INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation opened its doors Wednesday to host an iftar dinner for the Muslim community on one of Islam’s most important days of the year.
The Night of a Thousand Months – Laylat al-Qadr, in Arabic – is the night when Muslims believe the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. Many Muslims will spend the entire night in prayer at their mosques in observance of Laylat al-Qadr.
When the Muslim Alliance of Indiana reached out to the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation to see if they would be willing to host an iftar dinner – during which Muslims break their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan – Rabbi Brett Krichiver welcomed them without hesitation.
Krichiver says the congregation has hosted a number of iftar events in the past, but because of recent attacks on Muslim and Jewish communities in America and around the world, he felt this year was more important than ever for faith communities to come together.
“I think that we are seeing a profound polarization in our country,” Krichiver said. “It may have started with politics, but it’s clearly touched on something much deeper than that. Faith communities have an opportunity to be a force for good, a force that drives us together, a force that connects us to our values that we share – or a force that drives us apart and creates conflict and more misunderstanding. We choose the good. We choose to get to know our neighbors. And even though there are plenty of issues upon which we might disagree, tonight is a reminder that we share these values together.”
Wednesday’s iftar was particularly important because it was the first that Mayor Joe Hogsett has participated in with Indy’s Muslim community.
.@IndyMayorJoe presents @IndianaMuslims with proclamation honoring the holy month of Ramadan in the city of Indianapolis. pic.twitter.com/ecPCaqqL1c
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 22, 2017
Hogsett presented the Muslim Alliance of Indiana with a proclamation honoring the holy month of Ramadan in Indianapolis, and stressed that the controversy over a recent anti-Muslim billboard on the southeast side would not tarnish Indianapolis.
“We will not be defined by a billboard,” he said. “We will not be defined by hate.”
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Hogsett was introduced by Ahmed Young, director of the office of education innovation and charter schools for the city of Indianapolis, and one of two Muslims in Hogsett’s cabinet.
“It’s a beautiful thing to have so many people come together to celebrate one faith’s traditions by showing that there’s a certain level of commonality and synergy between faiths,” Young said. “The more time we spend in interfaith dialogue, the less time we spend on the battlefield.”
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