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St. Petersburg Times – July 6, 2007
Christians join Muslims to help rebuild
Tampa mosque that was burned by an arsonist
By Sherri Day
TAMPA – Before someone set fire to the Islamic Education Center of Tampa, Dr. Akram J. Al-Asdi felt isolated, certain that many Americans viewed Muslims negatively. But as word of the April fire spread, so too did the generosity of strangers.
In the mosque's sleepy Town 'N County neighborhood, residents stopped by to offer support. And to Al-Asdi's surprise, many people, Muslim and non-Muslim, gave financial donations intended to help the Islamic community rebuild. Much work remains, but Al-Asdi feels encouraged.
"You feel their love and support," said Al-Asdi, 57, a retired pediatric surgeon and the center's chairman. "Of course, there is hatred. But I believe our community is good, our neighborhood is excellent and our nation is excellent."
Al-Asdi watched Thursday morning as contractors removed the charred ceiling from a concrete-block worship center still covered with soot and heavy with the stench of smoke. Mosque officials estimate that it will cost at least $50, 000 to restore the center, which an arsonist set ablaze in April after breaking a window in the main prayer hall and pouring gasoline inside. The building was uninsured, Al-Asdi said.
So far, the center has $20,000 to rebuild, with most donations coming from individual Muslim donors and other Islamic centers around the state. Christian churches also are among the center's largest contributors, Al-Asdi said.
The Rev. Robert Gibbons, pastor of St. Paul's Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, asked his parishioners to contribute shortly after learning about the fire. In the fall, bay area Muslims donated $5,000 to help restore churches in the West Bank and Gaza that were burned by Muslims in the wake of a controversial speech by Pope Benedict XVI. The local Muslims asked Gibbons, who was then vicar general of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, to help ensure their funds made it into the right hands.
"Our parishioners were so impressed and touched back in September by the warm outreach that we received from the Islamic community in Tampa, they were happy to be involved in this, " said Gibbons, noting that his parish collected $1, 500 for the Islamic center.
Worshippers at Bayshore Presbyterian Church also felt compelled to pitch in with a $530 donation and an offer to help clean up fire damage.
"Anything that we can do to express our cooperation and encouragement for the Muslims that are meeting here and who are in the minority, we want to do that, " said the Rev. Wendy Hare, the church's pastor. "I feel like if our church had a firebomb thrown into it, their community would do the same thing to support us because we're a small church and we would need help rebuilding."…..
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/06/news_pf/Hillsborough/From_ashes__faiths_un.shtml
Tidings – July 6, 2007
West Coast Catholics, Muslims discuss shared values
Catholic and Muslim leaders from several West Coast states met May 21-23, 2007 to discuss common values reflected in the biblical tale of Joseph --- called the prophet Yusuf in the Quran, the sacred book of Islam.
The meeting, designed along the lines of a spiritual retreat, was held at the Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. A press release giving the highlights of the gathering was released June 19 in Washington by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The story of Joseph is told in the Bible in Chapters 37-50 of Genesis and in the Quran in Surah 12. Participants found that sharing a reading of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Quran helped them approach those ancient texts in a new light.
They identified common ground in understanding virtues exemplified in the story of Joseph: fidelity, forgiveness, family relationships, integrity, loyalty, perseverance, patience rooted in trust in God, astuteness, compassion and wisdom.
Father Rafael Luevano, head of ecumenical and interreligious affairs for the Diocese of Orange, described the Joseph narrative as a profile of the virtues prized by the ancient Israelite community. He also noted the impact of the narrative on modern literature and even psychology, where the story figures in Sigmund Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams."
Iraqi-born Imam Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini, founder and director of the Islamic Education Center of Orange County, called Joseph a model of those who are completely loyal to God.
Co-chairing the dialogue on the Muslim side were Imam al-Qazwini and Muzammil H. Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Society of Orange County. The Catholic co-chairman was Bishop Carlos A. Sevilla of Yakima, Wash. Participants also included Professor June O'Connor, University of California at Riverside; Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer, Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Kalim Farooki, Shura Council of Southern California; Father José Antonio Rubio, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer, Diocese of San José; Msgr. Dennis L. Mikulanis, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer, Diocese of San Diego; Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director, CAIR Los Angeles; Father Paul D. Wolkovits, Office of the Synod, Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Imam Taha Hassane, Islamic Center of San Diego; Father Canon Francis V. Tiso, associate director, USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; and Khalil Momand, Islamic Center of South Bay.
At its next meeting, to be held at the retreat center May 27-28, 2008, the dialogue will look at the Abraham/Ibrahim narratives in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Quran.
http://www.the-tidings.com/2007/070607/dialogue.htm
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