The annual interfaith iftar and dinner was an opportunity to celebrate the diversity among different religious communities while recognizing the unifying virtues present in many faiths.
With more than 150 in attendance at the Islamic Center of Yorba Linda on Wednesday, March 20, a gathering that included city officials, business leaders, law enforcement officials and members of the center’s congregation, the turnout was among the largest in the 17-year history of the annual interfaith iftar.
“As our event continues to grow and become more popular every year, it’s really wonderful to see the support that we get from our local Yorba Linda community and surrounding areas,” said Aliya Yousufi, the center’s director of outreach.
The dinner was held on the 10th day of Ramadan, a month-long period of spiritual rejuvenation for Muslims around the world.
For the entire holy month, Muslims refrain from food and water from sunrise through sunset, at which time, they break their fast with a prayer and a meal, called an iftar.
“The main significance of the event is to get the faiths of different denominations together and sit down and come to know each other, express the feelings about it so that this could be a better world to live in,” said Aslan Dada, an outreach coordinator and one of the founding members of the center. “You know, the way things are right now everywhere in the world, all we need is peace. And if you look at this place, you will see what an amazing peaceful place it’s going to be with people from all walks of life.”
The evening began with a recitation from the Quran followed by a Sikh prayer and a Christian prayer.
Keynote speakers included Rabbi Joseph Mendelsohn from the Reform Temple of Laguna Woods; Yorba Linda Mayor Tara Campbell; Dr. Sana Tayyen, the center’s senior outreach advisor and professor of religious studies at Redlands University; and Gail Sterns, dean emerita of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel at Chapman…
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