Neighbor to Neighbor sponsors screening of 'American Mosque'

posted on: Feb 5, 2015

When Christian, Muslim and Jewish believers fall victim to hate crimes, no matter how small, the injury is global. Conversely, when those believers reconcile, forgive, learn and connect, the healing spreads worldwide.

This reconciliation and connection is the purpose of Neighbor to Neighbor, an East Bay partnership formed in 2011 between Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, San Ramon Valley Islamic Center and Temple Isaiah in Lafayette.

Rejecting extremism, encouraging religious tolerance and promoting the constitutional right to worship freely, the interfaith initiative will screen the award-winning documentary “An American Mosque” on Feb. 7 at LOPC. Following the 27-minute film, the program includes a Q&A session with “American Mosque” producer and filmmaker David Washburn and small-group breakout discussions of ideas introduced by the film and applied to current events.

“Our approach is intergenerational, as well as interfaith, so families are welcome,” said Terence Clark, an LOPC member, Neighbor to Neighbor leader/coordinator and the president of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County.

Clark, Rabbi Judy Shanks of Temple Isaiah and members of the San Ramon Valley Islamic Center helm an unusual trifecta with Neighbor to Neighbor, but Clark says panel discussions led by experts from each faith and small-group discussions — sometimes dinners held in his and other Neighbor to Neighbor members’ homes — have led to unprecedented empathy.

Source: www.contracostatimes.com