Letter to the Editor: Diverse Religous Leaders Support Mosque

To the larger Brookfield Community:

The Brookfield Elm Grove Interfaith Network (BEGIN) exists to foster respect, cooperation and understanding between people of different faith backgrounds. Comprised of leaders from 16 religious bodies in our two communities, we are frequently reminded of the differences in our views of God, life, and humanity. Part of our commitment to each other is to remain in conversation, especially in those situations where the differences are significant.

We constantly find that despite differences, we have much in common. Over time, our respect for the sincerity of each other’s faith has only grown. We also have an appreciation for the double blessing found in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We live together as Americans in a country that seeks neither to establish a single form of belief nor to prohibit its citizens from prayerfully gathering according to their beliefs.

As a result of our history together, we wish to express our strong support for the Brookfield-area members of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee-West as they seek to build a mosque in the City of Brookfield. 

As Americans, we are proud to be part of a society that does not discriminate between its citizens on the basis of religious belief.

As religious people we wish for our Muslim brothers and sisters what we already enjoy in this community: sufficient space to pray and worship God in a manner consistent with their tradition, as well as the opportunity to serve the human needs of eastern Waukesha County.

We respectfully disagree with those who would understand the whole of Islam on the basis of selected, limited elements. Most of us could be put on the defensive if others knew us only through a few passages of our sacred writings or single episodes in our history. We encourage people to talk to their religious leaders and to attend the periodic forums BEGIN hosts to study precisely these things in detail.

We encourage people of similar sentiment to express that support both to their elected representatives and to the Muslim families who already live in our community as our neighbors.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Steven Adams

Rev. James E. Ahlquist

Rev. Kenneth J. Augustine

Rev. Phillip Bogacki

Cantor Marsha Fensin

Janet Hartzell

Dr. Mushir Hassan

Rev. Lori Hlaban

Rev. John R. Horner-Ibler

Mary E. Janowak

Lateef Khan

Rev. Kenneth P. Knippel

Dr. Mina Khorshidi

Rev. Sherrie Lorbeck

Rev. Suzelle Lynch

Rev. Julie Peterson

Rev. Max Ramsey

Rev. Kathleen Rinear

Cantor Arlene Spanier

Rev. Richard Strait

Rev. Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld

Rev. John Wells

Letters to the editor can be submitted anytime to Patch. Email letters to lisa.sink@patch.com. Please include your name, community of residence and phone number. The phone number will not be published; we will call it to verify the sender.