Waukesha County interfaith organization: Do not fear proposed mosque

The controversy surrounding the proposed Brookfield, Wisconsin mosque stems from misinformation and fear, resulting in preventable community conflict, in my opinion. Some comments uttered at the Waukesha County Anti-Islam Rally and mosque-related meetings over the past few months have been disconcerting, to say the least. So I was happy to learn that, according to Lisa Sink of Brookfield Patch, local religious leaders of various faiths united on Saturday at the site of the proposed mosque in an attempt to educate residents and quell fears.

From Brookfield Patch:

Do not be afraid.

That was a common theme among speakers from SOPHIA, a Waukesha County interfaith organization, who traveled Saturday to a proposed Brookfield mosque site to pray and offer support for the project.

About two dozen people stood in the cold, misty rain and learned about the mosque from Mushir Hassan, a Brookfield physician and secretary of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s executive board.

In addition to serving as a place of worship, Hassan said the mosque could also provide an educational opportunity for our entire community:

“We’re envisioning a place of peace, harmony and some solitude where were able to have some quiet worship time,” Hassan told FOX6 and Patch after the gathering. “(The mosque) will be hopefully a source of comfort for our community and a place to gather but also a potential source for education for the rest of the community.”

Pewaukee Rev. Jim Stein, pastor of Church of the Resurrection had this to say:

“(We’re here) to support our Muslim brothers and sisters in their endeavor to build a house of worship here and to express our friendship with them and to assure the community that there is nothing to fear in their plans for a mosque on this site,” Stein said.

Amy Becker, also a pastor at Church of the Resurrection, added:

“One of the things that (the confirmation students) kept saying is that we realized how alike we are,” Becker said. “So we need this mosque to be built here so we can have this dialog and this conversation, so we can continue to see how we are a part of the same family.”

Rev. Stein read a letter from Jewish leader who was unable to physically attend the gathering:

“The Jewish community looks forward to formally welcoming our Muslim brothers and sisters to the area, and knows that there will be great opportunities to learn, pray and grow together. All of God’s children deserve the chance to worship according to their faith and to live in peace. Our prayers and best wishes are with you.”

But Rev.Gary Liedtke, pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Waukesha, best summed up my thoughts on this issue:

“We are here because we live in a country which values many expressions of faith. Our government will not only refrain from establishing any expression of faith, but our government will also refrain from limiting the breadth of those expressions.”

Hallelujah.

Read the Brookfield Patch article in its entirety here.

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4 thoughts on “Waukesha County interfaith organization: Do not fear proposed mosque

  1. Our youth are not being taught to seek God, but to seek self satisfaction. This is our path to destruction. Let us encourage all those who seek to understand and appreciate how God’s love has formed this universe and the best part of our lives. It becomes more real as you seek and something we all can rally around.

  2. After reading the comments to the Patch article, I wonder how it is that some people can live in such fear. Muslims already live and work here; that’s why they want to build a mosque. It’s time we welcomed them, and practice what we preach: “Love thy neighbor.”

  3. I don’t really expect logic, but people might consider applying basic Christian values as a first response. The angry mob with pitchforks-and-torches response is very disappointing.

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