MUKILTEO — An interfaith event planned Wednesday evening to discuss Islam and plans for construction of a mosque in the city will go ahead as scheduled, with plans to include prayers for those harmed by the shooting at a Florida nightclub Sunday that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.
Omar Mateen, who police say gunned down people at the gay night club, reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
“Our hearts break for the families of the deceased and injured,” Mohammed Riaz Khan, president of the Islamic Center of Mukilteo, said Monday. He and other Muslims plan to build the mosque on Harbour Pointe Boulevard.
“May God help us all to unite to defeat violence,” he said. “We pray for the day when love overpowers hatred and each human life is valued and protected.”
Khan said Wednesday’s evening event, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at Pointe of Grace Lutheran Church, will begin with a prayer and a moment of silence dedicated to those who were injured and have died.
“On behalf of the Muslims of Mukilteo, we feel the pain of the families who have lost their loved ones,” Khan said.
He also encouraged fellow Muslims to participate in blood drives, part of a national effort to restock blood supplies following the Florida shootings.
Wednesday evening’s event in Mukilteo, “Interfaith Community Dialogue,” has been planned for weeks as an opportunity to bring together a community enduring controversy over plans to build a mosque in the city. It will include a question-and-answer session on both Islam and the mosque.
The interfaith meeting will end with a dinner open to all. For Muslims, it will mark the breaking of the daily fast that occurs during Ramadan.
The event was organized by Paul Kramer, who has lived in Mukilteo for 17 years. On Monday, Kramer said there had been no discussion of cancelling Wednesday’s meeting after the shootings in Florida.
“It’s perhaps needed more than ever,” he said. It’s heartbreaking for all of us when something like this happens. Emotions can get stirred up. If people can come together and share, there can be some degree of healing.”
Wednesday evening’s event will feature Khan and two religious leaders from Seattle, Imam Jamal Rahman, a Muslim Sufi minister at Seattle’s Interfaith Community Sanctuary, and Rabbi Ted Falcon, who writes and speaks on religious and interfaith issues.
Rahman and Falcon have been involved in interfaith work since 9/11, participating in some 200 events locally, nationally and internationally. Rahman and Falcon were joined by Pastor Don Mackenzie, now retired, who previously was a minister at Seattle’s University Congregational United Church of Christ. The three men became known as the Interfaith Amigos and have authored books on interfaith issues.
Rahman said he plans “to talk directly” about the Florida shootings. The plan always had been to talk about four areas where he said religion goes astray: exclusivity, violence, inequality for women and homophobia.
“These gatherings are wonderful, but only if it leads us to carry on a dialogues where we can talk about more difficult issues,” Rahman said.
The Quran, the Muslim holy book, “says very clearly God could have made us all uniform,” he said. “God chose to create diversity so you might come to know the other on a human level.”
Controversy over plans to build the Islamic Center of Mukilteo arose in April when an anonymous postcard was sent citywide calling attention to plans for the building. It included an email address: mukilteostaysafe@gmail.com.
Anti-Muslim fliers also were posted last month on the site where supporters plan to build the mosque. No arrests in the case have been made.
Wednesday evening’s event underscores “the great need to interact with one another,” Rahman said. “We cannot become insular and withdrawn.”
At Pointe of Grace Lutheran Church on Sunday morning, a Muslim pianist participated in the worship.
Mahmoud Mansour, of Lynnwood, had previously scheduled to play at the 9:30 a.m. service, but his performance ended up coming just hours after news of the Florida shooting was first reported.
Mansour brought his family and fellow Muslims, said John Beck, a church pastor.
“People gave him a standing ovation,” Beck said. “His music is a witness for peace.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
Meeting on Wednesday
An interfaith dinner and community meeting is scheduled from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Pointe of Grace Lutheran Church, 5425 Harbour Pointe Blvd. in Mukilteo. Learn more about the planned Islamic Center of Mukilteo and the Muslim faith. The event will include a question-and-answer session. A catered sunset meal, called Iftar, will be provided, which for Muslims will break the Ramadan fast. Donations toward the cost of the dinner are welcome. Call 425-231-5833 for information.
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