Catholics, Muslims Hold Summit in O.C.

Guess who came to dinner?

At the Islamic Society of Orange County mosque Tuesday evening, the unlikely guests included the Roman Catholic archbishop of Seattle, priests and nuns.

The Persian meal and prayer service that followed were part of a three-day interfaith summit, which ends today, between top West Coast Catholic and Muslim leaders.

The second annual meeting was designed to promote better understanding between the faiths and forge partnerships to counter what they see as the evils in secularized society, including abortion and pornography.

“The Islamic community isn’t our enemy. They are our friends,” said Archbishop Alexander J. Burnett of Seattle. “We’re both fighting the same battles over the moral issues of the day. [If we don’t join together,] society will put its stamp on us.”

Twenty religious leaders from throughout California and Seattle were invited in pairs to Orange County: a Muslim and Catholic each from such places as Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. The idea was to establish friendships that can translate into local interfaith cooperation and action.

Abu Qadir Al-Amin, imam of the San Francisco Muslim Community Center, said his mosque already has formed partnerships with other faiths to provide homeless shelters on cold nights, give spiritual guidance to juvenile delinquents and become a more powerful lobbyist to the mayor.

“Interfaith activity is necessary because of the diverse nature of society,” Qadir Al-Amin said. “We need to work together, especially on social issues. [We believe it’s beneficial to work] with all God-conscious people.”

Talks were given by Muslims and Catholics around the dialogue’s topic, “Surrender to God,” a central theological theme in both religions.

“We have great commonality with our Catholic friends,” said Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Society of Orange County and a national Muslim leader. “And we’ve both been misunderstood and misrepresented. We have a saying: ‘We’re enemies of the things we do not know.’ ”

In a show of respect for religious differences, Catholics covered Christian artwork in the library at the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange, where most the event is being held, and placed rugs facing Mecca so Muslim leaders could say their prayers throughout the day.

“We’re not trying to create a super religion,” said Dr. John Borelli, a Catholic interfaith expert. “Dialogue [from other faiths] is good for all religious people” by deepening their understanding of spiritual matters.

But first the stereotypes of Muslims or Catholics--generated by mass media, especially on film--need to be erased, the leaders said.

“This [summit] is a chance for first-hand information, unfiltered conversations,” Burnett said. “We can challenge each other and unravel the misconceptions. There’s some tension, but it’s not an enduring thing. It’s always been fruitful.”