RNA - "Islam is not IS (Islamic State) and Osama Bin Laden. It is up to us, Muslims in the community, to explain what Islam is," Dr. Asif Hussain, president and member of member of the Marshfield mosque Masjid Al Noor, told Marshfield News Herald.
Inviting people from all walks of life to their mosque, Muslims received about 150 people who took time to participate in a seminar about Islam.
Attendants included people from various professions including firefighters, carpenters and medical professionals.
Hussain praised the large crowd attending Freedom of Speech and Misconceptions about Islam seminar as a move in the right direction of mutual understanding.
Speakers included Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, the director of the Chicago-based GainPeace Project which was formed to share Islam with non-Muslims and to clarify misconceptions about the faith.
At the event, Dr Ahmed clarified that Christianity, Islam and Judaism share the same God and many other aspects of faith.
"For neighbors to become friends, they need to get to know each other. To become friends we need to look at the things we have in common," Ahmed said.
"I've studied the Quran, the Bible and about 80 percent of the things (in the books) we have in common," Ahmed said.
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