by Brett Sheats

Last week I participated in the '29/29 Ramadan Initiative.' I was one of 29 veterans nationwide who spent an evening with a Muslim host family to celebrate Ramadan with them. I traveled to Silver Spring, Maryland to the Baitur Rahman mosque, part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

My hosts, Imam Azhar Haneef and Abdul Kudus Yahaya, were incredibly warm and gracious. Imam Azhar is the head missionary for the entire Ahmadiyya faith in North America. Abdul Kudus is a member of the mosque and an U.S. Army veteran.

They accompanied me to an interfaith ceremony that underscored the tradition of fasting in Christian, Muslim, Mormon, Jewish, Jain, and Buddhist faiths. It was fascinating to hear a perspective that amplified our commonalities, instead of our differences.

After the program, we broke the fast together with a delicious iftar dinner prepared by the mosque community.

That evening, I stayed overnight at Abdul’s home. We talked, shared stories from our time in service, and I learned so much more than I ever imagined about Islam.

The next day I returned to the mosque to observe Friday afternoon services. The Imam gave an impassioned talk about forgiveness and love.

One verse of the Qur'an that was highlighted was Al-Baqara 256—"There is no compulsion in religion." The Imam spoke to the importance of taking this to heart—to know that one could not be forced to be a Muslim (or any other religion.) The best one can do is simply pray for a person and hope they follow the teachings of Islam.

Many times over, I’ve heard from talking heads and politicians: 'Why aren't Muslims doing more to speak out against radical Islam and terrorism?" If the teachings and exhortations that I heard—both from the Imam and his fellow worshipers—are any indication, they are actively doing so in the most sacred of settings.

In the war, our enemies were individuals who twisted Islam in order to justify the killing of innocent people. Today, I share a table with friends: true Muslims who use Islam to share lessons of love, joy, redemption, ethics, and the meaning of life. It was an incredible honor to be their guest for a day.

I had a very positive experience, and I hope that Vets for American Ideals and Muslim Marine continue this partnership in future years. By breaking bread together, listening and learning from one another, we'd have a lot less violence and hatred in this world.

Ramadan Mubarak.