Morton Grove Mosque Hosts Cardinal George, Other Dignitaries

More than 200 guests, including Cardinal Francis George, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Clerk David Orr, Morton Grove elected officials, theologians and representatives of many churches, mosques, synagogues and religious congregations came to Morton Grove Thursday.

They came for an interfaith meeting and dinner--actually, an iftar, the daily meal at sunset which breaks the fast Muslims observe throughout daylight hours during the month of Ramadan. The gathering was sponsored by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicagoland and held at Morton Grove's Muslim Community Center.

Morton Grove Mayor Dan DiMaria, Cardinal George, Professor Scott Alexander of the Catholic Theological Union and Professor Emeritus Cherif Bassiouni of the DePaul University Law School also spoke. Sammina Hussain, a leader in the MCC community, performed emcee duties and also explained Muslim beliefs and practices related to Ramadan.

"We must be people of dialogue and reach out in mutual understanding of one another," Alexander told the crowd.

He quoted Pope Francis, and also alluded to the fact Cardinal George had mentioned the quote, that it's not possible to build bridges to God while forgetting other people, and conversely, one must connect with other people to also connect with God.

Bassiouni, who was born in Egypt and was once nominated for a Nobel peace prize, said, "In the end, you have your beliefs and I have mine, but that shouldn't be a reason for us to not get along."

In a nod to the fact he has been around different faiths, and Catholic discipline, all his life, he said, "My parents found me a difficult child to deal with, so they put me in a Jesuit (educational) institution. And when I later joined the Egyptian Special Forces, it was a piece of cake."

When sunset arrived at 8:08 p.m., Muslims who had been fasting from all food and drink since sunrise at 5:45 a.m. broke their fast with juice and one or two dates, then went upstairs for prayers and returned for a dinner of hummus, salad, kebabs, rice and dessert.

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