Muslims share faith and culture at lunch
Shameem Nainar was simply being neighborly by inviting her friend Denise Wilson, while Malak Elakoum was reconnecting with his faith as his fiancée, Olivia Powell, learned more. Whatever the reason, everyone who entered the Westchasearea hotel ballroom was welcomed by Muslims eager to share their faith, build some bridges and perhaps tear down some misconceptions about what it means to practice Islam.
“It is good to know your neighbors,” Justin Elder said as he guided his wife and three children toward the complimentary lunch. “Just to learn a little about who each of us are.”
The event, part of the regional Islamic Circle of North America regional meeting held this weekend at a Marriott in Houston, was an opportunity for non-Muslims to learn and ask questions about the religion and its cultural norms. Through that outreach, organizers believe they can correct misconceptions, especially pertaining to violence and treatment of women. Organizers said much of those beliefs are based on people using Islam to justify their political aims and the narrow view many see of Muslims in the media.
“When we get together as humans, many of those barriers go away,” said Sabeel Ahmed, director of outreach for ICNA and director of the group's Gain Peace initiative.
Often, in a diverse place such as Houston, it is filling the gaps in already established friendships. Nainar, 55, who has lived in the Briar Meadow area since 2006, has known Wilson and her mother, Barbara, since they arrived in the neighborhood in 2010.
“I just wanted them to know a little more about our culture and our religion,” Nainar said.
Denise Wilson, 56, said it was certainly a learning experience she did not want to miss. With a scarf tied in the typical hijab — albeit a looser fit than Nainar — she credited her friend for being incredibly welcoming and tied that to her faith.
“It is just interesting to me to understand,” Wilson said.
Others came not as observers but eventual observant people, though the event was not aimed at encouraging conversion. Elakoum, 32, grew up Muslim but drifted from the faith because he felt it was forced upon him. On the verge of starting a family of his own, he is now resuming his practices from a different place in life.
“I held on to the core beliefs, but now I want to redefine it for myself,” he said.
Powell, who has dated him for five years, can relate. She was raised Mormon but left the denomination around age 12. She said Christianity had gaps in it, leaving her with too many questions.
“The more I learned about Islam, the more they are answered wholly,” she said.
Whatever the question, Ahmed said the discussion is important. People can disagree on their beliefs but do so with respect and love, he said.
“People may have a fear of the unknown, and that leads to bias,” Ahmed said.
Often, he said, these sessions address topics that for many might be uncomfortable, such as the word jihad and its religious context about struggling to maintain and elevate one's faith, as opposed to the connotation of declaring war on nonbelievers. Geopolitics also can change the discussion, such as the oppression of women in Afghanistan and religious upheaval in Iran over requirements placed on women in the Muslim republic.
“Islam is a faith of peace, and we want to focus on that,” Ahmed said. “For most of us, no matter what position you take it is OK.”
Not all contradictions can be overcome, however, as faiths can share many attributes and beliefs but also stark fundamental differences. Islam reveres Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the Quran mentions her — as Maryam — more than the Bible. Yet the Quran also states that Jesus was not crucified, but instead it was made to appear as if he was. That divide — Christianity is rooted in the notion that Jesus died for others' sins, while Islam disputes that — led to some questioning from attendees.
Ahmed welcomed it.
“We can have that discussion, from a place of love,” he said.
It is also a much more fruitful conversation when it happens between neighbors and friends, face to face, willing to listen. As few people raised their hands during a question-and-answer session, Ahmed urged them to speak up.
“Better to ask here than Mr. Google at home,” he said. “You might not get the right answer.”