Open Mosque Day invites community to learn about Islam, Muslim neighbors

The call to prayer rang out just past 1 p.m. inside the Islamic Center of Melville Saturday.

For the Muslims in attendance, it signified the upcoming midday prayer as part of the daily salat — one of the five Pillars of Islam. For the others in attendance, including Christians and Jews, it was a chance to see how community members of a different religion celebrate their faith.

About 100 people visited the center for an Open Mosque Day, when the Islamic Center of Melville welcomed residents of all faiths on a tour of their nearly completed 45,000-square-foot mosque and community center. The event provided an opportunity for people to learn about Islam, experience the culture and meet their Muslim neighbors.

Sally Hassanien, vice president of the mosque, said the idea behind the event was for people to witness firsthand how the center is used and to get to know the administration and congregants.

"People are afraid of what they don't know," she said.

The Hillside Islamic Center in New Hyde Park also hosted an Open Mosque Day later in the day. The events were held in partnership with GainPeace, a public education and outreach project of the Islamic Circle of North America, and ICNA New York.

Hassanien said the center offers programs for "families at every stage of life," including Sunday school and camps.

Sabeel Ahmed, executive director of GainPeace, served as keynote speaker and delivered a historical overview of Islam and Islamic culture, at times quizzing the audience with questions like which country has the highest Muslim population.

Answer: Indonesia.

Ahmed, who lives in Chicago, said he travels across the country to help host similar events and build bridges between people of different faiths.

Guests received an English-translated version of the Quran as well as a booklet of the top 50 questions of Islam. A tour of the facility showcased not only the prayer space but the classrooms, banquet area for community events and the gymnasium still under construction. The center was established in 2000 in a much smaller building on the property and a grand opening of the new facility will be held sometime in the fall.

As part of the tour, women could try on a headscarf known as a hijab or have their hands painted in henna, a temporary tattoo often worn during celebrations like weddings. At the end of the event, guests were served food like Egyptian-style falafel, a fava bean dish called ful medames, as well as Turkish cigar rolls.

During a question-and-answer session, Ahmed answered a question about the link between terrorism and Islam. He cautioned against blaming a faith for anyone's heinous acts and said Muslims around the world should live with their neighbors "with kindness, with justice and with peace."

"If any human is doing anything wrong, we should condemn that person, but not the faith of that person," he said.

Several members of the Huntington Action Network Against Hate attended the event to gain a greater understanding of Islam and Muslim neighbors.

Bill Kiley, of East Northport, called it a "wonderful opportunity" to attend a forum "where we can explore our commonalities and our differences."

Beverly Horowitz, of Huntington, said part of the group's mission "is to understand each other" and they can do that by learning about Muslim neighbors.