Hundreds of people turned out Saturday to hear a man considered one of the most prominent Muslim leaders in the world talk about peace and politics in the Middle East.
“Tell the people of Colorado our hands are extended with love and peace,” Imam Sheikh Ekrima Sabri of Jerusalem told the crowd.
Sabri is the chief imam and grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine and was appointed by the late Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat.
The imam heads the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third- holiest Muslim shrine, after Mecca and Medina.
“It’s nice to hear a one-on-one account of what’s happening in the Middle East,” said Nadia Zuditer of Lone Tree, a member of the Colorado Muslim Society in Denver.
Sabri was invited to visit by Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism (MILA), a local group, as part of their Muslim speaker and lecture series.
The visit to Colorado was the first for the imam, who has made seven stops across the country, including New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas and Chicago. Today, he will leave for Louisiana.
The standing-room crowd listened intently to the speech in Arabic, translated to English.
Sabri spoke about the history of Jerusalem; the relationships among Jews, Muslims and Christians; the struggles of the Palestinians; Palestinian holy sites; and the new Palestinian government led by the militant group Hamas.
“The Palestinian people made a choice through a transparent election that was endorsed by the whole world,” Sabri said.
Although the visit by the imam was embraced by the more than 400 people who attended, some people were displeased and telephoned, e- mailed and wrote letters asking MILA to rescind Sabri’s invitation.
“He has a history of hateful rhetoric against Jews, against Americans,” said Bruce DeBoskey, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Denver office. “We want him to repudiate those comments; they’re divisive, they’re hateful and they’re unwelcome here.”
“Anyone who has a different opinion of the Israeli occupiers are called terrorists and extremists,” Sabri told his audience.
Denverite Rima Barakat, a member of MILA, said although her group had received support from the Jewish community, she was saddened by comments made by DeBoskey and others.
“It really hurt.” Barakat said. “They used mudslinging tactics against a holy man.”
The cafeteria at the Colorado Muslim Society Islamic Center was filled with men, women and children who were Muslim and non-Muslim.
Paul Garrett of Estes Park, an Episcopal priest, was joined by his wife, Mary Ellen.The couple said they were impressed by the imam’s speech.
“It was very interesting. There’s a very powerful counterbalance (to what) dominates the headlines,” Garrett said.
“If we can’t achieve peace in the Middle East, then we’re unlikely to achieve peace elsewhere,” Garrett added.
Staff writer Annette Espinoza can be reached at 303-820-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com.
