Interfaith events help Muslims reach out during Ramadan
Imad Enchassi held up a brown oval-shaped piece of fruit in the palm of his hand as he spoke at a recent interfaith gathering in Oklahoma City.
“Take a selfie with me and say ‘I had a date with an imam,’ “Enchassi said as he took his own selfportrait with the crowd.
Laughter erupted from the audience. Smiling, Enchassi placed the date in a bowl full of them and began a more serious discussion about his Islamic faith and the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
As founder and senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, Enchassi had found himself the center of attention at the Dialogue Institute of Oklahoma City’s Ramadan Fast-Breaking Dinners and other similar events since Ramadan began on May 26.
He said he typically attends several interfaith iftar dinners during Ramadan, but this year there were noticeably more such meals than ever before.
Enchassi and several individuals from other faith communities said they welcomed this as a positive sign for the metro area.
“As an imam, it’s always been my instruction and my preaching to our community that we should outreach to as many people as possible,” he said.
Enchassi said he counted about 16 iftar events open to the general public or held in an interfaith setting during the 30 days of Ramadan.
Michael Kornblit, a member of the metro-area Jewish faith community, said he and his wife Joan, either together or individually attended nine iftar dinners during Ramadan. The Kornblits, founders of the Respect Diversity Foundation, said they attended the dinners to support the
Muslim community, and they were pleased to see new faces among the interfaith crowds.
“I look around here, and there are a number of people that I have not seen before. I think it’s wonderful,” Michael Kornblit said at one of the Dialogue Institute’s interfaith dinners at the Raindrop Turkish House, 4444 N Classen.
Other community Ramadan events included several dinners hosted by the Dialogue Institute at the Turkish House, and one on Thursday which the organization held in partnership with Oklahoma City University. Also, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma chapter’s hosted “Ramadan Iftar with Oklahoma Legislators” while St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church each held an event called “Ramadan Iftar Dinner.”
More than a meal
Before the start of the Ramadan Iftar Dinner at St. Augustine of Canterbury, Buthiana Jwayyed hadn’t been sitting with Sabrina Evans for very long before the two set off for a tour of the church, where Evans is a member.
Jwayyed, principal of the Islamic Society’s Mercy School, said she’d never been to St. Augustine, and Evans was happy to show her around the church, including the sanctuary decorated with colorful red banners for Pentecost.
Enchassi said such interaction is the goal of the community interfaith gatherings, and Ramadan is a great time to host these events.
Ramadan, one of the five pillars, or obligations, of Islam, commemorates the divine revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. Observant Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset during Ramadan. Iftar is the name of the evening meal Muslims eat to break their fast after sunset each day of the holy month. Muslims will end the month with the Eid-al-Adha holiday, to be observed sometime Saturday through Monday.
Enchassi said the conversation and fellowship that takes place around the iftar table is what the community dinners are all about.
“It’s more than just a meal,” Enchassi said.
“It’s breaking bread together, and it brings that wall of fear and that wall of worries down. It brings fellowship, and it lets the community know that we are citizens, too.”
Kadir Akkus, president of the Raindrop Turkish Foundation and a Dialogue Institute leader, with the help of the Kornblits and several others, has been credited with the increase in metro-area iftar events. He reached out to several individuals and houses of worship to see who would be interested in hosting the dinners.
“We believe that coming together to break our fast is not just about eating the food and breaking the fast but about breaking down the walls that divide us,” Akkus said at one of the dinners.
Rabbi Vered Harris, spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Israel, said she didn’t hesitate to accept Akkus’ request to host a Ramadan gathering. She said she took the time to demonstrate and explain some Jewish practices for the interfaith crowd.
The Rev. Joseph Alsay, St. Augustine’s rector, said he was delighted when many of his parishioners and numerous Muslims showed up for the Ramadan iftar at his church. A few more tables and chairs had to be set up for the crowd that grew to about 80 people.
Alsay said he thought the meal would help combat “Islamophobia” because non-Muslim attendees were able to interact one-on-one with Muslims, many for the first time.
Groups partners for new event
Oklahoma City School Board President Paula Lewis giving the keynote speech at CAIR-OK’s June 9 Ramadan event featuring several legislators and civic leaders.
The organization partnered with the Islamic Society for a new event called “Revealing Ramadan” on June 15. The free event drew a crowd of about 150 people and included a tour of the society’s mosque, 3815 N St. Clair. A panel discussion about Ramadan fasting and being Muslim was held at the Mercy Mission Building adjacent to the mosque, and guests were treated to dinner catered by several local restaurants including Zam Zam, Kabob-n-Curry and Sheesh Mahal.
Rand Alzubi, a University of Oklahoma dental student, gave a personal account of “A Day in the Life of a Fasting Muslim.” She used memes featuring well known comedians and pop culture hits like HBO’s “Game of Thrones” during her humorous presentation.
Huretta Dobbs, a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, said she enjoyed the event. “I decided to come because I have always had a thirst to know more about other faiths,” she said. “It convinces me that there are far more similarities than there are differences. I’m glad I came.”