Islamic Center of DeKalb invites residents to Beloved Community event

DeKALB – Osama Mohsen, a physics doctoral candidate at Northern Illinois University and practicing Muslim, spoke with a few attendees about Islam and the Quran while they were waiting for the Beloved Community event on Sunday to begin.

The Beloved Community event includes a tour of the Islamic Center of DeKalb, 801 Normal Road, and dinner at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 900 Normal Road.

The title of the event series refers to a term used by Martin Luther King Jr. to describe the end goal of the civil rights movement.

Mohsen said that it was good to see so many local community members come by the mosque and interact with them. He said events like this provide a good introduction for anyone from any group who may be curious about religion in general, but especially Islam.

“This kind of event makes you reach out [to] other people,” Mohsen said.

Mohammed Labadi, president of the Islamic Center of DeKalb, joined other attending members of the mosque in answering questions about Islam, such as how Muslims pray, why those who enter the mosque must take off their shoes and why women of the faith cover their heads with scarves.

About 75 people attended the event. Labadi said this was the fourth or fifth Beloved Community event the mosque and other community churches participated in, and he said every event has been well-received so far from the community.

Labadi said one purpose of the event is to make sure people get their information about Islam straight from the source.

“I keep giving the example, ‘If you want an electrical problem fixed, you don’t go to a dentist – you go to an electrician,’ ” Labadi said. “ ‘If you want a plumbing problem fixed, you don’t go to a doctor; you go to a plumber.’

"Same thing if you want to gain some information or some insight on Islam – our No. 1 source is the Quran, but
if you don't have access to it or you want to talk to a human being and ask
questions, it's best that you ask a
Muslim to do that, versus a Christian or Jew or a newscaster."

DeKalb resident Crystal Hamilton said she is atheist and attended the event because of President Donald Trump.

“I just think the way the Muslim community is being treated is very offensive and basically wanted to find a way to show some kind of support,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said she thought the event was a positive experience for her and that it was a nice way to get people to come together.

Isobel Cummings, a DeKalb resident and member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church at 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, said she felt like she got a lot of her questions about Islam answered at the event.

“I think it’s good for the community because we have to understand that everything we’re told in the media is not the truth,” Cummings said. “We have to get along.”