Standing Room Only for launch of Islam 101

It was "standing room only" at All Saints Church in Pasadena on Tuesday night as over 100 parish and community members attended the first in a series of "ISLAM 101" presentations by leaders in the Southern California Muslim community.

Tuesday's opening night speaker, Dr. Laila al-Marayati was a powerful witness to the core Muslim values of peace, justice and compassion

"To be religious in the 21st century is to be interreligious," said All Saints rector Ed Bacon. "And to be faithfully interreligious is to seek greater understanding about other faiths. 'Islam 101' is an important addition to All Saints' long-time commitment to interfaith dialogue, education and collaboration. I was thrilled by this great turnout for our first session and excited that we need to arrange for a bigger room for next week to accommodate all who want to come and be transformed and by the teaching of our Muslim brothers and sisters!"

Upcoming Islam 101 speakers include:

Imam Jihad Turk. ■ Thursday, October 21st ■ 7:00 p.m. Imam Jihad Turk is the Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California. Born to a Muslim-Palestinian father and a Christian-American mother, He founded and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Christian-Muslim Consultative Group, comprised of major Christian and Muslim denominations and organizations intent on under-standing each other and working together on common goals. He is also a Religious Director at the University of Southern California, where he advises and serves the needs of the Muslim students on campus.

Dr. Maher Hathout. ■ Saturday, October 30th ■ 10:00 a.m. Dr. Maher Hathout — a leading spokesperson for the American Muslim community — is a retired physician best known for his tireless commitment to public service. He is an international figure who is highly regarded as a positive voice of Islam offering a unique and valuable perspective on national and international issues involving Muslims and a long time friend of All Saints Church. His articles and interviews haveappeared in such prominent newspapers as The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal &The Christian Science Monitor.

Saadia Khan. ■ date and time TBD ■ Saadia Khan serves as the Hate Crimes Prevention Coordinator and Census 2010 Coordinator for the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Saadia joined MPAC in the summer of 2007 as an intern in the Los Angeles office and after her internship joined the staff, helping plan the 1st Annual Youth Leadership Summit in LA and the 7th Annual Convention. MPAC is a long time justice ally of All Saints Church and Saadia is a compelling and dynamic speaker who has much to teach us about Islam’s core values of peace, justice and compassion.