May 8, 2013

On Sunday night, Edina Lekovic, MPAC’s Director of Policy and Programming, had the opportunity to speak at a community forum on “Islam 101: Understanding the Commonalities Between Islam and Cristianity,” hosted by the American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach, CA.

Alongside the Ret. Rev. Alexei Smith of the Catholic Archdiocese and Milia Islam-Majeed of the South Coast Interfaith Council (SCIC), Lekovic addressed the current realities and challenges facing American Muslims and answered a flurry of questions from the audience.

Members of the American Martyrs Church and SCIC previously joined forced to create a "The Spirit of St. Francis and Sultan: Christians and Muslims Working Together for the Common Good” dialogue group, which includes Christians and Muslims meeting regularly to discuss faith, books, current events and other activities.

In his remarks, the Rev. Smith explored the history of relations between the Vatican and Muslims worldwide, citing both high and low points: Pope John Paul II made history by meeting with an American Muslim leader, Dr. Maher Hathout, MPAC’s Senior Adviser, for the first time in 1985 and visited a mosque on one of his travels; and Pope Benedict quoted a controversial historical passage about Muslims and couldn’t seem to find strong footing on the interfaith front. Since Pope Francis was selected earlier this year, he has made bold symbolic gestures and verbal declarations about the importance of engaging Muslims and approaching people with a spirit of love.

Islam-Majeed presented a thorough overview of the demographics of Muslims, as well as the core teachings of Islam. She also covered hot button issues such as women, hijab (headscarf), jihad and views toward non-Muslims. Many in the audience approached her afterward to thank her for her eye-opening presentation, which gave them a factual understanding that shattered many misconceptions.

Lekovic tackled the current realities facing diverse Muslim populations, especially here in the U.S. Among those are identity, political participation, education and acceptance as a contributing part of the American mosaic. She also reflected on the complex questions facing American Muslims today, about the sources of senseless violence behind attacks like that at the Boston marathon, and the challenges mainstream Muslims face in sharing their story and their vision of Islam with the world.