By Salahuddin Ahmed, Outreach Coordinator, ICNA IE
(LOS ANGELES, CA 4/27/2015) – WhyIslam volunteers geared up early Sunday morning on April 26 at the Fiesta Broadway in downtown Los Angeles to give da’wah at the largest Hispanic event in the country.
Their attractive booth garnered widespread interest and within a few short hours, volunteers had distributed over 700 Qur’ans, hundreds of brochures, and various other media explaining Islam, in both English and Spanish.
As people poured in, the trained WhyIslam volunteers actively engaged with individuals, answering questions, addressing common misconceptions, and participating in constructive dialogue.
Some visitors expressed surprise when they discovered that Jesus was also a prophet in the Islamic tradition, and Mary held an esteemed positon in in the Qur’an. Although there were detractors who challenged this fact, they soon developed an understanding and appreciation for the Islamic perspective.
At one point during the day, a member of a group of Evangelical Christians positioned himself in front of the WhyIslam booth and began to deliver his message of Jesus as Lord using a loudspeaker. A few of the volunteers approached him and invited him to a personal discussion of Islam and Jesus. After a fruitful conversation, he departed with a Qur’an and other WhyIslam da’wah material.
Overall, WhyIslam hosted an incredibly successful booth which was made possible by the commitment and drive of its phenomenal volunteers. 15 individuals accepted Islam. Such work is made possible through the support and encouragement of the larger Muslim community.
