Ahlul Bayt News Agency - ABNA - The imam of Concord's Dar-ul-Islam mosque stood at the front of Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek, California, chanting from a Quran lying atop an opened Bible, filling the room with sonorous rhythms and a call for peace in the aftermath of a Florida pastor's threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book.
The event, a "Day of Unity and Healing," was held by the Bay Point-based Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County. More than 100 people came to listen, worship and build bridges in the aftermath of the threatened Quran burning by Terry Jones, pastor of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Similar events took place all over the US, though Jones called off his threat to burn the holy book. Spiritual leaders across the U.S., also worried about an upswing in anti-Muslim sentiment over plans for a mosque near ground zero in New York City, planned the interfaith events to promote tolerance and respect for all religions.
"Allah is all-powerful and forgiving," Amer Araim of the Dar-ul-Islam mosque in Concord chanted in Arabic, then in English, to the hushed crowd. A row of Qurans bound in vivid red, green and black leather stood on a table in the back.
"Fanaticism breeds a culture of mistrust and violence devoid of common goals," said Atif Mian, president of the Oakland chapter of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Oakland. "As a Muslim-American, I see the Sept. 11 terrorist attack as a direct attack on my faith."
The imam, who also teaches at UC Berkeley, said, "The Quran says that Islam, being a religion of peace, does not attack other religions."
Members of other religions also spoke, including the Rev. Fred Weidman, senior minister at Hillcrest Congregational Church of Pleasant Hill.
"We, sisters and brothers, are to love the Lord and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves," he said.
Beverly Terlep, a Catholic, said she learned a lot at the event. "We all came together in the spirit of love," the Rossmoor resident said.
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