical, dental and social service programs serving thousands each year.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a psychiatrist, I had been doing some consultation work for Catholic Charities,\u201d Ahmed recalled.<\/p>\n The organization was helping relocate Muslim Bosnian refugees to North Texas and needed guidance on cultural and religious needs, including mosques and halal food.<\/p>\n Ahmed, a Muslim immigrant from India, said the request stayed with him.<\/p>\n \u201cThey said, \u2018Dr. Ahmed, what should we do?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I became very concerned that in the entire Texas, in fact, there was no Muslim social service organization or charitable organization helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1995, Ahmed gathered a group of supporters and founded the Muslim Community Center for Human Services, known as MCC.<\/p>\n The organization, based in Richland Hills, began modestly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I acted as a receptionist also initially,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cWe didn’t have money.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahmed soon realized many patients also struggled to access medical care because of language barriers, cultural differences and long wait times.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had to wait a long time. There were language barriers, cultural barriers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n What started as culturally sensitive social services expanded into medical care, mental health support, domestic violence assistance and dental services.<\/p>\n Ahmed said community support helped the organization grow. One example that stands out to him involved retiring dentist Sam Roach, who donated equipment to MCC\u2019s dental clinic before volunteering there himself.<\/p>\n \u201c[A] Christian donating office to a Muslim organization shows how humanity works,\u201d Ahmed said.<\/p>\n A Life Shaped by Service<\/p>\n Ahmed has held many leadership roles throughout his life, including serving as president of the Islamic Association of North America in 1979.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 1979, when there was Iranian hostages, he called us,\u201d Ahmed said of former President Jimmy Carter. Ahmed said Carter sought input from Muslim leaders during the hostage crisis.<\/p>\n Still, Ahmed said service remains the role that matters most to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI always feel that every human being should think about why God created you, what purpose you are serving,\u201d he said. \u201cI realized that serving humanity is my purpose of life.\u201d<\/p>\n Adeela Malik, MCC\u2019s director of clinical services, said the organization continues adapting to financial challenges while trying to meet growing demand.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was operating right until COVID,\u201d Malik said of the dental clinic. \u201cWhen COVID hit, we had to shut it down because of a lack of funds.\u201d<\/p>\n Malik said MCC now connects patients with partner dentists who provide care for free or at reduced cost through their own practices.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s one of our goals, to collect enough funds and reopen it,\u201d Malik said. \u201cBecause I’m telling you, there is a lot of demand. People are willing to travel two hours for their dental.\u201d<\/p>\n Care for Everyone, Regardless of Background<\/p>\n MCC services are free, though patients may be charged a $25 administrative fee if they can afford it.<\/p>\n One patient, who asked not to be identified, said he discovered MCC after searching online while struggling with serious health issues and no insurance.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you lose 70 pounds in three months, we thought like something serious was going on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The patient said he initially believed the clinic only treated Muslim patients.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, first I thought they’re only treating like Muslim community, but I was very wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Doctors diagnosed him with untreated diabetes, and he said ongoing visits have helped him manage the condition.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m glad I found them because… I will say, saved my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The patient also shared a message for Ahmed.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart for having such a kind heart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ahmed said the organization\u2019s mission remains rooted in expanding care to anyone in need.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the best medical service in the world we provide here in America,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cI can tell you that. But unfortunately, the sad part is it’s not for everybody. And my desire is that I wish we can do this to every person. We can.\u201d<\/p>\n That’s why, even after a lifetime’s work, the 90-year-old continues to fill needs where he finds them. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel at least a peace in mind that I am doing that for satisfying my own faith and my purpose for living in this world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Muslim Community Center for Human Services<\/a> operates through donated time and funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Catholic Charities called Dr. Basheer Ahmed in the early 1990s, asking for help relocating Muslim Bosnian refugees,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[584,27,29,28],"class_list":["post-296076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-health","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}