Mormon Ward Hosts Moslem Worshippers

When a California mosque was severely damaged in an electrical fire, Mormons opened their nearby meeting house for Friday Moslem prayers for over a year.  The Moslem congregation is comprised of Ahmadi Muslims, a branch of Islam founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889.  There are millions of Ahmadi Muslims in the world, but they are often persecuted by other Moslem sects.  The congregation in Chino, California, has some members who have fled persecution in other countries and enjoy freedom of worship in the United States.

Although much of the mosque was destroyed in the 2003 fire, the prayer rooms were left intact. For the first 3½ years, as the mosque raised the $3 million for the first phase of rebuilding and expansion, worshippers were able to pray most weeks in those rooms.

In October 2007, construction forced them to move elsewhere, to a nearby ward — congregation — of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The ward hosted the mosque’s Friday prayers for 1 ½ years.  The Mormon ward’s invitation to the Ahmadis came after years of friendship and members visiting each others’ congregations, said Ken Rasmussen, director of public affairs for the Latter-day Saints region that includes Chino.  Rasmussen said he didn’t know about the striking similarities between the two faiths’ histories of persecution and misunderstanding until a few months after members of the two congregations began holding joint dinners.

Just as some Muslims consider Ahmadis heretics, some Christians call Mormons heretics. Ahmadis believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the messiah; Mormons believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. Smith was murdered in 1844 during an era of severe anti-Mormon attacks and persecution in the United States.

Rasmussen said that after attending dozens of Ahmadi prayer services, he’s realized there are other similarities as well: Teachings to love others, honor your family and serve God.

“It’s been a wonderful blessing for us to be such good friends with them,” he said.

The newly remodeled mosque will be larger than the original.    The new 27,000-square-foot, two-floor mosque is more than twice as big as the old one. About 300 to 400 people worship there during Friday afternoon prayers, Anwer Khan said. The mosque is still raising the $1 million necessary to build a basketball court, industrial-sized kitchen and a home for Imam Nasir.

Article adapted from ThePressEnterprise.com, and MormonTimes.com.