“Those who believe [in the Quran], and those who follow the Jewish [Scriptures], and the Christians in the Sabians, and who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”
The Quran 2:62
By Charly SHELTON

On Friday, the Islamic Congregation of La Cañada Flintridge held its 11th annual Ramadan Interfaith Potluck Dinner to break the fast of the day and come together in celebration and community with its Muslim and non-Muslim neighbors.

Ramadan is a month-long period of fasting, meditation, prayer and good deeds. From the evening of May 26 to the evening of June 24, Muslims will fast during the daylight hours and neither eat nor drink and will focus on doing good deeds.

“During that time, you develop a sense of hunger and thirst. You’re still working in the daytime and are surrounded by everyone else who is eating and drinking. We begin to develop not just a sense of discipline but a sense of empathy for those who might be hungry otherwise,” said Jihad Turk, president of Bayan Claremont, the first graduate theology school for Islam.

Each night, they come together for the ifthar, or the evening meal, to break the fast. This is usually done together with neighbors, friends and family. You are always either inviting someone over or being invited over, Turk said. And it is in this spirit that the Islamic Congregation has held its annual interfaith ifthar for so many years. Partnering with local churches, including St. George’s Episcopal and La Cañada Presbyterian Church in La Cañada and All Saints Church in Pasadena, the doors are opened to a potluck and all interested parties are invited to stand with them in evening prayer.

“For us it’s obviously the chance to stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors but also I love the homey feeling of this place,” said Randy Heyn-Lamb from Pasadena, a member of All Saints Church who has been attending the annual ifthar for five or six years. “There are few places in this area that I feel more welcome than when I’m here. It’s just a big family.”

The evening included breaking the fast with dates, evening prayers on the lawn and a bountiful potluck dinner, followed by readings from the Quran and a presentation by Turk on Ramadan overall and what it means to be Muslim today. He stressed that with all the issues surrounding Islam in America today, the way out of the mire is through good deeds and fellowship.

“In dealing with society and neighbors, people feel completely comfortable and open and curious as to wanting to know what is going on. What does jihad really mean? I’m reaffirmed in my American identity just by virtue of the fact that people are so generally open,” Turk said. “Now yes, there are pundits and bigoted people, people who are racist, and all kinds of things, but they are the minority. They are the minority and most [who embody] the Christian spirit, the American spirit [find that it is] welcoming and inclusive. So I encourage more activities like this, where we’re reaching out and going out of our way to be known for the good deeds that we perform and the charitable works and contributing to the betterment of the society in which we live in, building on the common ground for a better tomorrow. We will ultimately be known for that over the noise that’s on the news or the extremist groups who are active primarily abroad.”

For more information on the Islamic Congregation and its upcoming events, visit iclcf.org.

  Charly Shelton