Muslims from the Oklahoma City area gathered at the state capitol Friday to discuss how they can be more involved in their community.
This was the second annual Oklahoma Muslim Day at the capitol put on by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The day-long event started with a breakfast sponsored by Interfaith Alliance Foundation of Oklahoma and an opening prayer. The day was followed by a series of talks over topics such as importance of millennial civic engagement, separation of church and state, how social media helps achieve cultural change and religious profiling.
State representative George Young Sr. (D-Oklahoma City), gave the keynote address about the importance of civic engagement for the American Muslim community.
During this election year where candidates have occasionally used rhetoric offensive to different ethnic communities, Young said it is vital that Muslim Americans brace themselves for the adversity they may face and use their civil rights, such as voting.
Because of Interfaith Alliance-Oklahoma’s presence, Christian and Jewish references were blended into the day’s speakers and prayers in order to encourage harmony and peace among different religions.
“We’re not terrorists, we’re not crazy people, we just have a certain faith and we follow it,” said Mukarram AbuAlouf, a graduate student at OU in human relations. “Prophet Muhammed said to take care of your neighbors, he didn’t say Muslim neighbors or Christian neighbors, (he meant) all of your neighbors.”