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Mayor Williams honors sheikh Honooti for his contributions at first annual Mayoral clergy awards
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By
Ayesha Ahmad, IOL Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON,
Aug 25 (IslamOnline) - Anthony Williams, mayor of Washington, D.C.,
awarded two Muslim leaders among 16 local clergymen and women during
Friday evening’s first annual mayoral clergy awards, which recognized
the contributions these religious figures have made to the community of
the nation’s capital city.
Sheikh
Muhammad al-Hanooti, who was recently named the “Mufti of
Washington,” received his award with a call to the different religious
communities to come together, stressing the importance of love and
tolerance in Islam.
“This
event is very symbolic,” he said. “The greatest city in the world is
showing a substantial respect for religion.”
Hanooti,
who also serves as a mufti for IslamOnline, expressed his appreciation
for remarks made by other honorees before him regarding Islam a peaceful
religion.
“My
religion taught me to love people, and I love people,” he said.
He
offered his services to the entire community and ended with a gesture to
Christian belief, saying that Muslims are also taught to love the
prophet Jesus.
Imam
Yusuf Saleem, leader of Washington’s Masjid Muhammad, also received an
award from the mayor, identifying himself as tied to the community from
his upbringing in the Capital View Baptist Church, whose pastor,
Reverend Andrew Fowler, was also honored with an award.
“All
of us have been blessed inherently by God to be human beings,” Saleem
said in a video clip shown just before he accepted his award. “We all
see ourselves as accountable to God.”
In
his speech, he said that this country was approaching a time in which a
person of any religion could feel comfortable in any place of worship,
be it mosque, church or synagogue.
Saleem
also stressed the importance of community, quoting a saying of the
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that “none of you truly believes until he loves
for his brother what he loves for himself.”
Others
honored by the mayoral awards included rabbis, pastors and ministers
from various backgrounds and denominations; all of them addressed the
issue of community.
The
Reverend Nathan Baxter of Washington National Cathedral referred to the
words of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu in saying that beyond the
maxim “I am my brother’s keeper… I must remember, I am my
brother’s brother. That is the essence of community.”
The
honorees also attributed their honor to God; the Reverend Lewis Anthony,
of Washington’s Metropolitan Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, said that honor “comes from the One who empowers you to have
it.”
“This
evening is a tribute to the Almighty God, who made all of this
possible,” he added.
Mayor
Williams addressed the audience before the awards were given, speaking
of his office as a “sacred contract” and saying that reports of his
becoming “less reticent about religion” reflected his belief that
“if you don’t have any contact with God, you’re either blind or a
fool, or both.”
He
told the honorees that he had been to several different places of
worship across the city, and “what has really struck me most is your
contribution to the city.”
“We
may say different prayers, we may even speak different languages, but
we’re all united in our commitment to the city,” he said.
“God
bless you for what you do, God bless this city, and God bless this
country, one nation under God.”
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