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The Islamic Association of Collin County (IACC), also known as Plano Masjid, hosted the Inter-Masjid Badminton Tournament in Plano, Texas, Saturday, July 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
PLANO \u2014 The thwack of rackets hitting shuttles filled the gymnasium of the Islamic Association of Collin County<\/a>. Several teams of badminton players locked their eyes on the airborne birdies, racing to hit them over one of the four nets in the bustling Plano mosque.<\/p>\n It wasn’t yet 9 a.m. Saturday, but dozens of participants from six area mosques were gearing up for the first inter-masjid badminton tournament hosted at the Plano Masjid or IACC. The masjid, or mosque<\/a>, seeks to promote the wellbeing of the \u201cmind, body and soul,\u201d said its president, Akram Syed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPrayer is for mental health, and badminton is for physical health,\u201d said tournament player Mahbub Rahman. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Around 50 players registered to take part in the all-day event, according to tournament director Lu Rahman. The day opened with a reading from the Quran, the national anthem and remarks from Plano Mayor John Muns.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: EPIC mosque in Plano seeks to meet ‘hatred with love,’ continue outreach despite protests<\/a><\/p>\n Organizers and attendees said the event marks a milestone of growth in the Muslim community, celebrates an inclusive and culturally beloved sport, and brings people together in the wake of anti-Muslim sentiment<\/a> in North Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lu Rahman hopes the mayor\u2019s participation shows the city is \u201cinclusive, even though there’s harsh rhetoric happening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope those of you that are here visiting the city of Plano feel that love and understanding that no matter your faith<\/a>, no matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter,\u201d Muns said in his opening remarks before picking up a racket and joining a match. \u201cWe welcome you here in\u00a0Plano.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A growing community<\/p>\n Syed remembers when his congregation was just an assembly of a few families in the 1990s. Today, the mosque welcomes thousands of families and has called its building on Independence Parkway home for 25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plano Mayor John Muns, shakes hands after playing a few minutes of badminton, as the Islamic Association of Collin County (IACC), also known as Plano Masjid, hosted the Inter-Masjid Badminton Tournament in Plano, Texas, Saturday, July 25, 2026.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Manha Haque, 21, said she attended the Plano Masjid growing up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn’t have a gym, and it was just a small little room,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s really crazy to see in the last 20 years how much it has grown, and seeing mosques all over Plano.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Lu Rahman said the growth of the Muslim community in North Texas can be attributed to the region\u2019s growth on the whole. It\u2019s an attractive place to live \u2014 for its low crime, many jobs and good schools, he said. It\u2019s also welcoming.<\/p>\n \u201cThis community actually is vibrant, all-inclusive,\u201d Lu Rahman said. \u201cThat invites many people to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n Badminton’s roots<\/p>\n Badminton is a popular sport in South Asia \u2014 in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Mahbub Rahman said. Many players grew up playing the sport in another country, but brought their love of badminton to North Texas and taught their children to play.<\/p>\n Mahbub Rahman, 51, lives in Murphy and is originally from Bangladesh. He is an award-winning badminton player.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: North Texas mosques open doors to challenge misconceptions about Islam and Shariah<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of childhood memories playing this,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n But when he first moved to the U.S. in 1997, there were few opportunities to play. When he moved to North Texas around 2016, that changed. He found a thriving badminton culture and began competing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s really very competitive. I’m a little bit nervous,\u201d he said of Saturday\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n The IACC\u2019s courts have doubled since he first came to the area. Many mosques have added gyms.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAnd still we had to wait in line to play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Islamic Association of Collin County (IACC), also known as Plano Masjid, hosted the Inter-Masjid Badminton Tournament in Plano, Texas, Saturday, July 25, 2026.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Mahbub Rahman enjoys the health benefits of the sport. It keeps him active as he ages and engages his hand-eye coordination. The sport is not very injury-prone and it’s fairly inexpensive, Syed said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a sport that anybody can play,\u201d Syed said; it\u2019s multigenerational and multinational.\u00a0<\/p>\n Haque, who watched her dad play in Saturday\u2019s tournament, said the sport offers a way for her community, including many immigrants, to \u201cconnect to their roots.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cBadminton brings a lot of people together,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Love usually wins\u2019<\/p>\n In recent years, community members said they\u2019ve seen hateful language, protesters and political attacks against the Muslim faith<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott and<\/a> Attorney General Ken Paxton have opposed<\/a> the proposed development of a Muslim-centric neighborhood near Josephine, backed by a group from the East Plano Islamic Center. The mosque has sued a Texas agency that regulates funerals, which ordered the mosque to halt its religious funeral services last year.<\/p>\n Related: East Plano Islamic Center lawsuit against state funeral agency can proceed, judge says<\/a><\/p>\n Anti-Muslim protesters have gathered outside of EPIC, disrupting the mosque\u2019s weekly food drive, members said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Frisco, a mayoral candidate compared<\/a> Indian immigrants to rats and called Islam a \u201cterrorist group.\u201d Rod Vilhauer also backed out of attending a candidate forum held at a mosque and vowed to stop Shariah<\/a> in campaign mailers. He lost the election.\u00a0<\/p>\n Syed said he\u2019s seen hate bordering on Islamophobia. But for 30 years, he said his community has worked with local and state government without issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a very unfortunate recent phenomenon,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m surprised that this hateful rhetoric is happening, and I\u2019d like to believe it’s created by politicians for their own benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n The Islamic Association of Collin County (IACC), also known as Plano Masjid, hosted the Inter-Masjid Badminton Tournament in Plano, Texas, Saturday, July 25, 2026.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Mahbub Rahman said he hopes people learn more about the mosque and what community work<\/a> is done there instead of listening to politicians. He\u2019s grateful Plano\u2019s mayor attended the event Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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