Islamic Center’s Vision of Interfaith Relations
ICCF is proud to be a leading institution promoting interfaith dialogue in Central CA and its staff serves on the board of various interfaith groups and reach out to the diverse community in Fresno and beyond.
Toward this goal, ICCF officials regularly meet with interfaith leaders, speak at ecumenical events, and endorse interfaith collaboration.
ICCF is currently have a representative that is serving on the board of the following interfaith organizations:
- The Multi-Faith Exchange
- The Interfaith Alliance of Central California
- Interfaith Youth Alliance / IFYA
- Fresno Metro Ministry
- Interfaith Scholar Weekend
- Interfaith Social Justice Collaborative and more .
Our interfaith activities aim to bring Muslims and non-Muslims together as ICCF demystifies Islam and shares its peaceful teaching with the community. Our programs help enhance understanding of Islam and help Muslims understand other faiths.
Understanding and respecting each other’s faiths is essential to living and working together peacefully. In addition, we strive to build bridges with diverse faith and ethnic communities, break down barriers, and eliminate stereotypes and hate. To this end, ICCF rejects all forms of extremists, bigotry, prejudice and violence.
ICCF organizes interfaith events on a regular basis and reaches out to members of the diverse faith communities. Programs such as the annual 9/11 commemoration, the National Day of Prayers, Interfaith Thanksgiving, CROP Hunger Walk and the July 4th interfaith celebration are samples of the programs the Center organizes.
A Common Word
On October 13th 2006, one month to the day after Pope Benedict XVI’s Regensburg address of September 13th2006, 38 Islamic authorities and scholars from around the world, representing all denominations and schools of thought, joined together to deliver an answer to the Pope in the spirit of open intellectual exchange and mutual understanding. In their Open Letter to the Pope, for the first time in recent history, Muslim scholars from every branch of Islam spoke with one voice about the true teachings of Islam.
Exactly one year after that letter, on October 13th 2007 Muslims expanded their message. In A Common Word Between Us and You, 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and intellectuals have unanimously come together for the first time since the days of the Prophet r to declare the common ground between Christianity and Islam. Like the Open Letter, the signatories to this message come from every denomination and school of thought in Islam. Every major Islamic country or region in the world is represented in this message, which is addressed to the leaders of all the world’s churches, and indeed to all Christians everywhere. Read More
Our Muslim Brothers and Sisters
By: The Late John T. Steinbock
Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of San Joaquin
Never have we heard so much venom and condemnation in political discourse. It is now condemning all Muslims as if they were all terrorists. This kind of talk leads people to division, hatred and polarization with their very neighbors, leading the gullible to acts of terror themselves against our Muslim brothers and sisters. And this venom is coming from so called respected talk show hosts, TV personalities and even political leaders. Read More
Professor emeritus Kapoor honored by Islamic Cultural Center
November 5, 2008
Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, professor emeritus of social work education, was recognized for his work to promote harmony
among all faiths by the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, which presented him a Spirit of Abraham Award. The founder of the Peace Garden and the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Fresno State, Kapoor is a renowned community activist. Read More
Cooperative aid: Muslims & Mormons
When Mark and Joseph Pace, 16, took up their bishop on a suggestion for an Eagle Scout project, the twin brothers of Fresno, Calif., say they had no idea the project would be so large, involve hundreds of Boy Scouts from another state, or give them a chance to meet others of the Islamic faith. Read More
The Quran Burning: Sign of Things to Come?
By Dr. Muqtedar Khan
“Where books are burned in the end people will burn.” – Heinrich Heine
On May 10th, 1933 the Nazis burned 25,000 books — including those written by Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, who had predicted in 1820 that “where books are burned in the end people will burn,” – and eight years later the Holocaust began.
The connection is not too difficult to discern. Books are repositories of histories, of identities, of values. They are the soul of civilization. A society must abandon basic decencies in order to muster the immoral courage to burn books as a celebratory act. Once it starts burning the souls of civilization, human souls will not be left behind.
On September 11, 2010, some misguided Americans plan to burn the Holy Quran, the only book in the entire heritage of humanity that claims to be solely the word of God. This dastardly act is the brainchild of Terry Jones, a Christian Pastor from Florida. This act is not just some symbolic gesture of defiance. It is an act of egregious violence against the beliefs and the sacred symbols of one fourth of humanity. The act will scorch Muslim hearts everywhere. The searing pain will never be forgotten. Read More
Love for Jesus brings Christians, Muslims together
By Ibrahim Hooper
“Behold! The angels said: ‘O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God.’” Before searching for this quote in the New Testament, you might first ask your Muslim co-worker, friend or neighbor for a copy of the Qur’an, Islam’s revealed text. The quote is from verse 45 of chapter 3 of the Qur’an. Read More
An Appreciation of Islam:
Q&A with Rabbi Reuven Firestone
By Brad A. Greenberg
The Jewish Journal
Jewish Journal: What is the No. 1 thing that Jews don’t understand about Islam?
Reuven Firestone: I don’t think they understand that Islam is a complex religion, comparable to Judaism, and that it can’t be reduced to simplistic slogans and notions.
JJ: How do you think the real Islam differs from the generally perceived?
RF: All the fears about Islam, the worst-case scenarios, exist. But they exist in very small numbers, and they are magnified because of our fear and anxiety. And we live in a world where, at least in the last few years, we have been trained and programmed to think the worst.
JJ: You prefaced your talk by saying that you are a committed Jew and that you don’t have an ax to grind, but that you also have ‘a tremendous respect for Islam.’ Read More
Muslim in America: “a voyage of discovery”
By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Hailey Woldt put on the traditional black abaya, expecting the worst.
Hailey Woldt, in a traditional Muslim head scarf, studied how people react to her garb in Arab, Alabama.
The last time she’d worn the Muslim dress that, with a head scarf, covered everything but her face, hands and feet, she was in Miami International Airport, where the stares were many and the security check thorough.
This time, she was in a small town called Arab. Arab, Alabama, no less.
“I expected people to say, ‘What is this terrorist doing here? We don’t want your kind here,’ ” said Woldt, a 22-year-old blue-eyed Catholic, recalling her anticipation before stepping into a local barbecue joint. “I thought I wouldn’t even be served.”
Instead, Woldt’s experiment in social anthropology opened her own eyes. Apart from the initial glances reserved for any outsider who might venture through a small-town restaurant’s doors, her experience was a pleasant one. Read More
Let’s Talk
By Ron Orozco / The Fresno Bee
Islamic cultural center opens its doors to create more dialogue with other members of the community.
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.”