On the 10th of August 2010, Vernon M. Fareed, who is an Imam and leader of the Norfolk Religious community in the United States of America, was hosted at the Affinity Centre as part of Affinity’s monthly dialogue lecture series.
Imam Fareed gave an inspiring presentation on 'The present and future of Muslims in Western Countries: An American Story'. The lecture gave the audience an insight into the structure of the Muslim community in the US, highlighting various positive developments over the recent years.
Imam Fareed provided a brief history of the many African-American’s acceptance of Islam through the politically inclined “Nation of Islam” headed by Elijah Muhammad to the acceptance of mainstream Islam and shunnin of “Nation of Islam” brought about by Elijah’s son W.D. Muhammad and Malcolm X. He talked about the current contributions of the late W.D. Muhammad to the preservation of practical and pure Islam in the US. He touched on key improvements in the perception of Islam and Muslims in the US which was significantly damaged after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The evening was marked by a good attendance and keen interest was shown to the topic by participants who asked a number of interesting questions leading to further discussion.
Imam Fareed also stressed the importance of dialogue work and the value of organisations like Affinity which portray a positive and undiluted image of Islam to the Western world.
The evening was finalised by a short thank you speech by Affinity President Mr Mehmet Saral who presented Imam Fareed with a gift as a token of thanks.
