Monroe Muslim community keeping the interfaith

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Monroe is hosting its second annual interfaith event, to showcase and highlight religious founders as community members gather to celebrate their faiths. 

This year’s event focuses on the theme of kindness, by specifically looking at how different religious founders have demonstrated kindness through their words and deeds. The free event takes place 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Seattle’s Monroe mosque on Old Owen Road. Speakers from various faiths, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism, will present stories and teachings that detail how the founders of their faiths have demonstrated kindness. The event will include a complimentary lunch served to guests. 

The goal of the event is to showcase similarities of various faiths rather than focus on differences, said Ahmadiyya Community Outreach Director Waqas Malik. 

“The hope is to tell people of different faiths good things about the founder of their faiths,” Malik said. “Instead of debating theological points or coming up with who’s better than whom, the goal is really to highlight that there were profound qualities in all of them.”

Speakers will include Pastor Michael Hanford of Christ Church Monroe, Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of the Temple Kol Ami, Ish Singh of the Sikh Centre of Seattle and Imam Zafar Sarwar of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. 

“Our hope is that each of the speakers would speak of how their founders practiced kindness and what their teachings were as it relates to kindness,” Malik said. 

Malik recounted a tale of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, as an example of what might be shared during the event. In the life of the prophet there are many instances of kindness, including toward people of lesser social status and even those who opposed him, Malik said. After Muhammad declared that he was commissioned by God and began to spread his message of peace, he faced opposition, including from a woman who lived on the pathway where he frequently walked. 

As the story goes, the woman reacted to Muhammad’s message with hatred, and would throw her garbage on him every time he walked past. 

“She would grab the trash and throw it on him,” Malik said. “This was her habit and this happened for a while.”

One day, as Muhammad walked, he noticed the woman did not come out to throw her garbage at him. He inquired as to what had happened to her, and discovered she had become sick. Instead of gloating or feeling glad she was ill, Muhammad took to the woman’s bedside to care for her during her illness. As a result, it changed the way she viewed him and his message. 

“It was basically a very profound example of kindness towards even those who do something wrong to you,” Malik said. “That actually changed the way she saw this man and that shows the power of this overlooked, small quality, which can really change people’s perspective and mindset.” 

Since arriving in Monroe more than a year ago, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has done its best to exemplify kindness in various forms by giving back to the community. It has worked with Monroe nonprofits Take the Next Step and the Cold Weather Shelter, and had a presence during last year’s Monroe Police and Fire Appreciation Week. 

It operates its own food bank using food that it provides as well as contributions from the Sky Valley Food Bank. The food bank is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday at the mosque. 

“Most of the people that come are from the neighboring areas,” Malik said. “Whoever comes; they are welcome.”  

Coffee, Cake and Islam, held 7-8 p.m. every Thursday, is one of Ahmadiyya’s new events. The goal of the weekly series is welcoming all those interested in having a conversation with Muslims about Islam. It’s a way of dispersing firsthand information, Malik said, as guests are served coffee and cake and are invited to ask questions in a casual setting. 

“Many times people have an opinion of Muslims or Islam but they’ve never met one or actually interacted with one,” Malik said. 

Face to face communication is something Ahmadiyya community members have sought since their arrival in Monroe, Malik said, as there is no better way to dispel rumors and clear up misinformation. For the most part, they’ve experienced excellent relationships with neighbors living near the mosque, he said, but there were those who reached out to the community with concerns.

They were very direct and candid, Malik said, wanting to know what community members felt about things like terrorism and ISIS. It took a lot of courage for them to do that, he said, and Ahmadiyya community members were grateful for the opportunity to have that discussion. 

“We welcomed them because it was a good thing that they asked those questions and they didn’t just keep those opinions to themselves,” Malik said. “As a result of that, we’ve made some good friends.”  

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Seattle Monroe mosque is located at 23515 Old Owen Road in Monroe. To register for the interfaith event, visit this shortened link: http://bit.ly/2ftPrFD. 

For more information about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, visit amiseattle.org.