First Muslim Chosen to Lead Springfield Interfaith Organization

Springfield, 12 Rabiul Awwal 1437/12 December 2016 (MINA) – Maryam Mostoufi admitted that her taking over as president of the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association next month will have added meaning now.

“More people are taking note of the roles Muslims are playing, given the heightened political climate,” said Mostoufi, an accredited chaplain and author who has been involved with the interfaith group for close to 30 years, The State Journal Register reported.

Mostoufi was referring to the election of Donald Trump, who a year ago proposed banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. The president-elect’s administration has since suggested a more targeted vetting of Muslims, perhaps concentrating on those coming from countries with terrorist ties.

Mostoufi, often a spokeswoman for the central Illinois Muslim community, which includes about 400 families from over 30 different countries, said people remain fearful, but that members of faith communities in the area have helped assuage some of those concerns.

A year ago, in the wake of the killings of 14 people in San Bernardino, California, by a couple who had been “radicalized,” faith leaders and others gathered in support of local Muslims.

In 1993, when the mosque burned in an unincorporated part of Springfield, several churches and synagogues opened their doors to give the community prayer and meeting spaces, recalled Mostoufi.

“People of faith are saying (Trump’s statements) aren’t right,” said Mostoufi, who wears a hijab, or head covering. “We rarely go out here without people stopping us, always in a positive way. I find that affirming. Most of (the other local Muslims) are finding that, too.”

Mostoufi said people who aren’t informed about Islam tend to emphasize the differences between religious traditions, when there is much more common ground to be found.

“When I start speaking about the basic tenets and beliefs of Islam, people are shocked that Muslims believe in Jesus or that there’s a whole chapter in the Qu’ran devoted to Maryam (or Mary, Jesus’ mother),” said Mostoufi. “That’s something you can use, that there are more similarities than differences.”

Mostoufi, a former human resources director in the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities, was raised in rural Iowa in the Disciples of Christ church and had at one time considered a career in the ministry. Her marriage ceremony to Siavash Mostoufi, a Muslim, included a Jewish best man, a Roman Catholic matron of honor and attendants who were Muslim and from other other Protestant denominations.

After moving to Springfield in 1979, Maryam Mostoufi became involved with an Indo-China refugee consortium that also resettled Russian Jewish immigrants. That led to a relationship with the Springfield Jewish Federation and a speaking engagement with GSIA.

“I was impressed by the camaraderie (of GSIA members) and thought it would be a neat organization to be involved in,” Mostoufi said. “When an invitation was extended to the Muslim community to join GSIA, no one from the community volunteered, so I did.”

The Greater Springfield Interfaith Association was formed in the early 1980s and became one of the founding agencies of Helping Hands Homeless Shelter. The group, which is for “professionals in ministry,” has become much more diverse and includes members from the Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i, Christian Science, Quaker and Native American communities, among others.

Mostoufi noted that younger Springfield Muslims are inserting themselves into more community groups, like the Children of Abraham, a cross-section of youth groups from the area who have bettered their understanding of each others’ faiths.

“We now have an indigenous voice (from the Muslim community here),” Mostoufi said. “They’re raising families. They have organizational skills. We’re seeing more and more of that.”

The Rev. Martin Woulfe, who heads the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, cheered on Mostoufi’s presidency and lauded her commitment to interfaith efforts.

Woulfe also noted the higher profile Springfield-area Muslims are taking, particularly pointing to this summer’s water drive that benefited the people of Flint, Michigan.

“It surprises me no end,” Woulfe said, “that there are people (in the U.S.) unaware of the gifts of neighbors who are Muslim.”

“Muslims are very much integrated into the Springfield community,” said Rabbi Barry Marks of Temple Israel and, like Woulfe, a past president of GSIA. “I think it’s a difficult time for Muslims (in the U.S.), but Maryam is who (GSIA) needs now.

“She’s very devoted to interfaith dialogue. She’s the perfect person for the role.”

To learn more about the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association, visit facebook.com/Greater-Springfield-Interfaith-Association or gsia.info.

Mostoufi is among a group of local faith leaders who contribute columns to the beliefs section in The State Journal-Register.(T/R04/R03)

 

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)