More than 200 guests, including students, clergy and officials, were greeted by name Sunday night and led through a hallway embellished with intricate Muslim artwork to a dinner room graced by the music of a sitar and violin - a blend of Eastern and Western artistic tradition.

The South Austin Mariott Hotel opened its ballroom doors to guests from Jewish, Christian and Islamic kinships to share an interfaith "iftar," the traditional fast-breaking dinner during Ramadan.

"We tried to represent every part of the community, so we would not only show diversity among different faiths, but also with different groups of the community," said history graduate student Metin Atmaca, Islamic Dialogue Student Association president.

Also present at the event were Mayor Will Wynn and UT President Larry Faulkner.

Media Credit: Shannon Sibayan
Sherry McKinney, right, eats the fast-breaking
dinner Sunday night with Walter Cowan and others.

Following a call to prayer sung in Muslim tradition, Greg McDonell of the Central Presbyterian Church offered a prayer of thanksgiving addressed to "God and to Allah, cherisher and sustainer of the world."

In attempts to "bridge the gap" between members of different faiths, guests discussed "universal values like tolerance, love and compassion," said the event coordinator.

"There's a gap not because of a spirit of anger, but rather because we don't know about each other," said the Rev. Karl Gronberg of the Gethsemane Lutheran Church. "Sometimes it's easier to be in our own groups rather than reach out to others."

Gronberg said since the Sept. 11 attacks, interfaith outreach has become more of a necessity.

"I don't think we need to dwell on the tragedy of 9/11 for any reason other than to learn lessons so we don't ever let this happen again," Gronberg said. "Dialogue like this helps us learn that the way to stop that is not to fight a war, to kill people, but to know more about each other, to talk together and eat together."

Denise Spellberg, an associate professor of history, said enrollment in her History of the Middle East class has nearly doubled in the last three years.

In collaboration with churches and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, the Islamic Dialogue Student Association has sponsored more than 100 outreach events in the last three years, including a speaker series and performances by the Whirling Dervishes, traditional Turkish dancers.

Since the organization was formed in Austin in 2001, IID has grown to include other Texas cities and neighboring states.