SomeGuy wrote:
I wonder if a mosque would show as much accommodation to a Christian prayer group.
If a mosque somewhere already has, well ,whatever.
Interfaith events happen all the time here. I've personally been involved in several interfaith gatherings/events in mosques, synagogues, and churches for the past decade or so, in personal and professional contexts. Just last November I was the primary point person in organizing a Jewish-Muslim dinner at a mosque, during which several Evangelicals, Baptists, and Catholics joined Muslims and Jews, the latter of which were mostly from the Conservative movement. We ordered kosher and halal food, and later on all three religious groups performed prayers at different times.
Now I know this donation of space to accommodate prayer is different than interfaith events, but I did not understand the kind of undercurrent of antagonism I sensed in your post. I'd say I've met more Catholics than any other religious group outside of my own tradition, and I can't even begin to enumerate the unsolicited acts of kindness and accommodations I've received at their hands, for a variety of different purposes, including temporary space for communal prayer while in college. I don't know the entire context behind this enormous gesture from the UC church, and while it may be unique in terms of gravity given the particular place, it certainly wouldn't be the first cross-religious act of accommodation and friendship involving Muslims and Christians in this country.