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Nevada Brings Christians-Muslims-Hindus-Jews Together Over a Picnic

With an interfaith picnic today, Nevada showed to the world that Christians (various denominations), Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and others could discuss similarities and differences in their religions across the picnic tables and make friends with people of "other" faith.

There were prayers in Hebrew, Sanskrit, Arabic, and English when Christians Muslims, Hindus, Jews and others gathered at Second Annual Northern Nevada Interfaith Community Picnic in Rancho San Rafael Park of Reno.

It was a tapestry of religions, foods, people, dresses, and languages when about 150 participants of different religious and ethnic backgrounds mingled with each other while eating each other's food and attempting to arrive at a common ground and enjoying the process.

It was a wonderful sight to see priest/pastor/imam/rabbi/chaplain and lay people from Methodist, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Lutheran, Baptist, Unitarian Universalist, etc., beliefs exchanging notes on picnic tables and learning from each other. Respecting each other's tradition, no pork, alcohol, beef, or shellfish was allowed in the picnic.

Besides coordinators Methodist Pastor John J. Auer, Rabbi Myra Soifer, Imam Abdul Rahim Barghouthi; others who participated in it included Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu leader; Reverend Laurie Chappelle, Episcopal priest; Dr. Richard L. Siegel, President of American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada; Steve Davis, Assistant Director of Nevada Humanities; Susan Lisagor, Regional Representative of Senator Harry Reid; Tunay Durmaz, Director of Sierra Foundation; Michael and Barbara Slater, Co-chairpersons of National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families; etc.

While kids ran around in the sunshine; attendees played games, moved around the picnic tables, talked and made new friends. Participants tasted aloo-palak, lasagna, pizza, pilaf, chhole-masala, brownies, hummus, lamb-curry, Middle Eastern bread, etc., and talked in Punjabi, Turkish, Arabic, Bengali, etc., besides English.

Rajan Zed, who recited Sanskrit prayers before food, has said that other countries, states, counties, and cities should organize such picnics all over the world to bring together people of different beliefs.