First of a series
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Police Chief Scott Bixby, one of the speakers, with young Muslims at the mosque.
Mahomed Khan of the King Fahad Mosque may take a bow this afternoon after successfully launching what may evolve as a unique interfaith series in Culver City.
Applying more imagination and daring than is commonly seen, Mr. Khan, director of interfaith and public relations for the mosque, invited Christians into the home of Islam in Culver City five days before Christmas.
He maintains there are numerous underappreciated parallels between two traditions that never have been known for being particularly neighborly.
Although Mr. Khan said that the public was welcome, he invited a roster of speakers who were encouraged to speak casually, informatively and in peace, demonstrating for listeners how much Christianity and Islam are like each other.
The Saturday morning theme, “Honoring the Life of Jesus and Mother Mary,” appeared to have been faithfully followed for an appreciative crowd of 70 persons.
Speakers included:
- Moderators, Hayat Tahir and Eiman Al Sadiq
- Invocation: Muslim, by Mahomed Khan Event Chair.
- Christian invocation (in Aramaic), by Bahnan Yamin, National Secretary of Syrian Christians For Peace.
- Invocation translation, Father Alexis Smith of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
- Pledge of Allegiance, Hajji Hasan and the Muslim Youth Symposium of America.MY
Welcome, by Rauf Patel, Director of the King Fahd Mosque, and Mahomed Khan Director Interfaith and Public Relations
Speakers:
- Randy Dobbs of the Bahai faith, President of the InterReligious Council Of Southern California.
- Steve Gilliland, of the Church Of Latter Day Saints, who is Director of Muslim Outreach.
- Bahnan Yamin.
- Father Smith.
- Rim Manna of the American Relief Fund: Humanitarian Aid For Syrian Orphans.
- Osas Otasowie, Faith-based coordinator for the American Red Cross.
- Dr. Abdo Al Sadiq, of the mosque’s Interfaith Committee.
- Sgt. Michael Seguin, LAPD Community Outreach Counter Terrorism Unit.
- Rev. Carolyn Wilkins, Agape Spiritual Center.
- Chief Scott Bixby, Police Chief of Culver City.
- Abdulla Ali Al Saboosi, Consul General, Los Angeles, for the United Arab Emirates. He was unable to attend, but his talk was delivered.
- John Riley, retired from the Drug Enforcement Agency. DEA Citizens Academy.
- Diane Gonzalez, FBI community outreach specialist.
(To be continued)
