Saturday, 10 February 2007

Mormons represent a minority Christian sect in the United States. Most Mormons live in the State of Utah. However, there are a few Mormon churches in most American cities. I have a pleasant experience of visiting a Mormon church and talking to its congregation. When I was a graduate student in the United States I had the honor of participating in many Dawah activities. One of the most significant activities was visiting churches to talk to people about Islam. Here is my story with the Mormon church.

On my way out of the Mosque one day, after offering Dhur prayer, I was surprised that a well-dressed White American gentleman was waiting to talk to any member of the Islamic Center of Muncie, the city I lived in when I was a doctoral student. He introduced himself to me as the Priest of the Mormon church on campus. The purpose of that visit was to invite a Muslim speaker to talk to a group of Mormon students about Islam.

I welcomed the Priest and expressed my appreciation to that invitation. Then, we set the date and time for the visit. When I went to the church I found the Priest and his wife waiting for me. They warmly welcomed me and expressed their happiness that I positively responded to their invitation. The Priest mentioned that the seminar room where I would give my talk is on the second floor. On our way upstairs, he asked me not to be intimidated by the way those students are dressed. Usually, Mormons put on white shirts and ties during religious services.

In the seminar room there were a few students and some other church members. I began my talk by emphasizing the shared origins of the three faiths; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The audience was surprised that we Muslims revere Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus and consider them great messengers. That impression is widespread among Americans since the vast majority of them think that Muslims follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad without considering the prophecy of other messengers.

I also emphasized the significance of the concept of freedom of following and practicing any religion. I praised the people of the United States and how they established a social and political system that doesn't discriminate against anybody because of his/her faith. The audience was happy to hear a Muslim coming from overseas talking positively about their country.  

I talked also about the reasons why there is misunderstanding among the followers of the three faiths. I think such misunderstanding is due to political and economic reasons more than religious reasons.

I gave the example of the crusades and how it contributed to deepen the gap between Westerns and Middle Easterns. Only a few people are acquainted with the fact that when the Crusaders invaded the Middle East they fought and killed not only Muslims but even Eastern Christians.

At the end of my talk the audience had some questions about the attitude of Islam towards women, human rights, freedom of speech, and other related issues. Then, the audience expressed pleasure to hear new things about Islam. The Priest thanked me for responding to their invitation and asked me to make another visit to talk to more Mormon students.

It was a great day. I felt happy that I was able to bring facts of Islam to a group of Christians who might have heard only negative points against Islam before that presentation. The warm reception I had in that Mormon church encouraged me to visit more churches, talk to people about Islam, and try to remove the negative feelings many fellow American have against Muslims.

By Fahd Al Qurashi

© The Saudi Gazette 2007