MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN IN ARIZONA TO INTRODUCE ISLAM

Mesa, 16 Muharram 1437/29 October 2015 (MINA) –  In a goodwill gesture aimed at easing tensions and promoting harmonious relationship between Amercian Christian and Muslim communities, a church  Mesa city in Arizona collaborated with a local mosque to have proper understanding of the religion of Islam, East Valley Tribune (EVT) online news reported.

The Mesa Church hosted the five week series from September  9 to October 7 with the Tempe Islamic Center that allowed members of both the church and mosque to eat dinner, watch a video lecture and discuss their faith.

Bob Mitchell, an associate pastor at the church who co-facilitated the series, said the church hoped to combat the negative stereotypes that Muslims face in the media, International Islamic News Agency News (IINA) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“People who have invested interest in promoting the worst about Muslims and Islam seem to be getting all the air time,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the series followed the work of The Rev. Ben Daniel, whose second book, “The Search for Truth about Islam,” confronts post-9/11 Islamophobia from a Christian pastor’s perspective.

According to a Washington Post poll, 47 percent of Americans had a positive view of Islam in 2001. By 2010, 37 percent remained.

By following the book’s themes,  said the series taught participants that the average Muslim shares several traits with the average Christian.

“Muslims simply want to be able to practice their faith, to exercise their faith, to raise their children to be faithful practitioners of their religion and to respect and value people of other faiths,” Mitchell said.

Lecture topics discussed common misconceptions about Islam and Islam’s role in American society.

Mitchell said the meetings have opened doors for future exchanges between the church and the Muslim community at the Tempe Islamic Center.

“The direction we are working in is to somehow create an ongoing partnership between our community and their community and be intentional about trying to build relationships that we have been able to begin as a result of our time together,” Mitchell said.

Members of the church will visit the Tempe Islamic Center on Nov. 7 to observe the mosque’s service, Mitchell noted.

Ahmad Shqeirat, an imam of the Tempe Islamic Center who approached the church to organize the series, said discovering similarities is essential in interfaith movements.

We initiate this relation because when believers of different faiths sit together, eat together, socialize together, interact and have a dialogue, “I believe that we waive any conflict or misunderstanding,” Shqeirat said. (T/Imt/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)