Muslims open community conversation

When a man asked Tervaris Evans, a Muslim, if he believed his religion had been hijacked by terrorists, the answer was yes.

Evans and other panelists speaking at Washington State University Vancouver on Sunday afternoon agreed that terrorist leaders have perverted Islam by using out-of-context snippets of religious texts to manipulate uneducated people into committing violence.

The vast majority of Muslims are not violent. In fact, Islam is a religion of peace, panelists said. Both terrorism and stereotypes about Muslims take root when people take others’ words as gospel rather than doing their own research, they said.

“It’s miseducation,” said Evans, who helps lead the Islamic Society locally. “I think it’s the fault of everyone because we’re not reading.”

Sunday’s discussion was all about education. The talk, titled “A Conversation with Your Muslim Neighbors,” allowed members of the public to ask anything they wanted about Islam. No question was off limits. People too embarrassed to ask their questions aloud could write them down and submit them anonymously.

Moderator Khalid Khan said he organized the event because of the religiously intolerant and racist rhetoric used this presidential election season. The last straw was when his son’s friend asked where he would need to move if Donald Trump became president and kicked all of the Muslims out of the U.S.

Judging from the size of the crowd, Clark County residents are curious about their Muslim neighbors. The college’s auditorium was packed; all of its seats were taken, and audience members lined the room’s back and side walls.

Vancouver’s police chief, Clark County’s undersheriff, some Vancouver City Council members, local Jewish and Christian leaders, and members of the Sikh community also showed up. An on-duty police officer provided security.

Khan started by giving a rundown of Islam, including that there are 56 predominantly Muslim countries, 1.6 billion Muslims on the planet, and that only about 20 percent of them are Arabs. The religion’s main guide, the Quran, was based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, who lived during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Muslims worship Allah, which in Arabic translates to “the God.”

Then the audience questions flew, including:

• Why are Muslim men and women separated while worshiping at mosques?

The idea is to keep worshipers from getting distracted by seeing someone they might find attractive, panelist and Muslim convert Brian Shahid explained. The same theory applies in U.S. culture when it comes to all-girl or all-boy schools, he added.

• Does Islam accept homosexuality?

As is the case in other faith communities, views on homosexuality are evolving, especially in Western cultures, panelists said. Religious texts in Islam might not outwardly support homosexuality, but that doesn’t mean Muslims shouldn’t love their gay friends and family, Evans said.

• What are the fundamental moral and ethical differences between Islam and Christianity?

None, really, said panelist and Islam scholar Michael Chrzastowski, who is Lutheran. He added that religious texts in Islam, Christianity and Judaism share some narratives and verses.

• Why are some Muslim women prohibited from getting an education?

If they are, that’s not because of Islam but rather because of that region’s culture. There have been many well-regarded Muslim women scholars over the years, Evans said.

• Why don’t Muslims speak out publicly against terrorists who claim to be Muslim?

They do. Panelist Shirin Elkoshairi, a mosque volunteer who recently moved to Clark County, said many mosques send out press releases condemning such violence. Their releases might not make big news, but many reports of Muslims condemning terrorism exist if you look for them, he added.

After more than two hours, Khan, the moderator, had run out of time even though the audience still had questions. He held up a stack of papers with unanswered queries and noted the size of the crowd.

He encouraged the public to learn more about Islam by contacting the Vancouver-based Islamic Society of Southwest Washington, which has copies of the Quran, at 360-694-7799. The Quran also is available online — “or you could just download the app,” one man from the audience suggested.

More about the society is online at www.issww.com