[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 165 (Thursday, November 17, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN TRIBUTE TO MAHMOUD OTHMAN ATTA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2016

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life and work of 
Mahmoud Othman Atta a highly-respected leader in the Muslim and 
interfaith community, veteran, husband, father and grandfather. Mr. 
Mahmoud Othman Atta died on November 9, 2016 at the age of 80.
  Mr. Atta was born in the Palestinian territories and moved to 
Milwaukee at age 16 with his dual-citizen father. He graduated from 
West Division High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended two years 
of technical college and was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving as a 
medic. After his military service Mr. Atta returned to the Palestinian 
territories, where he married his wife, Intisar and had two children. 
He later returned to Milwaukee with his family in the mid-1960s.
  He is regarded as the Milwaukee area's first de-facto imam, leading 
prayers and religious services in homes, though he never held the title 
full time. Local Muslims hailed from various homelands, speaking 
different languages and Mr. Atta bridged those divides through communal 
worship. He organized classes to teach Arabic, the language of the 
Qur'an so that everyone would be able to pray and read the Holy Book 
together.
  Mahmoud Othman Atta was one of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee's 
seven founding members. Mr. Atta guided Milwaukee's Muslim community 
and the Islamic Society of Milwaukee in the 1970s, when an estimated 
200 Muslims lived in the city. He helped lead fundraising for the 
purchase of its main center on the city's south side and served on the 
society's first board of trustees, a position he held for about a 
decade.
  Mahmoud Othman Atta was a natural leader. He saw the value in 
reaching across racial and religious lines, joining interfaith 
organizations and Muslim-Christian dialogue groups. He was respected 
for his character and his knowledge. Mr. Atta would open his home to a 
stranger; realizing how it felt like to be alone without family, so he 
always had a soft spot in his heart for students or individuals who 
were coming from overseas.
  Mr. Atta worked as an engine technician at Briggs & Stratton for 
about 25 years, retiring in 1990 after suffering his first stroke. Mr. 
Atta had been in declining health in recent years and suffered a stroke 
while he and his wife spent several months in the Palestinian areas. He 
returned to the Palestinian territories every year or two, where his 
large family is well-known. About 1,000 people there have attended 
visitations spread over three days, after his death.
  Mahmoud Othman Atta is survived by his wife Intisar; 2 sons Othman 
and Ihsan; 2 daughters, Janan and Bayan; and 12 grandchildren Mr. 
Speaker, Milwaukee has experienced a profound loss with the passing of 
Mahmoud Othman Atta. He had an attachment to Milwaukee, and he loved 
the Midwestern lifestyle. Today, I thank him and his family for their 
immeasurable achievements, I mourn his loss and I salute his legacy.

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