Eight Metro Detroit mosques opening doors to everybody

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Dearborn -- Gerrit and Jean Willemse took off their shoes and gingerly stepped onto a multi-colored rug inside the Islamic Center of America mosque.

The Dearborn couple travel the world and try to visit impressive houses of worship whenever possible.

On Saturday, they toured the mosque on Ford Road, which is the largest of its kind in North America. It was one of eight in Metro Detroit holding open houses as a way to foster better relations with nonmuslims and to promote the understanding of the Quran, the Islamic holy book.

"It is a beautiful building," Gerrit Willemse said as a religious class of about 100 children was being conducted. ""We always wanted to see what it was like inside."

Latifeh Sabbagh, a mosque volunteer who conducted tours Saturday, appreciated the chance to share her love of the mosque with others.

"This is a house of God," she said. "We welcome everybody. Unity is so important."

The eight mosques are participating in an effort organized by the Council of Islamic Organizations. The council said the open houses can promote peace, understanding, tolerance and friendship.

A Pew Research Center study recently released found that Muslims in America are confronted with discrimination more than any other religious group. The report, "Mapping the Global Muslim Population," found that 1.57 billion people are Muslim.

http://detnews.com/article/20091017/LIFESTYLE04/910170382/1408/local