This fall my church, Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, has hosted a series of classes on Islam. It has been exciting to learn know how uninformed I was about Islam.

At the most recent session the Ph.D. that is teaching used a Muslim children’s book’s to share a story from the Quran. That is perhaps the best way to show where we are all at in our understanding.

There is a lot of fear about Islam or better said about a particular group of people who claim Islam as their reason for the unreasonable.

On my visit to Friday prayers at a local mosque I met those whom many fear. An imam whose dressed the same as the Ayatollah or Osama Bin Laden. Though I’m sure that to someone from Arabia the differences in their dress would be obvious.

This Imam gave a moving sermon in Arabic. The same language used by ISIS propaganda. Though someone who spoke Arabic would be able to clearly tell them apart.

These people stopped being “these people” and started being father’s and husband’s and sons. Amazingly humble and hospitable people.

When we asked what we might do, they said tell people about us. So, in my small way I am. The people of the Idris Mosque in North Seattle are your neighbors. You should get to know them.