February 9, 2010

Last week, Southern California Muslim leaders traveled to Salt Lake City as part of a delegation to visit Mormon leaders. The Mormon Church opened its doors to Muslims for the purpose of educating one another about their histories and traditions.

The delegation learned about the Humanitarian Center, which provides shipments of clothing to millions of people worldwide every year. Muslim leaders from Salt Lake City also met with the Southern California delegation. A trip to BYU, about 40 minutes south of Salt Lake City, included a discussion with college students studying Islam.

The trip was coordinated by Steve and Judy Guililand, members of the Los Angeles-based Muslim-Christian Consultative Group. The delegation included Imam Abdul Kareem Hassan of Masjid Felix Bilal, Imam Muhammad Faqih of the Islamic Institute of Orange County, Imam Yasir Fazaga of the Orange County Islamic Foundation, Dr. Laila Al-Marayati of the relief organization KinderUSA, and Salam Al-Marayati of MPAC. MPAC board member Hedab Tarifi visited the Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City last year.