In Theory:

American Muslim organizations and their leaders have taken great strides in fostering a better understanding of Islam and Muslims through various venues.

Post 9/11, mosques around the nation began Open Mosque Day, which has become a yearly tradition for mosques. Muslims openly invite local neighbors, businesses and civic leaders to view their place of worship, listen to talks on Islam by Muslims, and meet and interact personally with American Muslim citizens.

At our mosque, we are delighted by phone calls from community members and students interested in visiting our place of worship. We encourage such requests by welcoming them to attend our weekly services.

Another positive venue is seen through the constructive and harmonious relations American Muslims have built with the interfaith community. Through diverse interfaith discussions, Muslims have highlighted the commonalities of Christianity and Judaism with Islam.

Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwani

Imam, Islamic Educational Center of Orange County

Regular reminders that Jews and Christians and Muslims are all sisters and brothers, as children of Abraham, come through prayers printed in worship bulletins, sermons and guest leaders. Earlier this month Laila al-Mariati, a Palestinian American doctor who earned her medical degree from UC Irvine and an Islamic activist, spoke on ethical responses of faith communities to extremism. Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of Orange County has been here often.

We have studied books ranging from “Islam for Dummies” by professor Malcolm Clark to Karen Armstrong’s “Muhammad” and “The Battle for God.” I have referred many to www.understanding-islam.com.

The surest liberation from religion that is less than heartfelt and holy is for individuals and communities to fill our most basic needs to live fully and know basic truths with people different than we are.

(The Very Rev’d Canon) Peter D. Haynes

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

I do not think that we can do anything to help our congregations foster a more positive view of Muslims. My congregation is comprised of people who are quite capable of thinking for themselves and evaluating Islam in light of its teachings and the actions of its followers. The only people who can help Americans have a more positive view of Muslims are Muslims.

Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them.”

When you consider the horrible acts of violence committed by Muslims all over the world, I think it is a testimony to the goodness and kindness of Americans that only 31% have a “not favorable at all” view of Muslims. Americans are by and large a forgiving and non-judgmental people. We evaluate people not by their religious creeds but by their deeds.

Pastor Dwight Tomlinson

Liberty Baptist Church

Newport Beach

Every day we are appalled by the gory spectacles of Muslim-on-Muslim violence. The Taliban gleefully blow up their co-religionists; Sunnis and Shiites reduce each other’s mosques to rubble and murder each other in marketplaces and on sacred pilgrimage; autocratic leaders violate the human rights of their own Muslim citizens.

It is Muslims who kill and maim American soldiers, destroy churches, persecute Kurds and Copts, treat women as chattel, hijack, behead and kidnap, burn the American flag, hang American presidents in effigy, teach the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as fact, deny the Holocaust, and threaten Israel with annihilation. Restrictions at airports are not in place to protect from Christian or Jewish terrorism. The repugnant “Hate Week” at UCI teaches much about what even highly educated Muslims think about Israel and the West.

I will help foster a positive view of Muslims when they offer a positive view of themselves.

Rabbi Mark S. Miller

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

As a Christian pastor, I have three operating principles about other faiths. First, every human being has faith in something. If I am to help people grow spiritually, I cannot do so by attacking anything that builds faith, including other religions. Second, God is bigger and deeper than every denomination and religion, and God is present in every faith. We can always find ways to share spiritual wisdom and learn from each other without compromising theological differences. Third, scriptures teach us that God is love. If we are acting or thinking in ways that foster, condone or cause hate or fear or violence, then we have failed as spiritual leaders and churches. When we learn what each other values, understand each other’s rituals, and work side by side for healing the world, we will fear each other less and serve God better.

It is not our job to foster a “more positive view” of any religion. Religion is detestable to God. For the Christ follower, however, it is our mandate to honor the choices of every person to follow whatever religious path they have chosen. This principle has not always been honored by religious Christianity, but to those who try to follow Jesus, it is foundational. To our founding fathers, that principal became cornerstone in starting this country. Countries founded on Christian principals are generally open countries. Yes, that means we are open to excess, but it means people have real choice. It does not mean there is not intolerance, but it means their choices are protected. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of countries founded on Muslim principals. Perhaps this question should be asked of them.

Ric Olsen

Lead Pastor

The Beacon OC

It is a shame there is such a high percentage of people who admit to prejudice against and distrust of Muslims. Studies show that the level of prejudice, fear and distrust coincides with levels of education. The more exposure people have to “the other” the more they realize that their fears are irrational. This large number is clearly due to ignorance regarding Islam perpetuated by the media’s portrayal of the religion, and particularly the focus on radical Muslims with whom the average Muslim has nothing in common with. Participation in Interfaith dialogue promotes a healthier perspective. I know that my participation in the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council has strengthened my ties with Muslims in our community as well as my partnerships with Muslims working for justice in Orange County. I would encourage my own congregation and community members to partake in the Interfaith Council’s programs, which promote religious diversity and understanding.

Rev. Sarah Halverson

Fairview Community Church

Costa Mesa

Many religious organizations today are facing the need for a better public image — including mine. However, it is the responsibility of all faiths to work toward an improved understanding of our common and shared values in order to reduce suspicion and antipathy. Latter-day Saints have an active outreach to the Islamic community, where we have shared programs to improve our understanding and appreciation of each others beliefs and traditions. For example, we have shared a Breaking of the Fast with several Mosques in Orange County during Ramadan where speakers from both faiths explained what fasting means to them, expanding our knowledge about each other. My wife, Sheila, and I attended Masjid Omar in Anaheim just last Sunday afternoon, where we had dialogue with the leaders and participated in a presentation of “Women in Islam.”

Tom Thorkelson

Director of Interfaith Relations, Orange County Council