Source: The Journal News
On December 2, 2005 The Journal News reported, "Mary Joyce Beringer wrapped a red, floral scarf around her head and made sure she removed her shoes before she entered the Westchester Muslim Center yesterday morning. It's not what she would've done on any Sunday at the Larchmont Avenue Church, her parish, but she wanted to be as respectful as possible. The gesture was well-received. 'We need to know about each other, regardless of what we believe in. We need to understand and love each other,' said Beringer, 70, one of the 10 members of the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Interfaith Council who visited the mosque yesterday to learn more about Islam. The council, comprising some 30 residents drawn from several churches and synagogues in Long Island Sound shore communities, aims to educate members and villages through educational forums, presentations and field trips to different houses of worship, said Mary Lee Berridge, the council president. Yesterday, all 10 members — all women — covered their heads and sat on the blue carpet inside the mosque as representatives from the Muslim center talked to them about rituals, parts of the Qur'an — the Islamic holy book — and daily prayer... [Imam Quari Amjad] and others at the Muslim Center are trying to step up educational outreach in Westchester County, including handing out educational fliers on the basic tenets of the faith and inviting those of other faiths to visit the mosque."