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