Mosque open house builds bridges, understanding
The Islamic Community Center of Des Plaines invited neighbors from all backgrounds to attend an open house of its mosque on Saturday Aug. 27.
Hundreds of visitors attended the Open Mosque Day, which was held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
About 150 guests from various faiths attended this special event to meet their Muslim neighbors, tour the mosque, learn about Islam and enjoy a meal. Attendees also observed a Muslim prayer service at the end.
The center hosted guests in the space of the Great Hall, which was lined with informative posters on Islam and Muslims.
"We are grateful to all our neighbors who came to take part in our Open Mosque Day," said ICCD President Imad Achmar.
The day began with a luncheon, which was well organized and enjoyed by the participants. Most of the food was Middle Eastern and Indian Pakistani.
Gain Peace, an organization that works to dispel misinformation about Islam to non-Islamic people, was the main event sponsor.
The Master of Ceremonies was Farhan Hashmi, and the program began with Tilawat E Quran by Hafiz Muhammad. Welcome and opening remarks were conducted by President Achmar.
Various linguistic versions of the Quran, including one in Spanish and one in English, were exhibited as the Islamic Des Plaines Society celebrated Open Mosque Day.
"The ICCD is part of our community, and we will stand strong with our neighbors. We welcome them with open arms," Fayaiz Fareed Hassan said.
The main speaker, Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, director of the Gain Peace outreach program, gave an overview of the religion of Islam, covering such topics as women's rights in Islam, Jihad and Sharia law. In his presentation, Ahmed touched on some of the similarities between Islam and other Abrahamic religions like Christianity and Judaism.
Visitors asked questions about the Sharia law, role of Imam and wearing the hijab in the Q&A session.
The Islamic Community Center of Des Plaines, the only mosque in the Des Plaines area, has more than 5,000 members, and hosts daily prayer services, weekly services and a weekend school for children.
The mosque is at 480 Potter Road, Des Plaines. For information, visit www.iccofdesplaines.com or call (847) 824-1100.