YOUNGSTOWN Speaker's focus is on unity of various faiths

The speaker said a full life comes from serving all creatures.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- People of faith are required by God to live and work together, said Ahmed Younis, the speaker at the 17th annual Community Interfaith Prayer Breakfast.
Younis is a Muslim who is studying law at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. He also is the author of "American Muslims: Voire Dire."
Younis spoke this morning at the Maronite Center on Meridian Road before a crowd of about 300 people representing the Mahoning Valley's faiths. Younis was the first Muslim keynote speaker at the breakfast.
"My life is more full if I serve all God's creatures," Younis said.
The Koran, the sacred book of Muslims, includes key figures from other faiths, such as Moses and Jesus. Younis said that the Koran's inclusion reaches to all.
"We make no distinction. We make no distinction between one and another of them, and to God we are submitters," he said.
"God also says in the Koran those who believe and those who follow the Jewish scriptures, and the Christians ... and any who believe in God in the last day and work righteousness shall have their reward with the Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
Brings out people's best
Some critics may focus on divisions between the faiths. But religion is not just ritualistic differences but an experience that brings out the best in people, he said.
"Religion gives full scope to man's initiative and discretion. It is meant for a free, intelligent person -- a person who has courage to think, judge and act for himself," Younis said.
That freedom is critical because each person will be judged by his or her God, he added.
In practice, that results in care for strangers, the poor, and others with need, he said.
Today, said Younis, there is a need for people to see with a "corrective lens" from God.
"As we apply it correctly, we issue a warning about the brutal consequences of exaggerating the differences between people of faith," he said.
Those exaggerations may block a convergence "of the deepest aspirations of the average human being."
"You want for your grandchildren and children what I want for my grandchildren and children. You want for yours what I want for mine," he added.
Historically, Younis argued, there have been more dialogues of cultures and faith than divergences. And that's because of faith.
"Your actions, your dealing with the world, are defined by your relationship with that [spiritual] entity," Younis said. "My relationship with my neighbor is based on my relationship with God."
The speaker urged people to return to the basics of their faith, such as self-determination, peace, and diverse communities.
wilkinson@vindy.com