The Minaret Foundation, formed in 2010 by Houston native Shariq Abdul Ghani, has been actively bringing together leaders of different faiths and finding partners across political parties to identify and work on common issues faced by the citizens of all backgrounds. The foundation addresses child welfare, food security, and religious freedom, fostering a sense of unity and understanding in one of the most diverse communities.
Aim of The Foundation
The foremost objective of the organization is to create a community that does not harbor religious hate for one another, to eradicate misconceptions, and to create a society that is in harmony with each other’s vision of faith and religion. It achieves this goal through a well-crafted plan, events, principles, and a dedicated team.
Mission-Driven Principles
Active since the “War on Terror,” the foundation strives to eradicate religious misconception and hatred. It operates on several uncompromisable key principles that form the backbone and the mission of the foundation.
- Faith is Essential: Faith guides decisions and moral compass; religion is not used as a partisan tool.
- Interfaith Collaboration: Working together with various faith communities to create sustainable change.
- Advocacy Over Activism: Engaging within the system to create lasting policy changes.
- Relationship Building: Forming and maintaining diverse alliances to tackle core issues.
- Inclusivity: Engaging with everyone, even those with different worldviews, to find solutions.
- Bipartisanship: Working beyond political divides for the betterment of all.
- Incremental Progress: Achieving systemic change through small, sustainable steps.
- Mission-Centric Approach: Focusing on multi-faith engagement and addressing core issues like child welfare, food insecurity, and religious freedom.
Interfaith Programs
The Minaret Foundation hosts several programs, bringing together different religious communities to participate. These programs include dialogues, discussions, and friendly competition events. These programs serve as the cornerstone of the foundation.
- The annual Muslim-Jewish Christmas event, where Muslims and Jews come together on Christmas Eve to share meals and engage in dialogue about topics such as religiously motivated hate, interfaith solidarity, mercy, and forgiveness.
- Another notable program is Competing in Goodness, which challenges local mosques, churches, and synagogues to outdo each other in fundraising and food bank collections.
Additionally, the foundation organizes the Women’s Leadership Forum, StoryStars, Handle With Care, and Angels and Messengers programs, each designed to address specific community needs and promote interfaith understanding.
One of the most specific dialogues facilitated by the foundation is the discussion on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which is part of the Muslim-Jewish Christmas event. This dialogue encourages participants to explore varying viewpoints and engage with each other’s narratives in a respectful and constructive manner.
Creating Change: Impacting Community
The Minaret Foundation is compelled to recreate the religious position of the society, but its goals also penetrate into other focus areas. Safeguarding children, tackling food issues, and promoting a healthy lifestyle for the community.
Their programs, such as Divine Dining, have relentlessly pursued the objective of providing affordable, safe, and nutritious food to families. Likewise, the Handle with Care Initiative takes a creative and much-required stance to offer professional and legal help to children who have suffered from a traumatic event.
They foster a collaborative environment by inviting and sharing ideals of all the diverse religious communities. Be it the Jews, the Christians, or the Muslims, according to the Minaret Foundation, personal contention should never be the basis upon which one’s community should suffer.
Conclusion: Reshaping Conceptions
The vision that Ghani brought has been one of the most innovative undertakings. To venture into the century-old traditions of hate that have been fostered among communities, this Houston event that began so simply is now changing conceptions. The Minaret Foundation, since its inauguration, has bridged religious communities and tended to the needs of the society. Their mission, in the words of the Christian social media coordinator of Minaret, Kait Ewoldt, continues to be the organization that patches up the wedges of hate.
“You have these world religions that always seem to be at odds with each other, and we bring them together,” she said.
Contact Info
Website: Minaret Foundation – Bringing faith communities together
Office: (281) 401-9229
