Forum in Orland Park takes on intolerance

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Jules Blazys, of Palos Heights, speaks Sunday during the question-and-answer session at a forum at The Orland Park Prayer Center. | Ginger Brashinger~For Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 18, 2012 8:12AM

Boycotting the local Lowe’s stores was one suggestion made Sunday night at a forum in Orland Park to discuss the home improvement chain’s decision late last year to pull ads from a reality television show about Muslims.

Another suggestion was that “Muslims and their allies” shop at Lowe’s and interact with managers and customers to show they are stakeholders in Lowe’s decisions.

While the proposed solutions differed widely, many of those who attended the forum — entitled “The Lowe’s Incident: Helping Businesses and Communities Eradicate Hate” — agreed there’s a growing problem with intolerance that must be addressed.

Invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of tolerance and unity, the American Islamic Association of Frankfort and The Prayer Center of Orland Park co-hosted the interfaith, town hall-style meeting, which was attended by about 60 people.

Maaria Mozaffar, a Naperville attorney, organized the meeting to address Lowe’s decision to pull ads from The Learning Channel’s reality show series, “All-American Muslim.” The action came after Lowe’s was the target of an email campaign organized by the Florida Family Association, a nonprofit group whose stated purpose is “defending American values.” Lowe’s has denied it was influenced by the FFA.

Mozaffar, who said she chose the Southland for the first meeting “because it has a large Muslim community,” invited four panelists of different faiths to speak before a question-and-answer session.

Panelist Jane Ramsey, of the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs, called Lowe’s actions “shameful” and said it showed “cowardice” by pulling the ads. She said those who agree “have the power to hold them accountable … and we must do so.”

Amina Shareef, representing the Council on American Islamic Relations Chicago, said “any impact we take here locally needs to be felt by the corporation nationally.” Shareef suggested using social media in a movement that would include boycotting Lowe’s, a letter-writing campaign, and taking pictures of individuals holding “Boycott Lowe’s” signs outside of local Lowe’s stores to send to corporate headquarters.

Shareef said the “strategy of turning the other cheek is not working.”

“I think we’re just a little too peaceful sometimes and just accept it when people make derogatory comments about us,” Shareef said. “We need to be more vocal, more outspoken.”

Panelist Anya Cordell, winner of the “Spirit of Anne Frank Award 2010” and author of “Where the Anti Muslim Path Leads,” said both Muslims and Lowe’s have a “place in our culture.” She said “All-American Muslim” would help people to get to know Muslims.

“A boycott won’t do that,” Cordell said.

Cordell suggested “Muslims and their allies” spend money at Lowe’s, ask to see the manager, and speak with customers, making it “obvious that we have a place at this table.”

During the Q-and-A, Palos Heights resident Jules Blazys, a Christian Sufi master teacher, said, “Punishment is never the answer.” He said boycotting Lowe’s would hurt local employees who would form their opinions of Muslims based on those actions.

Marian Catholic High School teacher Gary Kopycinski, of Park Forest, agreed with the boycott, saying he would “personally endorse any action that would show an absence of Muslims, Christians and Jews from the stores.” Kopycinski said a boycott would affect the chain’s bottom line, something he “bet” the FFA threatened to do.

Panelist Jan Shaulis, director of Congregational Care and Adult Ministries at Faith United Methodist Church and a member of the Southwest Interfaith Team, said she believes hatred comes from ignorance. Shaulis said SWIFT — which brings Christians, Muslims and Jews together to share food, talk and work together — has helped change attitudes.

“The thing that we’ve found out,” Shaulis said, “is that we’re all alike.”

A Lowe’s spokesman said Monday the decision to pull the ads from “All-American Muslim” was a business decision that had nothing to do with the faith of those involved in the show.

“We remove ads from several programs throughout each year,” she said.

As for Sunday’s meeting, which was similar to others that have taken place across the country since the ads were pulled, she said, “We respect people’s right to gather and give their opinions.”