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Central Christian Church will host a showing of the TV program at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
The journey began when members of the Central Christina Church heard Samina Ahmed, a member of the Miami Valley Islamic Association, speak at Wittenberg University and wanted to learn more about the Muslim faith. At the same time, producers from CBS were looking for faith communities to document and interview, and they decided that Springfield would be one of those communities.
The event began with almost 4o members of the Central Christian visiting Masjid Al Madina for a Friday night worship service.
“It was an amazing experience,” Senior Pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian said. “Prior to that I don’t know if I ever sat down with a person of Islamic faith. I didn’t know much about their faith, didn’t have anyone I considered a friend who was Muslim. Now I have a bunch of friends who are Muslim.”
DETAILS: CBS to film documentary on Springfield Muslims, Christians
That night they shared a meal hosted by the Muslim community.
Then two days later, nearly forty members of Masjid Al Madina joined Central Christian for a Sunday morning service.
“I was impressed and everyone was very friendly on both sides,” said Dr. Akber Mohammed, a member of the Miami Valley Islamic Association. “Feelings were mutual and we are going on to building friendships.”
That evening the church held a dinner and then a panel discussion so that members of both faiths could ask questions ranging from the meaning of jihad and Sharia to the trinity and the difference between Christian denominations.
“The reaction from the congregation was extremely positive,” Ruby said. “Everyone was very excited about the event and is anxious to see where this goes next because we don’t want it to be a standalone event but the start of a standing relation between the two congregations.”
Both organizations are excited for the CBS documentary and have high hopes for it.
“I’m hoping the documentary will bring unity and build bridges,” Ahmed said, adding, “I’ve never been more proud to be an American Muslim as I am today because people in my community are so supportive.”
Ruby said he hopes people who watch the show will understand that there are powerful stereotypes at play that are hurtful to the Muslim residents in Springfield,
“And that even though some key aspects of our faiths are very different, we can still build genuine friendships and work together for the common good of our communities,” Ruby said.
Mohammed thanked CBS for helping to bring the communities together.
“We are able to build more associations, bridges and friendships,” he said. “It gives a message to other religious communities to come together because we are all human beings.”
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