The Muslim Society Inc. (MSI Masjid) in Glendale Heights recently joined GainPeace to hold an open mosque day event on April 22 which brought over 150 neighbors together to learn more about Muslims and the Islamic faith. The attendees were given tours of the mosque, an introduction to Islam and Muslims, and were provided the opportunity to “Meet an Imam and Muslim.”
Dr. Sabeel Ahmed of GainPeace gave a presentation on various aspects of Islam including the five Pillars, the parallels between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the concepts of Sharia Law and jihad. Among the attendees were Glendale Heights Village President Linda Jackson, Glendale Heights Police Chief Douglas Flint, and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.
The Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) welcomed over 1,200 people to its Open Mosque Day event on April 23 and helped demystify Islam and Muslims with a program that brought neighbors face to face to learn more about each other and their commonalities. Attendees have followed up with the ICN community to thank them for the enlightening experience and newfound perspective on Islam and Muslims.
One Arab Christian attendee described the event as “an atmosphere of friendship and harmony and genuine affection” and appreciated ICN community’s presentation of Islam which underscored its similarities to Judaism and Christianity. Various materials sharing similar messages were distributed. The event was separated into different sections – one of them being a tutorial on how to put on the hijab, and another for kids which shared the common message of the Prophets in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Reflecting on the event, ICN President Shoaib Khadri said, “Alhamdulillah, it was a wonderful event … truly, a blessing of Allah (swt) and a great team of dedicated volunteers who put in a lot of hard work and effort in the planning and execution.”