Religious leaders pray for peace

Stacy J. Willis

Monday, Sept. 17, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.

Nevada political leaders joined a diverse group of clergy to pray for peace yesterday afternoon outside the Clark County Government Center.

Gov. Kenny Guinn, U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and others stood with Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Mormon and Baptist leaders in a "Call For Peace" hosted by the local chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice.

The interfaith event was meant to discourage hate crimes in the aftermath of last Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the U.S. that are believed to have been committed by extremist Muslims of Middle Eastern descent.

Guinn said that he will meet privately this week with Las Vegas religious leaders to design a response plan should any acts of backlash violence occur.

"We want to pull everybody together to implement a reporting system in case we do have a problem," Guinn said before the prayer services. "We will get law enforcement and clergy together, and we will design a system so that if anyone is being harassed, they can come to their leaders and we will respond."

Guinn joined the clergy and the Coronado High School student chorus in singing "America the Beautiful" before representatives of different faiths took turns leading prayer and asking for tolerance.

"We as members of the Muslim community have been hit twice," Dr. Osama Haikal, president of the Omar Haikal Islamic Academy, told the crowd of more than 100 sitting on the grass.

"Once as Americans, and a second time around by being labeled by some as... the people who did this. We had absolutely nothing to do with it," he said.

"I will share some of the explanation about my religion, but by no means do I feel like I have to defend my religion...Islam means peace...What took place on September 11, 2001, had absolutely nothing to do with Islam," Haikal said.

Last week Berkeley, who is Jewish, telephoned Haikal to tell him that she would do what she could to discourage backlash against American Muslims.

"To my Muslim friends, I loved you before, and I love you now," she told the crowd. "We will fight these fanatics together, and we will win."

Ensign spoke earlier in the day at Central Christian Church, testifying to a crowd of more than 3,000 about relying on his Christian faith to carry him through this trauma.

President Bush declared Friday a national day of prayer and remembrance, and local businesses and religious organizations responded.

Attendance at local churches, synagogues and mosques has been much higher than normal, clergy say.

Area Muslims held a special prayer service at the Jama mosque Friday afternoon to remember the victims of the attacks.

Berkeley, Ensign and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman issued statements Friday asking Nevadans to be tolerant of all religions and refrain from condemning the local Muslim community.

And more than 12,000 local Mormons gathered at their churches to listen to a satellite broadcast message from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Gordon B. Hinckley.

"Our treasured land has been brought down into sorrow through unbelievable acts of infamy," Hinckley told Mormons from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Local Hindus also held a special prayer service Friday at the Hindu Temple of Las Vegas.

Tonight, area public safety employees will hold a candlelight memorial honoring those rescue workers who gave their lives attemting to save victims in New York and Washington, D.C..

The memorial service will be at 6 p.m. at the Clark County Government Center amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.