Muslims, Christians come together

People of all religions who gathered at a Baytown mosque Saturday to hear a presentation called “The Truth about Islam” came with many questions, but left with one underlying realization — they were more similar than different.

Leaders of the mosque, Masjid Ar-Rahman, opened their doors to the community to answer controversial questions. But for Bob Corbett, a pastoral assistant at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the event was more of an interfaith dialogue.

“This is not a day for to postulate or argue,” he said. “This is a day for people who believe differently to get together and clear up any misconceptions on both parts. You can learn to see what you have in common as well as learn things that are distinct so you can appreciate that faith. But when it comes down to it, we’re all children of God.”

Nearly 50 community members of varying ages and religions listened to presentations from mosque leader Sheikh Hossam Faraj and Dr. Yusuf Shere, a dentist and member of the mosque.

“Curiosity brought me here,” 17-year-old Donna Shambiln said. “I like to know about everything, and I think everyone needs to know about this.”

Members of the mosque shared both traditional Middle Eastern foods and customs with visitors. For 20 minutes, visitors watched Muslim community members perform “dhuhr” — the second of five prayers Muslims perform throughout the day.

“Islam is not just a religion,” Shere said. “It is a way of life. It’s something we live our life completely through. Prayer for us can be something that comes in the middle of the day, so we must constantly be aware of it.”

Shere also shared some background on Islam, including the religion’s basic principles and rituals. Some of those beliefs, he said, are similar to Christianity and other religions.

“We believe in Christ and Judah,” he said. “If I’m Islamic, and I don’t believe in Jesus, my faith is null and void.”

Faraj addressed some of the more recent criticisms of Islam, including its stance on women, terrorism and other religions.

“Osama (bin Laden) is one man,” he said. “We are nearly 2 billion in Islam. Can you judge 2 billion by one? Do not make judgments for all based on one.”

A common misconception outside the Islamic community, he said, is that Muslims support terrorism.

“Our messenger’s teachings tell us that whoever kills any soul is wrong,” he said. “He said killing one person is like killing all humans.”

He also addressed the Islamic view on women, calling for “respect” of all mothers, sisters, daughters and wives. The hijab, a headdress worn by Muslim women, promotes purity and modesty, he said.

“We do not oppress them to wear it,” he said. “God is the one who orders them to wear it because it is a kind of worship to Him.”

The Islamic faith condemns prostitution and gives women the right to keep their last name after marriage as well as the right to inherit property, Faraj said.

“We are all equal in front of God, both men and women,” he said.

For some visitors, the open house was a small step in what the Islamic community needs to do in order to combat negative stereotypes.

“Shouldn’t the peaceful majority not allow the violent minority to define Islam?” Saundra Smith said. “Shouldn’t you have more things like this on a larger scale?”

Educating the country on “true Islam” is difficult because the community is not united, Mohammed Amrouni said.

“We are a community of immigrants,” he said. “We need to work a lot harder to condemn extremism and express that there is no excuse. This is just a small thing that we’re trying to do today, but we need to do more. But just like we do not associate the activities of someone like Timothy McVeigh with all Christians, we beg of you not to condemn Islam based on the actions of one person.”

Although some visitors argued that the majority of terrorists are Muslim, others said they have not contributed to all violence in history.

“I would submit that more people have been killed by weapons that say ‘made in the U.S.A.’ than by Islam,” Robert Kirkley said. “Where is the outcry over that?”

Robert E. Lee High School world religions teacher Karen Swart agreed that there is extremism in both Christianity and Islam and said she tries to impress upon her students that idea.

Being open to different beliefs is key in understanding Islam, Shere said.

“If you want to understand another culture, you cannot have preconceived notions,” he said. “If you do, nothing I can say will matter.”

Although some of the discussion was heated, Shere said, the goal of the event was to challenge stereotypes and to start a lifelong discussion between members of different religions.

“We should leave here with a feeling of optimism,” he said. “It’s a good sign that we’re here. God brought us together to discuss it, and if we continue to talk about it, there won’t be anything to talk about in the news. You have to speak up for the truth.”

The Baytown mosque is one of five satellite mosques of the main Houston center. For more information, call 281-428-8682 or visit the center at 4000 Hutto Blvd.

The mosque’s main center, located at 8830 Old Galveston Road in Houston, hosts a class called “Islam 101” from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturdays to share basics of the faith. For more information, call 713-397-9994.

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