[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n
In the wake of the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand, South Carolina Muslims say they would like their predominantly Christian neighbors to learn more about the faith that is practiced by more than 1.8 million people around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n Almeera Lateef, a Columbia native and president of the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Carolina, said she has experienced prejudice against her religion. She recalled leaving a downtown mosque and being harassed by a drunk motorist passing by her and her mother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The root of the problem, Lateef believes, is islamophobia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIslamophobia is a real and scary thing that exists in our world… I feel like accepting that there is a problem is the first step because a lot of people refuse to even accept that islamophobia is a real thing,\u201d Lateef said. <\/span><\/p>\n She said the\u00a0Muslim community needs others to attend daily prayers or join them for a meal to break down barriers among different religions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That is what New Zealanders are doing after the normal quiet of Christchurch turned into terror March 15 when accused gunman Breton Harrison Tarrant killed 50 people and wounded another 50 in their places of worship. Harrison livestreamed some of the attack and posted an anti-immigrant diatribe before launching the killing. The city has fewer than two percent of Muslim residents.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the Pew Research Center, fewer than one percent of adults in South Carolina profess the Muslim faith. There are seven mosques in the capital city, as compared to dozens of churches. Even on the other side of the world, the effect of the attack is being felt by the Muslim community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think the best thing to do is just to continue to work on different interfaith initiatives, and just reaching out to the Muslim community… anything to show compassion to their situation, continuing to get rid of the misconceptions that do surround the Muslim community,\u201d said Lateef.<\/span><\/p>\n The response that Lateef and the Muslim community are in search of requires follow-through and a commitment to form relationships. Many of the prejudices that Lateef has come across are based on misinformed ideas regarding Islam. \u00a0<\/p>\n Brenda Kneece, the executive director of the South Carolina Christian Action Council, works with 14 Christian denominations to promote intrafaith and interfaith harmony and understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just tolerance, right? I want to, as a Christian, stand with my Muslim sister, and fight for her right to express her religion freely, because I\u2019m an American,\u201d said Kneece. <\/span><\/p>\n Kneece sees the importance of showing up in the community, getting out of your comfort zone and learning. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen we think of ways to stand beside those who are hurting, you have to have a relationship,\u201d said Kneece. <\/span><\/p>\n She believes that this week could be seen as a space to get to know Muslim neighbors by attending a prayer service, fixing a meal and beginning to invest their lives. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo see ourselves as just another human being that seeks to be with you in this time of hurt who seeks to connect with you, to listen to your story, or to just embrace you and bear your tears,\u201d said Kneece.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Interfaith Partners of South Carolina is trying to bridge the gap between religious groups in South Carolina. Adrian Bird, the president, sees the importance of interfaith conversations that can be had in Columbia. <\/span><\/p>\n On its Facebook page, IPSC stated that the organization’s members \u201c<\/span>commit to standing in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, working tirelessly to build bridges of understanding, cooperation and peace across our communities.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it is important that we recognize the local impact when such events happen, even if they are so far away,\u201d said Bird. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He echoes the sentiments of Kneece and Lateef, and believes that the start of the solution begins with real relationships, especially in the wake of tragedy. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we can do is turn to our Muslim brothers and sisters and say we are here, and we want to help build those bridges of positivity to be constructive moving forward,\u201d said Bird. <\/span><\/p>\n Part of this for Bird means coming beside the communities in their day-to-day lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBe interested, ask questions. If you have never been to a mosque, find out how you can make that connection. If you\u2019ve never met with Muslims who live in your neighborhood, see how you can outreach and make that a reality,\u201d Bird said. <\/span><\/p>\n After the Christchurch tragedy, many organizations have come out in support of the Muslim community. IPSC is trying to encourage the community to use this time for positive action and a more active presence.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt what point is it insufficient to talk about offering our prayers and our thoughts? And while those are important, what are the actual steps that we can take? Those really are the critical questions,” Bird said. ” One of the disappointing elements is just how quickly something like this happens and people are drawn to the questions, but then show somewhat of a disinterest several weeks after when other news headlines come.”<\/span><\/p>\n The steps that need to be taken to prevent things like what happened in New Zealand from happening again require learning about the community that is hurting.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just a case of coming together when something bad happens, really… the hard work is really done in the day to day as we attend each others events, festivals, we get to know one another so that when something does happen we can quickly turn that into a presence and some form of action,\u201d said Bird. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “It\u2019s nice to see that people are coming out of their way, getting out of their comfort zone to come and show that they sympathize for us with everything that\u2019s going on right now,” Lateef said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ChristchurchPW1_SN.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n The Musjid Al-Muslimiin mosque in Columbia is located on Gervais Street. The mosque is filled with a community’s rich culture and holds weekly prayers, meetings and community gatherings.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ChristchurchPW4_SN-2.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Almeera Lateef, a Columbia native and president of the Muslim Student Association at the University of South Carolina, said she has experienced prejudice against Islam.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ChristchurchPW3_SN.jpg”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”3.20.1″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Adrian Bird is the president of the Interfaith Partners of South Carolina and works to create understanding across religious groups in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-21-at-9.06.49-AM.png”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.20.1″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”] In the wake of the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand, South Carolina Muslims say they would like their predominantly Christian neighbors to learn more about the faith that is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":19255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" In the wake of the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand, the interfaith community of Columbia is coming around their Muslims neighbors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> The normal quiet of Christchurch, New Zealand turned into terror last week after a gunman killed 50 people and wounded another 50 in their place of worship. On\u00a0<\/span>March 15, <\/span>Brenton Harrison Tarrant opened fire on two mosques. This islamophobic attack happened in a city that is <\/span>fewer than two percent Muslim. <\/span><\/p> According to the Pew Research Center, fewer than one percent of adults in South Carolina profess the Muslim faith. There are seven mosques in the capital city, as compared to dozens of churches. Even on the other side of the world, the effect of the attack is being felt by the Muslim community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Almeera Lateef is a Columbia native, and is now the president of the Muslim Student Association at USC. She goes to Masjid al-Muslimeen and Masjid Noor ul Huda mosques in Columbia. Lateef has felt misconceptions about her religion that lead to prejudice against it. <\/span><\/p> Having received support from different people and organizations after this tragedy, she still believes there is work to be done. The root of the problem, Lateef believes, is Islamophobia. <\/span><\/p> \u201cIslamophobia is a real and scary thing that exists in our world...I feel like accepting that there is a problem is the first step because a lot of people refuse to even accept that islamophobia is a real thing,\u201d Lateef said. <\/span><\/p> She feels like the thing that the Muslim community needs is for others to continue showing up, reaching out and giving them a voice. Attending events and prayer times are things that Lateef sees as the beginning of the solution. <\/span><\/p> \u201cI think the best thing to do is just to continue to work on different interfaith initiatives, and just reaching out to the Muslim community...anything to show compassion to their situation, continuing to get rid of the misconceptions that do surround the Muslim community,\u201d said Lateef. <\/span><\/p> Brenda Kneece is the executive director of the South Carolina Christian Action Council, and she works with 14 Christian denominations to push interfaith harmony and understanding.<\/span><\/p> \u201cIt\u2019s not just tolerance, right? I want to, as a Christian, stand with my Muslim sister, and fight for her right to express her religion freely, because I\u2019m an American,\u201d said Kneece. <\/span><\/p> Similar to Lateef, Kneece sees the importance of showing up in the community, getting out of your comfort zone and learning. <\/span><\/p> \u201cWhen we think of ways to stand beside those who are hurting, you have to have a relationship,\u201d said Kneece. <\/span><\/p> She believes that this week could be seen as a space to get to know your Muslim neighbors and begin those relationships by attending a prayer service, fixing a meal and beginning to invest their lives. <\/span><\/p> \u201cTo see ourselves as just another human being that seeks to be with you in this time of hurt who seeks to connect with you, to listen to your story, or to just embrace you and bear your tears,\u201d said Kneece, \u201cUse this time as motivation so that the next time, you already know the telephone number of who you need to call.\u201d<\/span><\/p> Interfaith Partners of South Carolina is an organization that is trying to bridge the gap between religious groups in South Carolina. Adrian Bird, the president, sees the importance of interfaith conversations that can be had in Columbia. <\/span><\/p> On their Facebook page, IPSC stated that they \u201c<\/span>commit to standing in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, working tirelessly to build bridges of understanding, cooperation and peace across our communities.\u201d <\/span><\/p> \u201cI think it is important that we recognize the local impact when such events happen, even if they are so far away,\u201d said Bird. \u00a0<\/span><\/p> He echoes the sentiments of Kneece and Lateef, and believes like many in the community that the start of the solution begins with real relationships, especially in the wake of tragedy. <\/span><\/p> \u201cWhat we can do is turn to our Muslim brothers and sisters and say we are here, and we want to help build those bridges of positivity to be constructive moving forward,\u201d said Bird. <\/span><\/p> Part of this for Bird means coming beside the communities in their day to day lives.<\/span><\/p> \u201cBe interested, ask questions. If you have never been to a mosque, find out how you can make that connection. If you\u2019ve never met with Muslims who live in your neighborhood, see how you can outreach and make that a reality,\u201d said Bird, \u201cIt really comes down to these face to face encounters where we can show support to one another and say we are here, we want to demonstrate a relationship that is very positive, that can build very strong communities right here in our neighborhoods.\u201d<\/span><\/p> With the events that transpired at Christchurch, many organizations are coming out in support of the Muslim community. IPSC is trying to encourage the community to use this time for positive action and a more active presence.<\/span><\/p> \u201cAt what point is it insufficient to talk about offering our prayers, and our thoughts? And while those are important, what are the actual steps that we can take? Those really are the critical questions. One of the disappointing elements is just how quickly something like this happens and people are drawn to the questions, but then show somewhat of a disinterest several weeks after when other news headlines come,\u201d said Bird. \u00a0<\/span><\/p> The steps that need to be taken to prevent things like what happened in New Zealand from happening again require learning about the community that is hurting.<\/span><\/p> \u201cIt\u2019s not just a case of coming together when something bad happens, really...the hard work is really done in the day to day as we attend each others events, festivals, we get to know one another so that when something does happen we can quickly turn that into a presence and some form of action,\u201d said Bird. \u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cThere isn\u2019t a one size fits all to this. We\u2019re not going to solve the solution for prejudice and hate overnight, but What we can do is commit to solidarity and saying we will fight against it, we will use our resilience and our relationships together to say no,\u201d said Bird. \u00a0<\/span><\/p> Lateef feels that the start to solving this problem begins with an active attempt to meet the Muslim community, begin doing life with them, and begin to familiarize yourself with Islam.<\/p> \"It\u2019s nice to see that people are coming out of their way, getting out of their comfort zone to come and show that they sympathize for us with everything that\u2019s going on right now,\" said Lateef.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[664,663,665],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19193"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19193"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19368,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19193\/revisions\/19368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}