Three Miami-area congregations — Catholic, Jewish, Muslim — to come together to commemorate 9/11

BY TIM PADGETT

TIM_PADGETT@TIMEMAGAZINE.COM

Some positive things came out of a Gainesville preacher’s widely reported burning of a Koran this year. Gainesville, which roundly rejected his bigotry, showed the world the decent, tolerant city it is.

Here in Miami, my own coverage led me to a South Miami-Dade mosque, Al-Ihsaan, whose Gandhi-esque answer to the preacher’s affront was not to lash out but to hand out the Muslim holy book: For every Koran he burned, the mosque would give 114 of them (the Koran has 114 chapters) to the community. Al-Ihsaan’s imam, Tarek Chebbi, asked me to present one to the Rev. Luis Perez, the pastor of Holy Rosary-St. Richard, the Catholic church I attend in Palmetto Bay.

What happened next impressed me as a journalist and heartened me as a Miamian.

Father Perez enthusiastically embraced Imam Chebbi’s invitation of an interfaith partnership, as did Rabbi Mark Kram of a nearby Reconstructionist Jewish temple, Beth Or. Members of all three congregations responded just as positively, and Rabbi Kram made a splendid suggestion: They could attend each other’s services next weekend to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This coming Friday, Catholic and Jewish congregants will be guests at afternoon prayer at Al-Ihsaan; that evening, Catholics and Muslims will go to Shabbat service at Beth Or; and on Sunday, Muslims and Jews will attend a Holy Rosary-St. Richard mass.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/03/2387976/three-miami-area-congregations.html#ixzz1WwYWl3Wr

Muslim Shares Interfaith Message from Pulpit

BRANDYWINE HUNDRED, Del. — Not many Muslims get invited to be fill-in preachers at Christian congregations, but that’s what happened to Semab Chaudhry at Silverside Church.

Last month the pharmaceutical audit manager stepped into the pulpit for a Sunday talk explaining the reverence that Islam gives to figures such as Mary, Jesus, Abraham and Moses.

“It’s remarkable how much commonality there is among our faiths,” says June Eisley, a member of the Brandywine Hundred congregation. “I wish all Christians could learn this.”

As Chaudhry, his wife, Rabia, and their three children begin their observance of Ramadan they are full of hope for renewal and drawing closer to God, as this is the holiest time on their religious calendar.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE REPUBLIC 

Initiative launched to share Christian, Jewish, Muslim pulpits

WASHINGTON – It will happen for just one Sunday in June, but on that day, dozens of houses of worship across the United States will open their pulpits to clergy from the other two Abrahamic faiths to read from their scriptures.

The project, called Faith Shared, is set for June 26. A few synagogues and mosques are among those that have signed up for the initiative, as well as Christian communities across the denominational spectrum, including one Catholic church in North Carolina.

“Just having something public is not going to be a big, big deal here, but to have someone come in and read from the Quran and to recognize publicly the existence of Islam and to reverence and respect is a good thing for the church to do,” said Jesuit Father Pat Earl, pastor of St. Peter Parish in Charlotte, N.C.

The project is co-sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE CATHOLIC REVIEW