Saleem Shabazz wants people in Longview to understand that his religion means peace, and that its God-centered followers are focused on doing good works.
On Thursday, Shabazz will begin the first of a five-part lecture series at the Longview Public Library about his faith: Islam.
“This is of great importance because there’s still a little bit of nervousness and distress on behalf of the public at large concerning what is or isn’t Islamic behavior,” Shabazz said. “I hope this type of thing helps.”
Since opening the Islamic Centre of Longview in July, members of the Muslim community have been looking for a way to reach out to the community to educate people about their faith, Shabazz said.
“It was really weird because I received the grant application on the same day that the mosque opened in July,” said Kim Ball with the library. “Saleem told me about 200 people attended the open house with a desire to know more about Islam. Others had said they embraced their fellow community. It seemed fitting to have a program here at library.”
Ball submitted an application, and in January the library was awarded the grant from American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities for a program called “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys.” The grant provided the library with a 25-book collection and four DVDs, Ball said. The library is partnering with the city’s Unity and Diversity Committee to show the DVD documentaries as part of their Saturday Movie Forum. A date for the movie forum has not been set.
“This definitely fits a need we have at the library to provide more adult programming,” Ball said. “Before receiving the grant, we only had about 30 books that covered Islam. This doubles our collection.”
The books cover the themes of American stories, connected histories, literary reflections, pathways of faith and points of view, Ball said. The once-a-month lectures will be divided into five topics. There will be a book talk prior to the lecture discussing five books in the series each time with the books selected being related to the topic being discussed that month.
The first lecture will cover “what is Islam?” while future lectures will discuss the history of Islam, fundamental beliefs of Islam, current issues, and being Muslim in America. Shabazz intends for the lectures to be conversational, allowing people to ask questions and talk with each other and him.
“It’s important for people to know we are not trying to convert anybody,” Shabazz said. “We just want to allow people an opportunity to learn more about our faith.”
Shabazz said it feels as though people sometimes only see “the angry outcome of politics.” He wants people to understand the other side. Of utmost importance, he wants people to understand the key principle in Islam is peace.
“That’s what Islam means — peace,” he said. “We focus on doing good works for God’s acceptance. We are very God-centered. That’s why we pray as often as we do. We’re supposed to embody compassion and kindness to people — not just to Muslims, but to humanity at large.”