The timing could not have been more appropriate – at a time when political divisiveness along racial and religious lines is consuming the news, the Islamic Center of Naperville celebrated Open Mosque Day, Oct. 16, to welcome people of all faiths in an effort to dispel misconceptions and provide a better understanding of the Islamic faith, Muslims, and their culture.
“Although we welcome visitors to visit our center throughout the year, we started this concept of Open Mosque Day about a year ago when we designated a day to make it extra special for our guests. It is now a regular event that we plan to host once or twice a year,” said Shoaib Khadri, President of the Islamic Center of Naperville.
“The primary purpose of the event was to give people of different faiths an opportunity to learn more about their Muslim neighbors and the faith that they practice. With so much negative publicity about Islam in the news, we felt it was important for people to learn what the true teachings of Islam were, learn about some common beliefs and traditions as well as give them an opportunity to ask questions that they may have.”
A wide spectrum of people attended the event, including Christians of different denominations, representatives from local Jewish, Hindu and Sikh faiths, local law enforcement personnel, students from local colleges and schools, political candidates as well as representatives from local government and media. The organizers estimated the number of visitors at the event to be over 1,000 people based on their registration count.
The activities of the Open Mosque Day were spread across the entire facility with the main booths and food in the gym, the congregational prayers in the prayer halls, and presentations in separate rooms.
The guests were received at the entrance by a group of young. The first section by the entrance called “Meet the Imams” enabled people to meet with the religious scholars, including the Religious Director Shaykh Rizwan Ali, Youth Director Shaykh Omar Hedroug, the directors of the Quran Program, Shaykh Ismail Alqadi and Shaykh Ahmed Sayeed.
The open layout of the gym with booths along the periphery of the large area gave it an open feel where guests browsed through booths depicting different aspects of the Islamic faith. The booth on Prophet Muhammad provided information about the life and the teachings of the last messenger of Islam where volunteers discussed various aspects of the prophet’s exemplary character and its impact on the Muslims. A second booth was dedicated to the Quran, the holy scripture of Islam that Muslims believe was the divine revelation from God.
Another booth that attracted a lot of attention was dedicated to the topic of “Islam and Extremism” considering all the media publicity that alludes to a nexus between extremism, violence and the Islamic faith. The booth stocked with material that clearly explained that aggression and killing of innocent people were clearly forbidden in Islam and how most violence that is politically motivated had no religious basis.
Mahfooz Khan, an active member of the Islamic Center’s interfaith group, displayed his talent for Arabic Calligraphy as he created cards with guests’ names written in beautiful calligraphy as a keepsake for their office desks. An “Artifacts and Culture” booth highlighted different aspects of Islamic culture, architecture with displays of different artifacts.
An “Islam & Science” booth illustrated the harmony between Islam and science by highlighting various scientific facts with references to the Quran and the numerous contributions of Muslims to the field of Science.
The “Women in Islam” booth was buzzing with activities with people curious to learn about women’s rights in Islam and questions about why women cover their hair. Various women volunteers at the booth were happy to answer their questions while giving the female guests a unique opportunity to try on a hijab (head scarf) that the guests were allowed to take home. Volunteers also drew beautiful designs of henna on guests’ hands.
The guests enjoyed a wide array of food ranging from Mediterranean cuisine to South Asian snacks to delicious desserts with tea and coffee. The food tables were well staffed with cheerful volunteers and continually replenished with the delicious food throughout the event.
The most fascinating feature of the program was the screening of a multimedia presentation titled “Journey through Time” – a beautifully articulated message highlighting six of the greatest messengers of Islam – Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad with direct references in the Quran on each of them.
Chief David Anderson of the Lisle Police Department, who encouraged his staff to attend the event said, “The Open Mosque Day allows more people to get to know each other, which allows barriers to breakdown, and makes us realize that we all care about each other. This event takes away the ignorance.”
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