Muslims, Jews seek understanding

WEST VALLEY CITY — The story of God creating heaven and Earth in six days is literally true. Or it's a metaphor for events that took place over millennia. Revelation by God ended about 300 years before the present era. Or revelation ended with the death of Muhammad more than 900 years later.

Those are some of the belief differences between mainstream Islam and mainstream Judaism, discussed Sunday night during an interfaith meeting among local Jews and Muslims.

But far more prevalent at the meeting than religious differences were shared good will and the wish to understand one another.

Although Christians attended and one served as a moderator, representatives of Christianity were not among presenters giving the basics of their beliefs.

The session was held at Khadeeja mosque, 1019 W. Parkway Ave. (2430 South), West Valley City, with about 50 attending. Snacks prepared by members of the three faiths were shared before the discussion, which was held between two Muslim prayer sessions.

Speakers were Shuaib ud-Din, imam at the mosque, and Tracee Rosen, rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami. Asking prepared questions about the two religions' basic tenets was Jeanne Leigh-Goldstein, a member of the United Church of Christ whose husband and daughter are Jewish.

"In essence, Judaism as the foundation religion of all monotheistic religion has the concept that there is one God, indivisible . . . one united, sovereign force in the universe," Rabbi Rosen said.

Imam Din said that in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, main themes concern God, the prophet Muhammad and the existence of a hereafter. God is divine, but no human was, Muslims believe. Muhammad is seen as God's messenger.

Compassionate, merciful, all-powerful, all-seeing, all-hearing — these are some of the attributes of God, he said. Muslims don't think about physical aspects of God but about attributes. He noted that on a wall of the mosque is a plaque with 99 inscriptions, one the name Allah (God) and the others representing attributes of Allah.

From the start, he said Islam was a multiethnic religion. Many, especially in the West, think all Arabs are Muslim and all Muslims are Arabs. But that's untrue, Imam Din added.

Non-Arabs make up 84 percent of the world's Muslims. Indonesia alone has 200 million Muslims, while India has another 117 million, and there they are a minority.

Rabbi Rosen said the Jewish religion is open and accepting to converts of all ethnic backgrounds. "They are welcomed into our faith as if they have always been there," she said.