Media Coverage about ICCF:

Let's Talk

Islamic cultural center opens its doors to create more dialogue with other members of the community.

By Ron Orozco / The Fresno Bee

05/26/07

Hunter Arakawa says he got more than he imagined from his first visit to the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno.

Arakawa attended an event May 11, at which members of the Japanese American Citizens League and others spoke on civil and religious liberties. Arakawa went mainly to support his speaker friends, but, he says, he also gained insight into Islam.

"We got to witness an Islamic [prayer] service, which you normally only get a chance to see on television," says Arakawa, a member of Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple.

Seyed Ali Ghazvini, imam of the Islamic center, says he was emotionally moved by speakers relating stories about their family's detainment and relocation to internment camps during World War II.

"I learned a lot," Ghazvini says. "They went through many difficulties -- and they are lessons for us."

Community leaders say the cultural center is earning a reputation for providing events designed to create better understanding between Muslims and other religious or ethnic groups.

The events feature guest speakers or panel members addressing a topic, followed by discussion. The center does not allow political debate.

Among the guests is the Rev. Jim Franklin, pastor of Cornerstone Church in downtown Fresno, who spoke last June on "Bridging the Gap in Muslim-Christian Relations." Cornerstone Church is one of Fresno's largest evangelical congregations.

And Bishop John T. Steinbock of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno made a goodwill gesture toward Muslims by joining them at a Ramadan break-the-fast dinner in October at the center. The get-together followed remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI, when he quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor linking Islam and violence. The remarks caused uneasiness between Muslims and Catholics.

The center's next interfaith event will be the first Interfaith Baccalaureate Ceremony, which will be held next Saturday for the area's graduating high school seniors.

At the event, clergy members of various faith traditions will offer blessings upon the students.

Al Evans, liturgist at College Community Congregational Church in Fresno, says the Islamic center is making an impact on people of various religious beliefs. The center opened in 2003.

"It's a gathering place for Muslims, a place of prayer under the leadership of the imam and a house of worship, but, at the same time, it's become a major center in Fresno for interfaith events, dialogues and lectures," says Evans, who worked with center officials to recently launch a six-week series, "Muslim-Christian Dialogue."

Of the center, Evans says, "Usually, on Friday, they get a big turnout of Muslims -- and a lot of others come, too."

The interfaith events are working toward changing the reputation of Islamic centers and mosques in the United States, Ghazvini says. Historically, the centers and mosques have been closed to non-Muslims.

"That was not their first agenda," says Ghazvini, adding that many Muslim officials wanted Islamic centers and mosques to address only their members' spiritual and physical needs.

But, after the Sept. 11 attacks, some Muslim officials began to rethink their closed-door policies to non-Muslims.

Ghazvini says, "After 9/11, we thought, 'We have two options: We can create walls around us and separate ourselves from others or we can build bridges of understanding of others.'

"Obviously, we chose the last one," Ghazvini says of the cultural center. "The more you fight ignorance and understand each other, there is harmony, peace and cooperation."

Quite a bit of thought and planning go into the events. Ghazvini and Kamal Abu-Shamsieh, director of the Islamic cultural center, meet daily to discuss ideas. They also meet weekly with the center's executive committee and monthly with the center's 17-member board.

Nationwide, Islamic centers and mosques nationwide have come a long way opening their doors to others, Abu-Shamsieh says, but they still have a way to go.

"There were pockets in different parts of the country where Islamic centers have been active, but it was at the level of leadership," Abu-Shamsieh says.

"Today, it's different. When you see the Muslim/Japanese and Muslim/Christian talks, it's on the level of families," Abu-Shamsieh says. "Before 9/11, that was not the priority of families."

According to the Pew Research Center, which monitors the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the United States and the world, the first major nationwide survey of Muslims reveals a majority believes their lives have become more difficult since the Sept. 11 attacks.

And a majority believes the government singles out Muslims for monitoring.

Lynn Arakaki, a member of Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple, also attended the cultural center event, when Japanese American Citizens League speakers addressed civil and religious liberties. She says the event helped to create understanding toward Muslims facing hardships as a result of terrorism worldwide.

"Because of the history of relocation and incarceration of Japanese, the Japanese American Citizens League is sensitive of anything that might infringe on the rights of people," Arakawa says.

The Islamic cultural center also is working with the Fresno chapter of the Interfaith Youth Alliance for Valley high-school students. Nearly 20 students meet regularly at the center to gain a stronger understanding of one another's faiths and traditions.

The Interfaith Youth Alliance will present the Interfaith Baccalaureate Ceremony, when students representing Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism and Unitarian Universalism will be honored and blessed.

Katherine Calderwood, 18, a senior at Clovis East High, is active in the youth alliance and said it is crucial that youths understand each other.

"It is so incredibly important," she said, "because it brings everyone together under an atmosphere of incorporation in each other's lives."

Back to Newspaper coverage