Members of Greater Cleveland's Muslim community shared a Ramadan dinner with hundreds of guests at sundown Sunday, asking largely interfaith gathering to help them in combating growing Islamophobia in America.
"Muslims strive throughout the month to be connected to the community and you are our community," Shehadeh Abdelkarim, president of the Islamic Center of Cleveland said in welcoming people to the Parma mosque.
The Iftar, or the dinner served after sundown during Ramadan, was held in collaboration with Cleveland chapter the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The Muslim civil liberties group based in Washington D.C., has 35 offices and chapters nationwide.
During Ramadan, which began last week and lasts for a month, Muslims fast during the day to raise their personal awareness and exercise self control, among other things. Fasting is one of the "five pillars" of Islam -- along with declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca.
This year, because the sunrise to sundown fast takes place in the summer, it lasts more than 15 hours.
Amad Banna, chairman of the council's Cleveland chapter board said the event and sharing the Iftar meal with the community was in keeping with the goals of his organization.
"It's important. It's a part of our belief that we should share with our neighbors, Banna said. "And our neighbors are interfaith."
He said the meal is also helps to dispel misperceptions about the Muslim community and faith.
"There is a lot of fear for some in interacting with Muslims," Banna said -- referring to what he said were warped media portrayals and negative messages that don't fairly reflect the Muslim community as a whole.
Muneer O. Awad, who spoke before dinner, has recently become the face of the battle against Islamophobia. He has appeared on cable television and radio shows as a voice pushing back against what he and others believe is anti-Muslim sentiment building in the United States.
Awad encouraged American Muslims to combat what he called growing campaign of anti-Muslim bigotry in two ways: To encourage the American Muslim community to define itself and to be prepared to defeat the misperceptions before they present themselves.
After only two weeks into his job as executive director of Oklahoma council's chapter, Awad filed a federal lawsuit to prevent the state from amending its constitution to ban consideration of Islamic and international law when making decisions.
Oklahoma voters had overwhelmingly passed the ballot measure in 2010, making it the first state to do so. A federal judge blocked the measure from taking effect shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
"It labeled Islam as a threat to Oklahoma," he said of the amendment.
Awad said that the same type of bigotry has been used historically against other religious groups, such as the Jews and Catholics.
"We've seen this discrimination and marginalization and demonization evolve over time," he said "The effort today is to make that irrational fear, rational."
Awad's vocal stances have made him a target of many bloggers and talk show hosts who try to tie him or organizations he represents to terrorist organizations, whether it be through funding or through people he mentions in his Twitter posts.
Isam Zaiem, founding member of the Cleveland council's chapter, said fighting for civil liberties is the responsibility of the whole community.
"Each generation has to fight for their rights and for that of the next generation," Zaiem said. "I would not be here if my brothers and sisters in the African-American community did not fight in the 1960s."
As part of the dinner, organizers honored Sister Donna Marie Wilhelm, former Director of InterAct Cleveland, an interfaith group that coordinates events like the Homeless Stand Down, that provides clothing, personal and medical services for Cleveland's homeless population.
Source: Cleveland.com
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