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Jews, Muslims share moment of harmony
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- It was an intriguing sight: two Muslim men performing their prayers facing a holy ark in a synagogue. The time was 7:15 Wednesday evening. The place, Congregation B'nai Israel of St. Petersburg. The two men were Dr. Mohammad H. Sultan, 50, director and imam of the Islamic Society of the Tampa Bay Area, and Askia Muhammad Aquil, 55, former imam of the Masjid Al-Mu'minin, which means the Believers' Mosque, at 3762 18th Ave. S. In the United States, Muslims and Jews face approximately the same direction for prayer: Jews face east to Jerusalem, and Muslims face northeast to Mecca. Wednesday, therefore, Sultan and Aquil, guest speakers at Congregation B'nai Israel, performed their evening rituals turned toward an ark -- in which Torah scrolls are placed for services -- that stood in the eastern corner of the synagogue's youth lounge. Their action pointed to just one of the commonalities of the two Abrahamic faiths and set the tone for what was to be a cordial interfaith session organized by the synagogue's adult studies program. The occasion was studiously free of politics, steering clear of Israel, the Palestinians and other contentious issues. Barry Augenbraun, a member of Congregation B'nai Israel and an active member of the Jewish community, said he was not disappointed that Israel was not discussed. "I think there is a place for dialogue about this," he said. "But I think that there is a place for dialogue about Islam, which we need to learn about." Moments before the program began, Aquil said, "I hope that we can discuss subjects that can bring us closer together." Indeed, as the evening ended, synagogue members eagerly approached the Muslim speakers to shake hands and grab free copies of the Koran and pamphlets about Islam. "I think it was a good opening dialogue to educate some of our congregation that knew nothing about Islam," said David Halprin, who sits on Congregation B'nai Israel's board of trustees. "I don't think that Islam is a bad religion," he said. "I think that some extremists that captured our attention have given a bad impression of Islam, but then again, there are extremists in Judaism and Christianity, that, if examined, would not reflect well on the broader religion." Augenbraun found the session enlightening. "I think what was positive was to learn of the many quite remarkable similarities of theology between the Muslim faith and the Jewish faith," Augenbraun said. "But for me, the moment of truth came when the moderator posed the final question and the imam (Sultan) said that the separation of church and state is a doctrine foreign to Islam. That the true Muslim believes that only a government that governs by the rules of God entrusted to the Muslim people is a God that can be respected. . . . I thought the answer posed a significant issue as to whether adherents of the Muslim faith can participate in a democracy in which we believe that people vote to establish the rule of law, not mandates that were given to a particular theology. I appreciate the candor in which he responded to that issue." During Wednesday's program, Sultan, the Tampa imam, explained the basic tenets of Islam. Aquil, an African-American who was baptized in the African Methodist Episcopal church but converted to Islam in 1976, explained why he was drawn to the faith. Sultan, who is married and is the father of four children, said that Islam is both a religion and an ideology. "It is a point of view of life," he said. He added that the God of Islam is the same God worshiped by Jews and Christians, though sometimes referred to by different names. "He has no beginning, no end. His knowledge is unlimited. He has no partner, no mother, no father," Sultan said. "Islam is the last revelation that came to man." The imam, who was born in Jerusalem and moved to the United States 30 years ago, also spoke of Muslims' belief in heaven and hell and angels who are "assigned to record our deeds." He talked about the obligation to pray five times a day, to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, which will fall this year in November and the prohibitions against eating pork and having sex outside of marriage. Aquil, a St. Petersburg native whose mother, grandmother and a sister still attend the historic Bethel AME Church, told those gathered that he wanted to dispel the notion that Islam is an Eastern religion, an anathema to democracy, anti-Christian and anti-Jewish. He talked about growing up in segregated St. Petersburg and coming of age during the civil rights era. "Islam teaches that justice is next to piety. That certainly attracted me," he said, adding that the religion does not teach superiority based on race. "It's nonsense to think that this way of life is the enemy to the people of the Torah," he said. Later, during the question and answer period, Aquil, who is married and has seven children, including 20-month-old triplets, explained why Islam had attracted African-Americans. The appeal is based in large part on Islam's teachings about freedom, justice and equality, he said. "The Muslim faith speaks out against slavery," said Aquil, who changed his name from Otha L. Favors Jr. after his conversion. Now the executive director of the St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services, Aquil also told the audience that Islam prohibits the worship of graven images and that the faith does not accept the Christian belief of the Trinity. "God is not the committee. God is not a pantheon," he said. During an interview before the program, he said that exchanges such as the one at Congregation B'nai Israel should not be underestimated. "I think it's important because it provides an opportunity for us to get to know one another as fellow human beings, as people of faith and as citizens of the same community and country," Aquil said. Sultan, whose 1,700-person capacity Tampa mosque at 7326 E Sligh Ave. recently held an open house for the non-Muslim public, said interfaith discussions help to "establish awareness" and "hopefully an understanding" of Islam. The hope is, he said, that they would help to prevent the stereotyping and isolation of Muslims. Rabbi Jacob Luski of Congregation B'nai Israel said he was pleased with the evening. "Like major, important religions, there's lots to be learned and it can be very complicated," he said. "They presented clear basic ideas of theology and ideology so that we who are not that familiar with Islam could begin the process of understanding what Islam is all about." Earlier, as Sultan and Aquil said their evening prayers -- standing, kneeling and bowing in the direction of the holy ark -- Dr. Robert Weisberg, a past president of Congregation B'nai Israel and moderator of Wednesday night's program, remarked on the seeming harmony between the faiths that the scene presented. "The symbolism is profound," he said. "If only it were that easy."
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