Islamic Center of Hawthorne’s Open Mosque Day seeks to ease tension, build community

Rasa - Like many local Islamic schools and mosques, the Islamic Center of Hawthorne upgraded security after it was vandalized and threatened following the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino.

News ID: 424503

Date: 22 October 2016 - 23:06

RNA - Like many local Islamic schools and mosques, the Islamic Center of Hawthorne upgraded security after it was vandalized and threatened following the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino.

Mosque officials worked overtime to reassure a public stewing in heightened anti-Muslim sentiment that they opposed terrorism as much as the rest of the country. On Sunday, the Hawthorne center will join 30 mosques all over Southern California, and more around the country, that will welcome community members to Open Mosque Day led by the Shura Council of Southern California, a Garden Grove-based umbrella organization for the region’s mosques.

The theme at the Islamic Center of Hawthorne’s open house is “United We Stand.” It begins with a tour at 2:30 p.m. and a program follows at 3 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., free dinner will be served at the center, located at 12209 Hawthorne Way.

“As a community with different faiths, we can overcome any phobias, misconceptions and misunderstandings,” said Abdullah Ali, community outreach manager for the Islamic Center of Hawthorne.

“One of the main things that has come about (this year) is more interactions among the different faiths. Even though our mosque is always open to the community, this gives another opportunity to come into our space and observe for yourself who we are.”

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