OPINION

Views on interfaith programs

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Humans are afraid of the unknown. Fear is the reason we confine ourselves to our comfort zone, interacting only with the people with whom and places where we feel most comfortable. We self-segregate into homogenous groups, identical in either ideology or practice — probably both. So we find that our lives continue to pass us by, and we voluntarily make them mundane by experiencing the “same-old, same-old.”

According to a Pew Research Center study, 58 percent of Americans do not know a Muslim. The only exposure these individuals have to Muslims is what they see on the news. Aside from the coverage of the late, great Muhammad Ali, positive stories about Muslims — specifically American Muslims — are few and far between. Not to say that Muslims are not doing commendable work: charities such as Islamic Relief are some of the first responders to domestic and international calamities, such as Hurricane Sandy and the earthquake in Haiti, and Muslims are part of the core fabric of every profession in America. There are even two Muslim congressmen. There exists not a lack of commendable work, but a lack of coverage.

While I do not control major news outlets, I do have the ability to make a change in my community with two things: my voice and my ability to organize. The folks at the Herald have provided me the opportunity to have my own student column — but writing a 500-word column once a week is not enough. That is why I hosted the second annual interfaith youth iftar, or breaking of the fast, program at the Long Island Muslim Society on Monday.

Young people from every walk of life attended the event. We sat together. We laughed together. We ate together. We embraced our common bonds not as members of the same religion, ethnicity or political ideology, but as young Americans trying to find our way in this ever-changing world. We discussed what religion and spirituality means to us, and where we look to for guidance.

Many had never been inside a mosque before. Some may have never met a Muslim. But for one night, the entire East Meadow community came together, embracing our diversity and celebrating our differences. I hope — no, I know — that we will build on the unity we all displayed that night and never allow those who wish to divide us by our differences the opportunity to do so.

Ayyan Zubair is a student at Stony Brook University who graduated from East Meadow High School in 2015. His column, “Views from the Six,” regularly appears in the East Meadow Herald.

To read about the interfaith program Zubair hosted, click here.