The group gathered inside the mosque at the Islamic Center of Reading, most of the adults sitting in chairs along the walls and the kids plopping down on the blue and gold carpet.
They were quiet and attentive, they were eager to learn.
Several members of the center, mostly young men, took turns teaching. They spoke about the basic beliefs and pillars of the Islamic faith, they explained why they are believers of the faith.
Their crowd, made up of Christians and Jews, soaked it all in. And, intrigued by what they heard, they asked questions.
They asked about the distinctive clothing many Muslims wear. They asked if Islam takes ideas and practices from other religions. They asked about when, how and where followers pray.
The back and forth was pleasant. It was insightful and illuminating.
And that was the whole idea.
Last Sunday, a trio of local religious organizations held their latest joint event aimed at breaking down barriers between the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. This time around, members of Immanuel United Church of Christ in Shillington and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom in Wyomissing visited the Islamic Center to get more familiar with the Muslim world.
Previously, members of the center and church visited Oheb Sholom’s synagogue, and next month the three groups will gather at the church.
The program will continue in the new year with the group gathering in January to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and teachings by engaging in community action projects. Later in the spring they will learn about specific holidays such as Purim and Passover for Judaism, Easter for Christianity and Ramadan for Islam.
It will culminate in a bus trip in April to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to learn about the religious freedoms granted in the founding of the country.
The Berks Interfaith Passport program is being supported by a $8,000 grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that the Jewish Federation of Reading received this summer. It aims to help Berks County Christian, Muslim and Jewish families — and children in particular — learn to listen and empathize with one another.
Better understanding
Amanda Hornberger, chief operating officer of the federation, said the goal of the program is to foster greater understanding among people of different religions through respectful dialogue and mutual learning.
By cultivating empathy and compassion across religious divides, the initiative seeks to help children break down stereotypes and prejudices that often lead to conflict and misunderstanding, she said.
“Given current events, it has been so encouraging to see children and their parents of all three Abrahamic faiths coming together to learn, play and share a meal,” she said. “By showcasing each faith and the many things we have in common, we can create better understanding and combat hate in our world.”
That’s a mission Elsayed Elmarzouky, president of the Islamic Center, said he was eager to help carry out.
“This is what I live for,” he said. “I have been doing this for the past 33 years since I came to Berks County. Bringing people together helps us feel like a stronger community.
“We have to do this for the kids at an early age so that by the time they grow up, hopefully things will be better than they are now.”
Learning from neighbors
Imam Elsayed Ashour said he always welcomes the opportunity to share his faith with interested members of the community.
“We like to invite people here so they can learn about Islam,” he said. “Many people do not know that there are many similarities between these three religions. They may be finding out for the first time that we have shared beliefs.”
Ashour said he finds enlightenment in visiting other places of worship because it forces him to think critically about his own teachings.
“It opens my eyes to other ways of thinking,” he said. “We should not be afraid to learn from each other and communicate our beliefs to one another. That brings us together.”
That also helps dispel misconceptions that some people might have about a particular religion, Ashour said. For example, the idea that Muslims are violent.
While there are, of course, followers of Islam who have carried out acts of violence, the same can be said for followers of Christianity or Judaism. Ashour pointed out that within every religion there exists a spectrum of behavior, and extremism is not unique to one particular belief system.
“You have good and bad people who are Jews and Christians,” he said. “Not all Muslims are bad, and it is wrong to think that a minority represents the whole group. Don’t judge us because someone did something bad because, in the end, God will judge us all.”
The Rev. Megan Huesgen said those kinds of lessons are important ones for members of her congregation at Immanuel United Church of Christ to understand. That’s particularly true for the children.
“Our children are in diverse school settings and they are exposed to diversity, so we celebrate the uniqueness of our faith while also respecting other faiths,” she said. “This program gives us an opportunity for each faith community to lift up what is important for others to hear and to know. Coupling that with fellowship and community to create these safe spaces to ask questions is important.”
Huesgen said that headlines in the news — like the ones about the current war between Israel and Hamas — tend to focus on extremes. But, she said, there is so much humanity in the middle.
“There are so many who are working side by side for peace, so we need to make that the message and shine a light on that,” she said.
Rabbi Brian Michelson of Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom said the recent increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the country is one of the many reasons why interfaith programs are so badly needed.
“As important as it is for adults to learn that we can all respect all faiths, to do this with kids is that much more important because we want to raise the next generation to understand that we are part of a mixed world and that it’s better when we’re working together rather than against each other,” he said.
Michelson said it’s often easier to hate what is unfamiliar, but doing the hard work to actually learn about something or someone different than yourself is a worthwhile endeavor. When people sit down at a table to eat together or visit each other’s sacred places of worship it quickly becomes clear that similarities outweigh differences.
“That is the most important message that we can send out,” he said.
Sharing an experience
The children taking part in the program seem to be taking Michelson’s message to heart.
Habiba Elrefaei, a 16-year-old Schuylkill Valley High School student, said the program has revealed the deep connection between Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And while each have their own, unique aspects, they all are paths to understanding and becoming closer to God.
Elrefaei, a Muslim, said that when she toured the synagogue she was impressed by how welcoming and kind people were to have her there.
“I was really interested to learn what they believe in because I believe that all religions should be respected equally,” she said. “It’s good to talk about what we believe in, to compare and contrast, so that we can find common ground.”
Ahmed Abdelkader said the program is helping him to think more critically about how religion shapes the beliefs, traditions and worldviews of its followers. It’s a topic that the 14-year-old Gov. Mifflin High School student and Muslim has been thinking about a lot lately.
“It’s very important that we don’t have biased views of other people,” he said. “What people believe is a part of that so getting to know what they believe helps us understand each other better. We should not be afraid of what we don’t know.”
Abdelkader said he’s learning to keep an open mind.
Adam Huesgen, an 11-year-old who attends Gov. Mifflin Middle School, said his tours of the synagogue and mosque have been new experiences for him. And, he added, he’s learned a lot.
“Now I can appreciate the other religions better than most people because I understand more about them,” he said. “Before this I didn’t really think the religions were so close, I thought they were three totally different religions. But you can see the similarities between them.”
Jack Belinski, who also attends Gov. Mifflin Middle School, said his trip to the synagogue was his first, but he had been to the mosque before to celebrate Ramadan.
The 12-year-old Christian said he has enjoyed taking part in the program and being exposed to different religions.
“The different religions are very interesting and very different,” he said. “Some things are the same and how much it means to them is the same, but we have different things that we celebrate. It makes me understand more.
“It’s been great learning all this new stuff because it helps us feel closer to people who may worship differently.”
Max Kabakoff, a 9-year-old Jew who attends Brecknock Elementary School in the Gov. Mifflin School District, said he found it interesting to learn what Muslims wear when they worship.
For instance, the women must cover their heads, and all people must take off their shoes. He compared it to his own experience wearing a yarmulke (head covering) in synagogue.
“My mom has a friend who practices Islam, so now we understand when she talks about being in the mosque,” he said. “It could also help with people I meet in the future.”
Kabakoff said he was excited to explore the foods that many Muslims eat.
“If you don’t try new things, then you’ll never know what you like and what you don’t like,” he said.
Source: Berkshire mont
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