The Earth Healing Initiative encourages interfaith projects because we are all basically the same. That's the message one of Islam's top Imams brought to Marquette, MI on Oct. 22, 2008 at the Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) Lothlórien House.
Imam Hassan Qazwini, head of the Islamic Center of America, says all religions, people are basically the same.
Northern Michigan University (NMU) Health & Nutrition Professor Mohey Mowafy of Marquette introduces Imam Hassan Qazwini:
Imam Hassan Qazwini:
I was born in Iraq (1964) in a city called Karbala. Its a holy city in Iraq. After that I went to Kuwait and then to Iran. (studied in Iran). In 1992 I came to the United States.
Up until I came to the United States in 1992, I knew there were Christians in Iraq but I never had any interaction with Christians. I never had any interaction with Jews in Iraq. I lived my own inner world. In Karbala, everybody is Muslim. There were Christians, there were Jews and obviously other denominations in Iraq, but I lived my own inner world. In Karbala, everybody is Muslim, so I really did not have any interaction beyond my little world.
It was in the United States when I have my first encounter with non-Muslims.
Imam Hassan Qazwini told a story about riding in a car with his brother in California and stopping into a busy Christian church - and discovering that all religions believe the concept of love.
He said to Muslims - Jesus is as respected and revered as Mohammad.
Imam Hassan Qazwini said all religions and peoples basically hold the same values - the same beliefs.
We passed by a church in a city called West Covina. So I see a church, it was Sunday, it was a church and the parking lot was full. Probably there was over 300 to 400 cars. So I asked my brother What was going on here? He said the pastor is giving a sermon.
He said Are you sure you really want to go inside the church?
I said Yes. He said What do you do? I said Come on, Im not going to covert to Christianity. Whats going on here? (laughter) I said I have a chance to see what does the pastor have to say when he speaks to this congregation.
I know what I tell my, what I say to my congregation What I preach to my congregation. I want to see what he says. So we went in and it was a beautiful church and the pastor was speaking. There was at least 400 to 500 people listening.
And I listened but at that time my English was not that good. My brother was occasionally translating.
But, all I heard him talking about was love. Jesus loving you. You love Jesus. And about the concept of love. So as hes talking I am listening.
I said to myself Look, in our religion we also talk about love.
Muslims believe that God has 99 names. And one of his names is Al-Wadud. And Al-Wadud is The Loving One.
I said to myself Look almost everything he is talking about is there in my religion. And how similar we look. And for every word he says quoting Jesus. I have a word to quote from Mohammad. As Muslims, Jesus to us - he is a prophet as well. He is as respected as Mohammad and as revered as Mohammad because we Muslims believe there are five superior messengers - Mohammad, Jesus, Moses, Noah and Abraham.
So we place Jesus almost in the same place - or status - as we place Mohammad.
In my mind as I am listening (to the Christian pastor) These words he was uttering are resonating in my mind. And reflecting my own faith system.
When we do not see each other, when we do not interact with each other. We think of each other - that we are weird. I think you are weird. You may think that I am weird. You may thing that I harbor some very weird thoughts. I could be a very weird person. I could be someone who does not think like you think. And probably I would have the same thought about you.
But when we meet, and we mingle, and we exchange thoughts, we find how striking our similarities are.
Be Muslims, Christians, Jews or what else - non-denominational - basically we hold the same values - the same beliefs. And we worship God with different tongues and different languages and different styles - but the direction is the same.
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Related Links:
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Imam Hassan Qazwini, head of the Islamic Center of America
http://www.icofa.com/aboutus/imam.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Al-Qazwini
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Imam Hassan Qazwini NPR interview May 12, 2005 New Islamic Center of America Mosque in Dearborn, largest in the U.S.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4650047
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&isl...
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Mohey Mowafy, NMU Health & Nutrition Professor
http://glcyd.org/programs/diversity_bureau.php
Lutheran Campus Ministry Marquette, MI
http://www.nmulutherans.org/
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com/gardenblessing.html
Non-profit Cedar Tree Institute:
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org
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@EarthHealingTV I am sunni, and i have no problem against any good human, doesnt matter a shii or sunni , arab non arab, muslim nonmuslim. I dont judge, Allah do.
mahmoudnij 1 month ago
@futuredatabank According to this belief even abraham and Moses are in hell correct? Moses and abraham, Isaiah, Job, Jacob, Ishmael, Adam, Eve, Enoch etc etc are all in hell because they didnt accept Yeshua and his blood sacrifice? how can you say that Prophets are not saved, think about what your saying and use your God given logic, you are saying that even the prophets of God all the hindu's, all the Native americans, all the aboriginals, all the Jews, all the muslims are all in hell.
HebrewTiger 6 months ago
@futuredatabank So before Yeshua the messiah lived how did people get saved?. your saying the only way for salvation is with the blood of Yeshua? so everyone who died prior to 2000 years ago died without salvation? what about the people living thousands of miles away who never heard of jesus they had no salvation due to geographical reasons?. Billions of people lived and died before Yeshua was born according to christians they are all in hell, this makes no sense atall.
HebrewTiger 6 months ago
Christians and Jews, and Muslims share only one thing in common... That is the belief in a monotheistic God. Where Christians part ways with Muslims and Jews is the crucifixion (blood sacrifice for sin) of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. You can pay homage and do works all you wish. But without accepting Christ and his blood sacrifice for the remission of sin... Your sin will remain. It is NOT enough to do good works alone. This is about salvation of the soul, not works.
futuredatabank 8 months ago
some other imam on youtube says in surah 5:51 that u must hate jews and christian why they say that ,,u r the first imam that say to love each other god suppose to bring love and happiness on earth not hate,murder.etc...hope all imam will say same like u
sheeeraj04 11 months ago
go watch jodha alkbar film, u much stupid, that why u much dont know about islamic historyu, look muslim emperor has great peace with spain india chinese for muh peace hristian jew hind , west is come fuck war islam emperor then islam emeoror leave west, trust me, u much blind
lahij 1 year ago
@pastuso1bc Sorry? What did i say? I don't know anything about the Hindu religion, I'm only asking if Hindus believe in a Satan as the abrahamic religions do? It was mere curiosity.
kendrawhisp 1 year ago
@kendrawhisp ...What a stupid question. Muslim murdered tens of millions of Hindus. Not only are you a servile syncophant, you are stupid.
pastuso1bc 1 year ago
@pastuso1bc Do Hindus have a satan?
kendrawhisp 1 year ago
@swcnut ...Problem for you is that my knowledge of islam is very good. Your fucking lies cannot concel islam's ugly reality. The fact is that your prophet taught muslims to murder non muslims, which with Hindus is exactly what muslims did. Ten of million of Hindus were murdered. Verse 8-39 command muslims to make war on unbelievers until that entire world is islamic. In making that war, fuckface allah, in verse 8-41, even reserves 20% of the loot for ur son of whore prophet.
pastuso1bc 1 year ago