It takes a lot to impress middle-schoolers, but a Friday prayer service at Concord’s mosque did just that for the 14 sixth- and seventh- graders who watched or participated in the service as part of Kids4Peace’s summer camp programming.
“It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Judah, one of the campgoers.
The service, along with a lunch and question and answer session with mosque members, was part of an afternoon program put on by Kids4Peace.
Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace promotes interfaith dialogue and understanding in its chapters across the world.
Jeff Mandell, the program director for the organization in New Hampshire and Vermont, said Friday’s visit was aimed at helping the camp members create a more accepting society.
“We’re using faith to inform people and create not just tolerance but inclusion,” he said. “When people know more about each other they tend to be more caring.”
This year’s summer camp, held at Plymouth State, is comprised of students from all different faith traditions across New Hampshire and Vermont.
Five Muslims, four Christians, three Jews and three participants not affiliated with any church make up the group which takes multiple trips throughout the summer to learn about each other’s faiths.
“It’s really fun,” campgoer Katie said. “I came because I wanted to learn about other religions.”
Warren Sommers, a camp counselor, said Kids4Peace’s initiatives were unparalleled in their ability to create cross-faith communication.
“I think it establishes a dialogue between kids that share different cultures, different values and traditions,” he said. “In enables them to really develop friendships between them and see a lot the similarities we have … they really develop an understanding of what they share.”
In order to further this dialogue, the camp will visit a synagogue and attend a Congregationalist service within the week.
Muhammad Ghaznavi, a volunteer for Kids4Peace, said understanding of different faiths and cultures was a key for navigating the current political climate.
“I think it’s really important right now because of the hatred for the Islamic community in the U.S.,” he said. “In general, there is a big divide between people who are religious and people who are non religious. I think this is a great way to get everyone together and show that religion is no basis to discriminate against anyone.”
Though nationally there has been discrimination against Muslims, Hubert Mask, the president of the IQRA Islamic Society of Concord, said Concord had been welcoming to the growing number of Muslims in the city.
Mask, who converted to Islam after a Methodist upbringing, said participation in the Interfaith Council helped the Muslim community become part of the Concord community.
“We haven’t really been overwhelmed by negatives,” he said. “Here in Concord, we like to think there’s a pretty good cut of people that have very open minds, and that’s a start.”
Mask said by continuing to have interfaith dialogues, like those hosted by Kids4 Peace, Concord residents can gain a greater understanding of the Islamic faith.
“The things that we don’t know about people are the problem,” he said. “Understanding what other people do and practice helps you to understand that person.”