Walking and Questioning: Members of Different Faiths Visit Each Others' Religious Institutions

Christians, Jews and Muslims joined on the north end of Staten Island on Sunday for the 7th annual Interfaith Walk, organized by the Building Bridges Coalition.

At the first stop, the Brighton Heights Reformed Church, Rabbi Judah Newberger took the pulpit -- and warned that the First Amendment rights of American Muslims were being threatened. “The sounds of mass hysteria are afoot,” he said. “And we must confront the disease lest it infect us all.” Newberger described a recent newspaper cartoon he’d seen, picturing a Macy’s Day parade float that was a Christmas sleigh, drawn by eight veiled women, with Osama bin Laden on top, holding up the severed head of Santa Claus. “There is no place for this kind of so-called political cartoon,” he said. “It is a summons to the worst kinds of political stereotyping. It is a summons to hatred.”

The 50-plus participants in the event then walked to the nearby Al-Ihsan Mosque. There, rabbis, pastors and laypeople alike removed their shoes, parked themselves on the carpet, and listened to the azaan, or Muslim call to prayer. After further remarks by the Reverend Charles Howell, and another prayer, by a rabbi, the audience was allowed to ask questions about Islam. Those ranged from the issues of Islamic religious law, known as "sharia," to women's rights.

Answering a question about wedding vows, Roseanne El Meligy said Muslim couples frequently write their own contracts. “For example,” she said, with a laugh, “I'm remembering -- my husband told me about friends of ours, that when they got married, the wife put in that she would not cook, except if she feels like it, on the weekends.”

After that, participants concluded the interfaith walk at the St. Peters Roman Catholic Church, down the road, where the speakers included Hindus, Buddhists and Christian clergy. No synagogues were visited, but in the spirit of the event, kosher refreshments were served.