Mohammed Hatem and his wife, Gulshan are Today’s Spotlight, a look at the people in Hernando’s Muslim community.
The Hatems
Family members: Mohammed, 47; Gulshan, 41; Aniqa, 10; and Mohammed's mother, Hamida Khatum, 72.
Native country: Bangladesh, except for Aniqa, who was born in the United States.
Occupation: Convenience store owners.
Arrived in Hernando County: 1993.
The Hatems are familiar to customers at their two Shop n' Save convenience stores in Brooksville, which they own and manage. Mohammed got his start in America in 1981, working in convenience stores in Los Angeles. In 1988, Mohammed went back to Bangladesh to marry Gulshan in a match made by their parents. Within a year, Gulshan followed him to America. They came to Florida through a business partner from Brandon whom Hatem had met in Los Angeles. The friendship led them to the opportunity to run the Shop n' Save on Cobb Road. Their only child, Aniqa, is now a fourth-grader at Brooksville Elementary School, where she has never missed a day of school. She plays the violin, speaks her parents' native tongue of Bengali and brushes up on her Arabic and Islamic education on Sundays at the mosque. Aniqa's grandmother, Hamida, came to live with the family three years ago.
