Talking through Walls: How the Struggle to Build a Mosque United a Community

When Zia Rahman prepared to appear before the zoning board in his hometown of Voorhees, New Jersey, he was on a mission both practical and spiritual. We planned to turn a derelict building into a mosque. We planned to beautify it and make it a place where God's word would be spoken. But not everyone in his Philadelphia suburb saw it that way. With 9/11 a recent memory, fears were stoked and tensions ran high. Then one day, an anonymous flyer appeared in town, suggesting that those coming to pray at the mosque might have connections to terrorists. But small-town America is more than it seems. Support came from an unlikely source. A group emerged, called the Coalition for a Multi-Faith Democracy, consisting of Buddhists, Christians, and Jews. Working together with the mosque project, they began meeting, looking for common ground, and seeking a greater understanding. When Zia's health began failing, his challenges passed beyond worldly concerns, but the Coalition continued to represent him. Talking through Walls: How the Struggle to Build a Mosque United A Community, tells the story of old faiths and new friendships, and how democracy can be tested and still work even in challenging times.