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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2018)
Street Roots • Jan. 26-Feb, 1, 2018 News IM A M , fro m page 4 Page 5 “I don’t think a lot of people realize how all the disagreement, despite all our much they áre pulling from the same differences, we live in a time in which we sell property, and to participate in civic and origins,” she said. need each other.” political engagem ent All three religions are also monotheistic. The country’s capital city of Sarajevo, Upon their visit to Polovina’s mosque on “They essentially worship the same God, where Polovina grew up, married and Southeast Foster Road, Williams’ students the same tradition of God,” she said. Where started a family, has long been known as a didn’t really know what to expect But like Islam and Judaism are more focused on cultural crossroads of Europe, where East most visitors, they were touched by the submission and practice, Christianity is meets W est graciousness of their h o st more focused on belief, orthodoxy and It was also where Polovina discovered his But there was one thing about the visit proper doctrine, she said*, “but they calling and first led his community as an the students found unsettling. imam. definitely overlap.” Across the street and a couple hundred With more than 1 billion followers In 2000, his cousin invited him to visit yards away from the worldwide, Islam is the world’s second- Seattle during Ramadan, Islam’s sacred mosque, a large largest religion, after Christianity. month of fasting. While he was there, he billboard proclaimed, “There is so much polarization,” Polovina met refugees from Bosnia who urged him to “JesuS ... Your Only said. “When actually, we go deeply in his move to the U.S. Way to God,” with an (Jesus’s) teaching, and the teaching o f our Three months later, he did. image of the Prophet and in general of Islam, we see so “Families from Bosnia needed a spiritual crucifixion. many similarities, and something that can leader to help them to overcome the Funded through connect us more than struggles in a new Christian Aid . disconnect us.” ' country,” he explained. Ministries’ Gospel “Language was one Billboards program, barrier, along with the advertisement olovina’s mosque financial problems, the was the first thing is housed at th e . constant search for an several of the Bosniaks Educational adequate job, culture students noticed when & Cultural shock and spiritual they got out of their Organization, or thirst.” cars in the mosque’s BECO. The large, two- He led the Islamic parking lot. story building and Community of “We felt like that was a fairly insensitive adjoining playground Bosniaks in Washington message to be right in front of this Muslim serve as a community for 12 years before mosque,” Williams said. moving to Portland center where Through a large window in the prayer with his wife and five Bosnians come hall, the billboard’s message was clearly children, where he’s together for religious visible from where the students and become known as an and non-religious Muslims knelt in prayer. advocate for Portland’s events and It has since been replaced with a greater Muslim gatherings. McDonald’s advertisement. community, as well as More than 200 fo r t h e B o s n ia n ■RegaraTe^%i vmetnértbebillboarQ’s " I w o n lc l l i k e f o r p e o p le t o s e e B o s n ia n fa m ilie s M uslim s h e re p re s e n ts . proximity to the mosque was intentional, its is® a o t fa s t as la ta s » b a t as belong to BECO, “He has been polarizing message serves as a reminder of although not all a b e in g Ijs a f is instrumental in why Polovina’s approach to spiritual members are som ething io r th a t c o m » « b rin g in g th a t v ery leadership is necessary. practicing Muslims. good" enclosed and For him, sharing Islam with non-Muslims Most fled Bosnia- marginalized uutMns abdulah m o w is an integral part of his calling. But it’s not Herzegovina following community to the one-sided. He seeks out the truths of other the genocide that front lines of positive religions as well. ended in 1995. They partnerships with the city,” said Natasha He believes shared understanding among were the targets of a brutal ethnic cleansing Haunsperger, a police officer assigned to different religions is the key to peace, and campaign waged against them by Bosnian the Portland Police Bureau’s Office of he strives to help followers of different Serbs«; Community Engagement faiths see the values they share, rather than Polovina, who grew up in Bosnia- Polovina has been an active member of focusing on the Herzegovina, was wounded three times the Police Bureau’s Muslim Advisory differences that during the war - once when he was shot in Council since its establishment in 2015, separate them. the leg during a sniper attack. helping officers understand how to work He was the first Now, he said, he teaches others to with his community and also how to recruit Muslim ever to enroll appreciate freedom. younger Muslims to the force. at Seattle University’s “Because in Bosnia, we fought for that H au n sp e r g e r said Polovina has invited School of Theology freedom, and we know the value of police officers to Friday prayers at his and Ministry - a freedom,” he said. “We try to give message mosque and has given them tours of BECO. Catholic college. He to others here, to young people, that we She said he serves as the department’s graduated with a * need to be careful in which way we deal liaison to Muslims living in East Portland, master’s degree in with each other because we know it is so often meeting with East Precinct 2015. hard when that freedom is attacked. commanders over cups of tea. What the billboard’s Freedom in America is still there, but we “He also participates in our monthly sponsors may not need to build it in a way.” meetings,” she said, “where we’re trying to realize is what More than 100,000 people were killed figure out how to address current issues, Polovina learned while and more than 2 million were displaced as a such as the perceived rise of Islamophobia, studying religions of result of the Bosnian War. Polovina and how to portray the local Muslim the world: The Bible estimates that roughly 350 to 400 Bosnian community in its true light” shares many teachings Muslim families live in the Portland and Jan Elfers, director at Ecumenical and religious figures with the Quran, Vancouver metro areas. Ministries of Oregon, has gotten to know including Jesus, who is an important Before the war broke out, Polovina said, Polovina through speaking at BECO’s Bosnia-Herzegovina was a multicultural prophet in Islam. annual anniversary of the genocide at Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad taught country where people of different faiths Srebrenica. many of the same universal values, such as shared a mutual resp ect Srebrenica is a town iii Bosnia- peaces love and justice, Polovina explained. “We believe that we, from Bosnia, we are Herzegovina where 8,000 Muslim men and Williams, who teaches a class called the crossroads between East and West,” he boys were massacred in 1995. “Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” said the said. “From our historical experience, we three religions are all “Abrahamic,” meaning can motivate and inspire our friends here to See IM A M , page 12 understand it’s OK to disagree, but despite they are derived from Abraham. R
