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It all began with an email.

Sent to the Roswell Community Masjid (RCM), the message revealed that an online letter of support to the Muslim community was receiving a great deal of attention.

A concerned Christian family from Atlanta initiated this letter and encouraged friends and family to sign it as a show of support.

As the number of signatures grew, the family decided to print the signatures (yes, all 24,000) and deliver them to a mosque as a neighborly gesture of kindness in the face of hateful rhetoric.

On December 30th, 2015, a beautiful family of four arrived at RCM with a thick binder containing the signatures. On the cover, the original number of signatories, 23,756, was crossed out with red sharpie and replaced with a larger number of 25,455.

RCM gave the family a tour of the facility, answered many questions, showed them an Arabic Quran, and introduced them to Islam as it is truly practiced.

This family of four’s small investment of time will undoubtedly have a larger pay-off. During their visit, they took pictures and shared their eventful afternoon with friends and family on social media.

Following the delivery of the signatures, another family, an elderly couple, also visit RCM. They were more interested in discussion than a tour and we encouraged them to ask questions.

“No questions are off the table,” we told them.

As visitors, the couple learned of the many ideals Muslims have in common with Christians and Jews. We discussed politics, grandkids, parenting, and even education. It was another two-hour investment into one couple that will go a long way. Spending time talking to interested individuals pays off greatly, for you are investing time in people who will go on to speak positively about American Muslims and Islam in general. Each of our visitors expressed interest in bringing more people back with them for another visit.

Every masjid, Islamic organization, Muslim family, and individual should make the most of any opportunity to have regular discussions with anyone that shows interest. The best time to teach is when people come asking questions. Connecting with individuals creates small steps of progress towards correcting the corrupted image of Islam.

See the letter for yourself.

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