San Martin - God's name is nearly identical in ancient languages used to write the Koran and Old Testament. Muslims revere Abraham as a prophet and believe in the immaculate conception of Jesus. And the ranks of mainstream Muslims include plenty of soccer moms and sports fans.
The similarities between Muslims and people of other faiths took center stage at a Saturday evening open house held by the South Valley Islamic Community, whose plans to build a mosque in San Martin have stirred up a hornet's nest of anti-Islamic sentiment.
After months of hostile letters to the newspaper - and a growing number of letters defending the group - roughly 150 visitors from as far as Hollister and Santa Clara gathered at the San Martin Lions Club Saturday to learn about Islamic culture and the challenges faced by American Muslims in a post 9-11 world.
"Americans are not discriminating against us because of what they know about us, but because of ignorance," the crowd was told by Maha Elgenaidy, a speaker from the Islamic Networks Group, a nonprofit formed after 9-11 to spread knowledge about Islam to government officials, law enforcement personnel, schoolchildren and other groups.
Elgenaidy explained that Muslims, like their Christian and Jewish peers, greet each other with expressions of peace. Similar to the Judeo-Christian religions, Muslims believe in a single God and high moral character -- essentially the Golde Rule of "do unto others," Elgenaidy said. The perceived differences in Islamic culture are often distortions or outright fabrications, Elgenaidy said.
The pink, flowered scarf covering her head, for instance, is not an emblem of female oppression but one of liberation, Elgenaidy said, explaining that Muslim women cover their hair and bodies so that they are judged by their intellect and character rather than their sexuality. The word "jihad," meanwhile, is another staple of Islamic culture that has been distorted by media in both the East and West, she said. Violent Islamic fanatics have "hijacked" the word, which in its truest form represents the internal struggle of every Muslim to live a life of purity and high moral character. In mainstream Islam, she said, the word also describes selfless actions such as charity or the prevention of abuse or violence.
"Osama Bin Laden to me is like David Koresh or the Davidians," she said, referring to the cult leader and his followers who died in an FBI raid in 1993. "He has nothing to do with my religion."
The evening, which included a Muslim prayer and several other presentations, was far from gloom and doom.
"As you can see by looking around the room, Muslims come in all shapes and sizes," joked Athar Siddiqee, a Bay Area representative from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national civil rights watchdog and advocacy group for Muslims in North America.
Siddiqee, an American-born Muslim who works as a software instructor, said he spends his days fretting about his kids' education and whether quarterback Alex Smith can resuscitate the San Francisco 49ers.
"These are the things that keep me up at night," he said, drawing laughs from the crowd.
Those comments came after he recited a list of recent hate crimes directed against Bay Area Muslims. The list includes arson at an Antioch mosque and a Sikh man in Santa Clara who was stabbed in the neck because of his Middle Eastern garb (the perpetrator was a neighbor who said he feared the man was a terrorist).
In 2006, Siddiqee said that CAIR received nearly 2,500 civil rights complaints, with more than a quarter of them from California. The figure represents a jump of roughly 500 from the year before.
"I think people react a lot from fear," said Paula Harding, a Morgan Hill resident and friend of one of the 35-40 families that make up the South Valley Islamic Community.
"It seems terrible that any people of any culture have had to deal with this kind of bias," she said.
The open house is a yearly event held by the South Valley Islamic Community, though this year it has taken on added significance in the face of controversy surrounding its plans to build a 5,000-square-foot mosque on a San Martin hillside, just south of Morgan Hill.
The $2.5-million Cordoba Center for Muslim Community and Religious Affairs is considerably scaled back from conceptual designs revealed earlier in the year. Sal Akhter, president of the nonprofit group's board of directors, said that a lack of funds forced a convalescent home and high school facility to become part of a 10-year improvement plan. In July, Akhter applied for a permit to create a religious institution and subdivide the 15-acre property into three lots. The first round of designs, which were sent back to the group for further work by county planners, were on display Saturday in a corner of the Lions Club meeting hall.
Akhter hopes to see the facility rise by early 2009 at 14065 Monterey Road, in San Martin. He and other members hope the future mosque will help attract more of the estimated 300 Muslim families in South County.
In the meantime, Akhter and other members plan to continue holding Friday prayers and "Sunday school" in a converted Gilroy barn.
In addition to residents, the weekend event drew a host of local dignitaries ranging from church pastors to politicians.
"We are in a difficult period of our history," Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Dublin, who represents the 11th congressional district which includes Morgan Hill and east Gilroy, said to attendees and Islamic community members settling in for dinner. "This is a great idea for the community. Developing these relationships is a good thing."
The sentiment was echoed by Gilroy resident Mack Sacco, who joined in on a prayer before dinner. In unison with about two dozen Muslim men, he kneeled and repeatedly touched his forehead to the ground while Imam Ilyas Anwar recited prayers.
"I just wanted to support the community," Sacco said afterward, as he waited in line for a meal that ended a day-long fast for Muslims during Ramadan, a holy month organizers likened to Yom Kippur and Lent.
Said Sacco: "I think they opened up some doors tonight."
Hamdy Abbas, a Hollister resident and one of six founders of the South Valley Islamic Community, called the event a success.
"I know some came more for information," he said. "Some came to show support. To all of them we are grateful."
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