CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, JEWS TO SHARE WARTIME EXPERIENCES.

Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer

CHATSWORTH - The Rev. Ruy Mizuki's mother was interned as a child at Manzanar and Tule Lake during World War II, just for being Japanese.

His mother's experience during wartime is one reason why Mizuki has organized an interfaith sharing of experiences for Sunday with the two United Methodist Church congregations he leads, in Chatsworth and West Valley, and B'nai Ami Synagogue and Muslim guest speakers.

``Most of the people in the West Valley church were interned. Many of them were children, but there are several who were old enough to serve in the military,'' said Mizuki. ``I saw so many parallels between their experience and the Muslim experience right now. People are making assumptions about Muslims like they made about Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor.''

Mizuki approached Rabbi Ilana Berenbaum Grinblat from B'nai Ami Synagogue with the idea for the program, to find that the congregation that shares the church building was also discussing a joint prayer service.

``From the standpoint of the three congregations, it's important to get to know each other better and to stand together across religious lines,'' said Berenbaum Grinblat. ``I hope we will have a greater understanding of the Muslim community after this program. This is really a time where we've seen Americans come together.''

Berenbaum Grinblat has been asked to discuss persecution from the Jewish perspective, particularly during the Holocaust.

Mizuki asked the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council for a recommendation for a Muslim speaker. Amir Hussain, an assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies at California State University, Northridge, answered the call.

Hussain, a Canadian citizen who emigrated from Pakistan with his family when he was 4 years old, is heartened that people want to learn about Islam. His specialty at CSUN is contemporary Muslim societies in North America.

``I'll be talking about Islam and the ethnic breakdown of Muslims in Southern California. People have these stereotypes. There are African- American Muslims and Muslims from Southeast Asia and the Middle East,'' said Hussain.

The three top questions that Hussain is often asked about Islam include: Does the Koran promote violence? Why do Muslims hate the West? Does the Koran support oppression of women?

``Sometimes I get weary because I have to keep explaining I'm a human being. I'm a decent person. I don't hit people,'' said Hussain, who has been at CSUN since 1979. ``No, I don't think I'm brave when I go out to talk to people. It's my job, in a way. I'm a professor who can help people understand Islam.''

The program will include readings from the Koran by Syed Khalil from the Islamic Center of Northridge, and prayers for the United States, for peace and for the families who suffered losses from the attacks Sept. 11.

``My understanding of the goals of the program are to come together, grieve together, pray for our country in time of war and to show we're standing by the Muslim community,'' said Berenbaum Grinblat.

For Mizuki, the program will be a chance to learn from history.

``Our Japanese-American congregation, they're hearing what's going on in the Muslim community. They're concerned. Some of them have been saying if churches had held gatherings like this after Pearl Harbor, maybe things would have been different for their community,'' Mizuki said. ``What I hear so much is how this has changed America and us forever. The goal is that we are able to understand each other better from this meeting. It's good to show solidarity with the Muslim community.''

``Building Understanding: An Interfaith Sharing of Experiences'' will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Chatsworth United Methodist Church, 10824 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. Call [phone].

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People of three faiths will come together Sunday in Chatsworth for a discussion led by, Dr. Amir Hussain, left, the Rev. Ruy Mizuki and Rabbi Ilana Berenbaum Grinblat.

David Sprague/Daily News