Source: Muslim American Society
http://www.masnet.org/masnews.asp?id=5326
The audience was just what you would expect in a Presbyterian church fellowship hall: mostly white and elderly.
The speakers were not. Two Muslim imams, one African-American and the other Kuwaiti-born, were there to lead Islam 101.
Foad Farahi spoke first, softly and in Arabic: Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim.
''We can't hear you!'' interjected a woman in the audience.
''I think he's saying a prayer,'' said a woman seated nearby.
Close enough. Farahi was sharing a common Islamic refrain: In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate.
Sandwiched between sessions on Judaism and Presbyterianism, this Wednesday night class was part of a series called Religious Traditions sponsored by the University of Miami's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Osher offers low-cost classes for senior citizens on subjects including photography, memory enhancement and music appreciation. Most meet at the university's Coral Gables campus, but the institute branched out to Miami Shores last fall.
Religious Traditions, which also covers Catholics, Quakers, Hindus and Unitarians, has attracted about 30 students to each one-hour session. A $10 fee includes dinner.
While most mosques and churches are open to the public and interfaith dialogue is as old as the Silk Road, the discussion of Islam was a rare exchange among people from deeply different backgrounds.