USA: Boonton mayor helping to promote peace for all cultures at Muslim for Peace event

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"Those of us over 40, we remember America pre-9/11, people born after 1995 know only this America, an America at war, an America in debt... Those of us who remember pre-9/11 know how great America can be."

Hafiz Samiullah Chaudhary speaks during the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of
North Jersey Muslims for Peace & Loyalty 2015 at the The Villa in Mountain Lakes.
Photo: George McNish / NJ Advance Media

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Neighbor News / NorthJersey.Com
By Lisa Kintish | September 23, 2015

Building bridges, becoming neighbors, and forging better understanding among different cultures were the messages of the Muslims for Peace and Loyalty event held Sept. 10 at the Villa at Mountain Lakes.

Hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of North Jersey, speakers and attendees included mayors James Barberio of Parsippany and Cyril Wekilsky of Boonton along with members of local law enforcement.

In his welcome address, Barberio observed that there are "values" which connect all people, be them Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. Those are life, truth, decency, and respect for all as well as an abhorrence of violence.

Barberio noted that the members of the Muslim community are "woven into the fabric of society" and the "extremists deviate from the teachings of the Koran."

He concluded, "We must stand together to denounce violence and spread the word of peace and mutual respect."

Such was the sentiment of the night, that we are all not so different. Misunderstandings about culture stem from not knowing people of that culture and it is only by becoming neighbors rather than remaining strangers that we replace fear with knowledge. The informative evening was about becoming friends.

All cultures are intertwined in Boonton said Wekilsky, who told a story that bore this out. When the mosque in Boonton was being built, Wekilsky spoke at a fundraiser, in which at the time he noted, he was in a Christian church, fundraising for a Muslim mosque that had previously been a Jewish synagogue, "which tells what Boonton is."

Wekilsky’s remarks truly summed up the point of such an event. A Christian born in a Muslim country, Iran, Wekilsky, is proud that Boonton serves as a model of how things can work at a grass roots level. The town has two mosques and a large Muslim community.

Also in attendance this night were New Jersey State Senator Anthony Bucco, Parsippany Councilman Michael DePierro, Mountain Lakes Police Chief Shawn Bennett, and numerous Morris County officials.

Salaam Bhatti, deputy spokesperson, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, recalled his childhood in Pennsylvania as a first-generation American. He learned English by watching the television show, "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood." Bhatti noted that he later came to understand the term neighbor is not limited to those who live next door, but extends to the community, one's country, and the world.

Muslims, he explained, share the Judeo-Christian belief to be kind to your neighbors. Bhatti then noted, this is currently not happening.

The event took place on the eve of the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The members of the Ahmadiyya community strongly noted that "it is the religious duty of a Muslim to be loyal to the country where he or she resides."

Bhatti said there is the misconception that Muslims are loyal to Mecca and the Midddle East, rather, "We are loyal to our country of residence."

The night’s speakers repeatedly condemned the acts of the terrorists and explained that the reprehensible behavior was not in line with the teachings of the Koran.

Comparing the world before September 11, 2001 and after, Bhatti said, "Those of us over 40, we remember America pre-9/11, people born after 1995 know only this America, an America at war, an America in debt... Those of us who remember pre-9/11 know how great America can be."

Bhatti detailed several peace-oriented campaigns taken on by the Ahmadiyya community, such as Muslims for Life, an annual blood drive effort to commemorate those killed 14 years ago. Through the blood donations, thousands of lives have been saved.

Imam Naseem Mahdi, national vice president and missionary in charge, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, also noted the blood drive. He said that on September 11, 2001, he was in Toronto and wanted to offer his services to help the community. He conveyed this message to the Canadian government and made blood available. Unfortunately, it was not needed, as he noted, "the majority of people perished."

Mahdi called the attacks, a "crime against humanity."

It was at the 10th anniversary of 9/11 that the campaign to save lives was introduced.

According to its literature, "the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, reformist and fast-growing international movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, the Community spans 206 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, established in 1920, is among the first American-Muslim organizations."

Email: kintish@northjersey.com


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