Faiths Come Together to Offer Thanks

Last Wednesday, the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, Abdul Malik Mujahid, joined leaders from 14 other faiths to offer prayers of thanks at the 19th Annual NCCJ Thanksgiving Observance, “Vision of One…Reflection of Many.” The remembrance, which was held at the Chicago Temple, also included representatives from the Baha’i, Orthodox Christian, Sikh, Protestant, Buddhist, Anglican Christian, Jain, Jewish, Hindu, and American Indian faiths. Prior to Mr. Mujahid’s prayer, the organizers played the Islamic musical selection Yusuf Islam’s “God is the Light,” which captivated the interfaith audience.

Saying that we have much to be grateful for, Mr. Mujahid thanked God for the bounties showered upon our society, while seeking forgiveness for humanity’s forgetfulness of others less fortunate. He said, “Thank You for the inspirational example of simple living given to us through the original inhabitants of this great land. Thank You for their generosity without which the Pilgrims could not have survived. Thank You for blessing us with excellent shelter at a time when so many of us remain homeless and others live in huts of poverty. We seek Your forgiveness for the sins of misusing our wealth. We seek Your forgiveness for living selfishly. We seek Your forgiveness for abusing Your bounties. We seek Your forgiveness for ignoring the more than 1.2 billion people in the world who currently live at less than a dollar a day. Help us become better neighbors and better human beings.”

The observance organizers held a special candle light memorial for those who lost their lives or livelihoods in the many natural disasters recently; including last year’s Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the South Asian earthquake. Ms. Muneer Aliuddin, the Council’s Director of Outreach, lit a candle in memory of those who died in the South Asian earthquake. The observance ended with the entire gathering singing “America the Beautiful.”