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March 6, 2003
Group seeks interfaith communication
Muslim dialog Group to become official student organization
By Dann Denny,
Herald-Times Staff Writer
Three months ago, about 15 Muslims — most of them doctoral students at Indiana University — formed a group and birthed a dream.
"We felt, especially after the events of 9-11, it was important for Christians, Muslims and people of all faiths to get to know one another better," said Bulent Koksal, a Turkish Ph.D. student in economics. "So we formed a group to create settings for dialog and building friendships that will help all of us appreciate diverse opinions and break down stereotypes."
The new Bloomington Muslim dialog Group is inviting people of all faiths to its inauguration ceremony from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Phi Delta Kappa International Conference Center, 408 N. Union St. The free event will include live Turkish music and food and short talks by leaders of various faiths.
"We don't want to impose our beliefs on anyone or convert anyone to Islam," said the group's president. "We want to promote respect and understanding among all faith traditions and share our various perspectives so we can learn from each other."
The group, which will become an official student organization next week headed by an IU faculty advisor, already has visited an Amish community and made presentations in nearly a dozen area churches and synagogues.
At the St. Paul Catholic Center, for example, group members participated in a candlelight service in which candles were wrapped with Islamic prayer beads and a Catholic crucifix, along with the words, "Peace begins in understanding others."
"We've been very happy with the response we've received from local churches," said Uyar, a Ph.D. student in computer science. "They have been very positive and accepting, and several of the priests and pastors have prayed for us." Uyar said during a recent visit to one church he "felt accepted like a brother."
Murat Yilmaz, another group member, says the interaction with church members has resulted in ongoing friendships between Muslims and Christians.
"We hope this is just a starting point," he said. "Our goal is to have interfaith picnics, and have families of different faiths share dinners in one another's homes."
Darrell Davis, a Lutheran who's joined the group, said his interaction with Muslims has dashed several misconceptions he had about Islam.
"I had no idea Islam embraces Jesus and sees him as the messiah," he said, while several Muslims sitting alongside him nodded in agreement. "In fact, Muslims feel anyone who speaks disparagingly about Jesus is blaspheming against God."
Though the dialog group is composed primarily of Turkish Muslims, its leaders hope it soon will include Muslims from other countries, as well as people of all faiths — as well as atheists, pagans and agnostics.
"We all live in the same world together, regardless of our religious faith," said group member Ihsan Colat. "We can all learn from one another."
Koksal emphasized that the group is not meant to promote any particular faith or ideology — but to build bonds of friendship.
When Davis first learned about the group's desire to reach out to the Christian community, he said he felt embarrassed.
"They are guests in our country, and they are the ones initiating the outreach," he said. "As a Christian, I feel we should have been the ones to reach out to them.
"It's not easy reaching out to strangers who may hate you out of ignorance," he said. "I'm proud of these guys for their commitment to breaking down barriers, and I hope it inspires others to start something similar in their own communities."
Reporter Dann Denny can be reached by phone at 331-4350, or by e-mail at denny@heraldt.com.
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