VILLA PARK, Ill. (FinalCall.com)�The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was among special guests at an Oct. 29 interfaith "Evening of Religious Solidarity" co-hosted by Imam W.D. Mohammed and the Rev. Dr. Robert H. Schuller.

Paying tribute to the co-hosts, Min. Farrakhan described Rev. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral Church, as a "mighty spiritual giant" whose "Hour of Power" television ministry he has watched for approximately 30 years.

Referring to Imam Mohammed, the Minister shared his 45-plus years of friendship and experience watching the leader of the Muslim American Society grow and "break down those artificial barriers" of religion and race.

The event�held at the Islamic Foundation Mosque in Villa Park, a Chicago suburb�was sparked by the Sept. 11 attack on the United States and the anti-Muslim backlash in its wake.

Speakers included Sister June McGuire, executive director of Ecumenical Services of the Chicago Archdiocese; Dr. Balwant Singh Hansra, vice president of the World Parliament of Religions and who is of the Sikh faith; Rev. Dr. Paul Ruthers, director of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago; Karriem Ihram, president of the Chicago council of Islamic organizations; and Sister Mizra Mohammed, trustee of the World Parliament of Religions. Members of the Jewish faith also were in attendance at the event where Imam Gha-is F. Askia, founder of the Ministry of the Faithful of God, served as master of ceremonies.

In his remarks, Min. Farrakhan said religious leaders must step up and herald God�s warning to U.S. and world leaders as nations march toward another global war. But what has happened, he said, is that religious leaders and spiritual truths have been subordinated to political realities.

"Isn�t it sad that it took tragedy to make us think about God � to bring republicans and democrats together?" Min. Farrakhan asked. "For the first time in a long time America dropped to her knees and began to recognize God.

"Please don�t leave President Bush out there like this," he continued. "He needs help. Somebody must say to our government, �Thus sayeth the Lord,� " he said.

America will go the way of previous great nations, none of which remain today, if she does not repent and do justice in the earth, Min. Farrakhan warned.

Rev. Schuller described his life as a "journey" where "you catch a vision and put your hand to the plow." That journey, he said, started in a Chicago suburb where he became a minister.

Rev. Schuller said his life�s creed is reflected in Isaiah 58:12 of the Bible: "� and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in."

"I�ve lived with that, it has consumed me," he said.

Rev. Schuller recalled his first meeting with Min. Farrakhan during the African-African American Summit in Gabon, West Africa, hosted by the late Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan.

It was during that summit that Rev. Schuller said he cried as he stood to speak to the audience of Blacks of Africa and America and reflected on the fact that his great-great grandfather was a wealthy baron in the Netherlands.

"I thought, �could it be that my great-great grandfather owned ships that took Black [slaves] to America?� " he told the interfaith audience.

But as he trembled and cried before the people at the summit, an African Muslim imam approached him saying that African people cannot let anyone stand on stage and cry alone.

Rev. Schuller said that his growth has caused him to see the divisions in religion, and now he tells people, "I really don�t have a religion, I have a relationship [with Jesus Christ].

"I�m not selling a religion, I�m not out to convert anybody," he said. "I�m a reporter. I�m in the news business, only I�m in the good news business."

Imam W.D. Mohammed stressed that sincerity to do the will of God must be the focus of spiritual people. He told the audience that his father, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and mother, Clara, instilled in him to be good and believe in God.

"If we would just follow the purity of our religion, we�d know the difference between a �Muslim� and a �believer.� Anyone can claim to be a Muslim. It takes a sincerity to be right for you to be a believer," he said.

"When I find a true believer, whether Muslim, Christian or Jew, I don�t think about the religious name," he said.

Photo 1: (l-r) Sister Mizra Mohammed, Sister June McGuire, Imam Gha-is Askia, Rev. Paul Ruthers, Dr. Balwant Singh Hansra, Karriem Ihram
Photo 2: Min. Farrakhan and other guest smile as Imam Mohammed (center) greets event co-host Rev. Robert Schuller.