Source: Daily Democrat
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_5101611
During a time of global religious divide, members of Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths are gathering together to find and explore commonalties in their beliefs, rather than focusing on their differences.
"Strangers in Our Midst" is the theme for the fourth-annual Celebration of Abraham, which will be held in St. James Catholic Church, 1275 B St., Davis from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admittance is free, and anyone is welcome to attend.
"(The idea of) dealing with strangers came us as we realized that all of us were strangers at one time or another," said Dr. Hazma El-Nakhal, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Sacramento Valley, and an organizer of the event. "We were ever strangers to each other before we met in the Celebration of Abraham. Eventually all of us will be friends or brothers and sisters. To know the aim of our theme, you should attend our event."
The Celebration of Abraham was prompted after the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.
"The followers of three faiths started a journey together, based on the invitation from Mr. Randy Rose, a lawyer from Lodi, in order to support our communities in Davis and Woodland," El-Nakhal said.
In the first Celebration of Abraham, held at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Woodland, participants probed what each religion told them about Abraham.