Houston (RNS) — Greater than a dozen years in the past, Shariq Abdul Ghani, a neighborhood Muslim chief, and Rabbi Steve Gross, of the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, determined to make the perfect of one of the vital uneventful days of the entire yr for his or her respective communities. Their aim was easy — to carry collectively their communities for what turned referred to as “Muslim-Jewish Christmas.”
“I noticed they don’t have anything to do on Christmas,” Ghani instructed Faith Information Service in a current interview. “We realized we’ve got nothing to do on Christmas, so why don’t we simply get our communities collectively and see what occurs,” he mentioned.
The occasion has grown into an annual ritual, as every Christmas Eve, Muslims and Jews share meals and have tough conversations about religiously motivated hate, interfaith solidarity, mercy and forgiveness within the Holy Scriptures and contentious subjects in interfaith work, together with the battle between Israel and Palestine.
“Yearly we swap between a mosque and synagogue, and one yr we rented out the Museum of Pure Science. Everyone seems to be off, so you don’t have any excuse, so it’s simple to pack the home.”
That very same yr, 2010, Ghani, who was born in Pakistan and raised in Houston, based the Minaret Basis to boost consciousness of Islam in one of the vital religiously numerous cities in America — Houston, Texas. Naming his group for the towers connected to conventional mosques from which Muslims are referred to as to prayer, he needed to alter distrust dealing with the Muslim neighborhood on the peak of the “Battle on Terror.”
His strategy was to collaborate with leaders of different faiths and discover companions in each political events to seek out frequent floor. And he would work on points confronting residents throughout all backgrounds: child-welfare, meals safety and spiritual freedom.
“After we began, the aim was to carry individuals collectively by constructing relationships, breaking bread, by having dialogue and discussions, breaking down boundaries by frank dialogue,” mentioned Ghani. As a substitute of speaking about “the Muslims,” he mentioned, he needed the dialog to be about “Muslims — our neighbors, our fellow People.”
The Minaret Basis started holding talking engagements, neighborhood service initiatives and fellowship occasions at different homes of worship and faculties across the Houston metro space. “We might at all times begin our packages off by saying, ‘You may by no means offend us, you may by no means harm us, we wish you to have the ability to ask the questions you wish to ask, as a result of that’s the one approach we get to know one another,’” Ghani mentioned.
Minaret’s signature turned its interfaith neighborhood occasions that promoted understanding by dialogue — and pleasant competitors. “Competing in Goodness” challenges native mosques, church buildings and synagogues to outdo one another for fundraising and meals financial institution collections. Final yr this system gathered seven tons of canned items. (Congregation Beth Yeshurun gained.)
Kait Ewoldt, Minaret’s social media coordinator, is a Christian married to a minister. “You have got these world religions that at all times appear to be at odds with one another, and we carry them collectively,” she mentioned.
However the group’s interfaith work doesn’t try and dissolve all distinction amongst completely different faiths. A not too long ago launched effort sponsored by Minaret and its companions referred to as “Angels and Messengers” brings individuals collectively to probe the variations slightly than similarities among the many three so-called Abrahamic religions. Coming from a spot of fine will, Ghani believes, schooling promotes higher understanding.
Minaret Basis has additionally constructed relationships throughout traces of political distinction. “To be able to resolve conflicts and produce individuals collectively, all stakeholders should be current,” mentioned Ghani. “Meaning Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, Democrats. Everybody’s views shouldn’t simply be heard, however revered and honored as effectively.”
For some, this would possibly sound like a tall order in a state whose authorities is commonly considered as a Republican bastion, however Ghani mentioned their work is inherently bipartisan. “There’s this false impression that Texas is a one-party, ultra-partisan state, and that’s simply not true. Nothing within the state occurs with out Democrats and Republicans working collectively,” he mentioned.
Due to this dedication, the inspiration has spent the previous couple of years constructing relationships, circulating coverage proposals and forming coalitions involving elected officers throughout the political and spiritual spectrum in Texas within the pursuit of civic engagement.
Noor Saleh, authorities relations coordinator for Minaret Basis, mentioned the group’s political exercise is as depending on dialogue — and acknowledgment of distinction — as their community-building packages are. “I’ve had actually sturdy relationships with of us I by no means thought I’d have sturdy relationships with just because they lay on an reverse political occasion than I do,” she mentioned. “I’ve begun to understand that we have to have these tough conversations about common-ground points so we’re capable of transfer ahead.”
Rep. Jacey Jetton, a Republican from close by Fort Bend County, one of the vital numerous districts within the state of Texas, started working with Minaret Basis as a freshman legislator and has helped move payments recognizing non secular and cultural range in Texas.
“I’ve traveled across the nation and around the globe,” mentioned Jetton. “In some locations they nonetheless consider Texas because the Wild West, using round on horses. However in Houston and extra particularly in Fort Bend County, you may go to any neighborhood and see individuals from everywhere in the world coming collectively. We’ve got very numerous faculties, neighborhoods and workforces right here in Texas.”
Jetton regards non secular freedom as a key to preserving the social contract in as numerous a neighborhood as Texas has turn out to be. “As a Christian, I acknowledge that these of the Muslim religion and the Hindu religion and completely different backgrounds all need the perfect for his or her households, for his or her kids and for themselves, and in flip that makes a greater society for us all to prosper,” he mentioned.
Within the 2023 Texas state legislative session, the Minaret group labored with clergy and its legislative allies to help a coverage push referred to as MOSH — Multifaith Elective College Holidays.
Jetton, supported by state Reps. Salman Bhojani, a Democrat from Tarrant County close to Dallas and one of many first Muslims elected to the Texas Legislature, and Steve Allison, a Republican of San Antonio, sponsored a invoice that may permit a scholar to be excused for a non secular vacation with a easy letter from a mother or father.
This might substitute a patchwork of practices throughout Texas, together with faculty districts the place a notice from clergy could be required and the place college students are requested to decide on between unexcused absences and their religion commitments.
A second invoice sponsored by Bhojani would get rid of standardized testing on a non secular vacation or the day following one. The vacations named within the invoice are Eid al Adha, Eid al Fitr, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Vaisakhi, Vesak, Diwali, All Saints Day and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Minaret can be working with state Rep. Tom Oliverson, a Republican, to create a non secular freedom fee that may determine systemic boundaries to the free follow of religion and advise the manager department on options.
Whereas a lot of their focus is on non secular freedom and Islamic neighborhood pursuits — Minaret is selling the creation of a Texas Muslim Heritage Month — the group can be concerned in efforts equivalent to “No Youngsters in Cuffs,” which addresses using extreme restraint by legislation enforcement in faculties, and “Deal with with Care,” which seeks to provide faculties instruments to higher help kids affected by trauma outdoors of college.
Ewoldt, the social media coordinator, mentioned, “The Bible tells us to take care of widows and orphans, to feed the hungry, and all the pieces we do at Minaret, whether or not it’s little one welfare, meals insecurity or non secular freedom, it goes again to these beliefs.”
The group nonetheless faces distrust. “We’ve got loads of doorways that get closed to us, we’re frequently requested, ‘Why are the Muslims engaged on this?’” Ghani mentioned. The reply, mentioned Ghani, is his religion.
“There’s a verse within the Qur’an: ‘and do good, for God certainly loves the doers of fine,’” he mentioned. “I preserve reminding myself about this, as a result of there are loads of hurdles. So long as our intentions are good, to assist kids, to assist individuals have freedom of worship, I consider we’re strolling within the path of God. That’s one thing we’ve got to maintain reminding ourselves on this line of labor, the place it’s so simple to get misplaced within the politics.”