For the past two years, a Norman church has held gatherings designed to foster community peace.
This year, the annual Advocates of Peace Roundtable will focus on a topic in the news lately: religious intolerance against Muslims.
“Respect for Religious Differences: Turning Around the Current Wave of Islamophobia” is the theme of the gathering set for 4:45 p.m. Sunday at St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, 1801 W Brooks.
The free event will include a panel discussion featuring Muneer Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Oklahoma City chapter; Malaka Elyazgi, a Muslim who serves on the University of Oklahoma's Women's and Gender Studies board of directors; Michael Korenblit, co-founder and president of the Respect Diversity Foundation of Oklahoma; and Nathaniel Batchelder, director of the Peace House in Oklahoma City.
Margarita Banos-Milton, the St. Stephen's member who came up with this year's topic, will serve as moderator. She said the panelists will offer their views on religious intolerance and make suggestions for constructive ways to respond and offer hope.
Panelist Awad filed a lawsuit after a majority of Oklahoma voters approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that forbids state courts from considering or using international law or Sharia law. The amendment describes Sharia law as Islamic law based on the Quran and the teaching of Mohammed. Awad said the amendment amounted to religious discrimination. In November 2010, a federal judge granted Awad a preliminary injunction blocking the Sharia law ban. A month later, attorneys for the state vowed to appeal the judge's ruling.
Banos-Milton said the topic had been chosen before State Question 755 was approved by Oklahoma voters but now is all the more timely.
“We were planning to have a round table that included having some of our Muslim American speakers before things got to be so combative in the news,” she said.
“I personally am deeply concerned about the misinformation, the heated emotion and blanket rejection of the Muslim faith. We have such wonderful Muslim brothers and sisters.”
Kay Antinoro, St. Stephen's director of educational ministries, said the interfaith gatherings are designed for people seeking a better understanding of other faiths and their own faith.
“This round table is an important affirmation of our church's respect for religious difference and an opportunity to offer another voice in a culture of misunderstanding, fear and hatred,” Antinoro said.
Banos-Milton agreed.
“To me, our country embodies the idea of religious freedom. If it starts to appear that religious discrimination is happening, we need to speak out,” she said.
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