Catholic, Muslim students in Detroit, Minnesota learn from each other

Published: 2006-10-02

DEARBORN, Mich. (CNS) -- A visit paid by Catholic schoolchildren to a Dearborn mosque and the cooperative spirit between a Catholic school and a neighboring Muslim school in the Minneapolis area illustrate that the two faiths have a good relationship, said local leaders. In Dearborn, about a hundred local Catholic schoolchildren visited a mosque Sept. 21 to learn about the beliefs and practice of Islam. The Michigan students visited the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in America. It was a coincidence the visit came at a time of strain between Catholics and Muslims over Pope Benedict XVI's comments on Islam in a speech he gave in Germany. In Fridley, Minn., near Minneapolis, Totino-Grace Catholic High School and Al-Amal Muslim School have enjoyed a good rapport for more than a decade, learning and living across the street from each other.

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