PASADENA, Calif. — Muslim members of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, their wives and other special guests were hosted by the Southern California Public Affairs Council at a dinner party June 4 in the hills above Pasadena, overlooking the Rose Bowl.
Daniel Peterson of BYU's Islamic and Arabic Studies Department was the guest speaker at the party in the home of Blaine and Pat Anderson of the La Canada 1st Ward, La Crescenta California Stake. He is also executive editor of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative Series, which publishes the translations of various ancient texts.
In attendance were the honorable Handriyo Kusumo-Priyo, consul general of Indonesia, and his wife, Nani; the honorable Zulkephli Mohd Noor, consul general of Malaysia, and his wife, Dr. Noor Hasima; the honorable Md. Shahidul Islam, consul general of Bangladesh, and his wife, Shanaz; and deputy consul general of Pakistan Ahmad Farooq and his wife, Aisha.
Ingrid Tate, consular relations director for the Southern California Public Affairs Council, organized the event and arranged for the Halal menu, taking into consideration the guests' special religious dietary requirements.
"It was a wonderful evening filled with friendship and meaningful conversation resulting in mutual respect and greater understanding," Sister Tate said. "The ladies quickly formed a bond through common concerns about families, and as we admired the colorful traditional clothing worn by each consular wife, she shared interesting information about her unique customs and cultures."
Shabbir Mansuri, founder of the Council on Islamic Education in Orange County and longtime friend of the Public Affairs Council, was also among the special guests.
Following dessert, the guests listened as Brother Peterson spoke of his desire to continue the translation series work.
Shabbir Mansuri expressed appreciation for Brother Peterson's work. "It is an important accomplishment that the Islamic heritage be preserved and I'm grateful that an American university is doing this," he said.
Zulkephli Mohd Noor said, "There are lots of Islamic traditions that are not clearly visible. The translation series allows the reader to appreciate our religion from a broader perspective and to have insight into the thoughts of important philosophers in our history."