Islamic Center of Naperville to host Open Mosque day for all Faiths.

Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) to host Open Mosque day for all Faiths.

Naperville, April 15, 2017: Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) has stepped up to host Open Mosque day for all faiths and request to join them on Sunday, April 23rd from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at their facility on 2844 W. Ogden Ave, Naperville, IL.60540.

The Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) is a non-profit organization that provides religious services, programs for the youth and adults, charitable donations and education with an emphasis on promoting communal harmony through interfaith activities. ICN has been an integral part of the Naperville community for the past 26 years and have developed great relationships with different faith organizations and local government and law enforcement.

Shoaib Khadri, President of the Islamic Center said, "With Muslims and Islam in the news lately, we feel it is critical that all people who are exposed to the negative news be given an opportunity to learn the truth about our faith from the source. Although we have regular events with our interfaith partners, there are many people who have a lot of questions on Islam and the Open Mosque Day is the perfect platform to address them. The primary purpose of the event is to open the doors of our mosque to our neighbors, families, friends and colleagues of different faiths to give them an opportunity to visit a mosque, something they may never have had a chance to do."

Mr. Khadri added that the format of the event is designed for a moving crowd where people can visit anytime during the five hour period from 11 AM to 4 PM. He said that there will be various booths that present different aspects of the Islamic faith where people can ask questions, get an opportunity to meet the Imam (Religious Scholar) and discuss any topics with him, observe afternoon congregational prayer, get a tour of the mosque; the ladies can get henna on their hands and try on a hijab (head scarf), there will be a booth where you can get your name written in Arabic calligraphy and much more.

The Chair of the Outreach Committee, Mr. Yusuf Siddiqui who is the lead organizer of the event said, “At a time when divisiveness seems to permeate certain segments of society along racial, religious and ethnic lines, we feel that this event would help bring the community together by celebrating our diversity. He enthusiastically highlighted a new exhibit that they launched at the last Open Mosque Day called Journey through Time. He added, “it’s a multi-media experience that features the six great prophets – Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon all of them). People of the Christian and Jewish tradition who watched this presentation were amazed by the similarity in our beliefs and could relate to the stories that they have heard in the books of genesis. Many of them did not realize that the Islamic tradition lays great emphasis on these prophets.”

Mr. Khadri mentioned that different types of food will also be served at the event saying, "Of course, we cannot host an event without some good food - we will have refreshments from the Middle East and South Asia and an area for people to sit around, eat and interact in a warm, friendly and informal setting to give an opportunity for people of all faiths to get to know each other better."
The event is totally free and he urged people of all faiths to attend the event with their family and friends. If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]