Sixty individuals celebrated the International Day of Peace by attending two panel discussions, participating in activities for children, and enjoyed an interfaith concert Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva. The event, entitled “Diverse Voices: Come Listen and Converse” was organized by Rachel Yackley from Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors, Haroon Qureshi, from the Islamic Center of Kane County, Jean Pierce, from the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, and Janet Bell, from the Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Charles.
The first panel examined the experiences of Muslims living in the Tri-Cities of Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles. In addition to Qureshi, the panel included attorney Junaid Afeef, Pre-med student Saadiya Jabbar, and Imam Khalid Dogar. They reported a variety of experiences. One had encountered those who were convinced that they could not trust anything that Muslims said, and that when Donald Trump was elected president, Muslims would be forced to leave the country. Nevertheless, all agreed that they enjoyed public opportunities to discuss similarities and differences and they welcomed people’s sincere questions. Imam Dogar noted, “We need to create bridges between hearts.”
The second panel reported on progress and plans of the Tri-Cities as they engage to varying degrees in the Greenest Region Compact (GRC2). Cities which have agreed to the Compact want to create the “most sustainable and successful region in the United States.” They have adopted a menu of 49 goals, and each of the cities identifies how it will act on those goals.
Panelist Abby Beck serves on both the Environmental Commission and the City Council of Batavia. She noted that the goals have helped Batavia develop a more focused approach to addressing environmental concerns. She looks forward to convincing the Council that “every issue is an environmental issue.”
Jay Womack is a volunteer from Geneva who has led the city’s Natural Resources Committee for the past 15 years. He reported that Geneva’s mayor Kevin Burns, is leading the GRC2 Mayoral initiative.
The third panelist, Ralph Grathoff, is chair of the St. Charles Natural Resource Commission.
While adults enjoyed the panels, children were engaged in creating a peace quilt representing their different religious traditions.
The celebration concluded with Diverse Music for Peace performances which featured, among others, youth from the Islamic Center of Kane County performing music from the Islamic tradition, a brass band from the Congregational United Church of Christ playing “The Lord’s Prayer,” and members of Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors who performed a song titled, “L’takein et Ha’Olam” (To Repair the World).
— Jean Pierce