Article October 22, 2001 Issue

ME AND MY NEIGHBORS—working together

By Barbara M. Vining

The first mosque to be built in North America in the classic Islamic architectural style is just two miles from my home in Perrysburg, Ohio. I see its gracious dome and stately minarets nearly every day. It has been here for 18 years, but prior to September 11, 2001, I had visited this place of worship only once.

In this mosque, the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo serves the largest congregation of Islamic worshipers on the North American continent. But I had never taken the initiative to get to know anyone who worships there. That's changed now. Terrorism has stirred me to action.

First, I was moved to pray. It was clear that God alone could enable me to respond to terrible events with clarity of thought and constructive action. In my prayers, three important ideas emerged. From the Bible's message, and specifically Jesus' teachings, I understood that God is good and has all the power. That evil comes about when human beings mistake the will of God, when they are driven by hatred, envy, or other evil impulses. And last, that good overcomes evil in proportion as the human mind rejects the impulsion to do wrong and yields to the will of God, which is always spiritual and good.

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