By Jasmine Michaelson

Imran Rama, a third-year student at USU from Pakistan, shares his Muslim faith with a vast majority of Saddam Hussein's followers, and though he disapproves of Hussein's leadership, makes no apology for his religious views.

"Islam is my religion. It is my faith. It is my life," he said. "It has everything to do with me and my life, and it does with every Muslim."

As American and Iraqi blood alike continues to flow in the deserts of the Middle East, the potential for acts of bigotry against people of Rama's faith and heritage back on the U.S. homefront continues to grow.

But Rama said he hasn't seen it in Logan.

And he won't, either -- not if Cache Community Connections has anything to do about it.

The group, a collection of religious and civic leaders from the valley, met for the first time on Sept. 12, 2001, in the hopes of forming a "united response to the events of the previous day." The result was a community-wide candlelight vigil two days later on Sept. 14. Because of the success of the event, the group has continued to meet monthly to discuss ways of supporting tolerance, respect and acceptance in "our vastly diverse community."

Last month's agenda included the issuing of a statement calling on residents to "exercise compassion and openness -- regardless of religious or political orientation" specifically with regard to "those who are directly connected, through blood or faith, to the region of the world where the conflict is occurring."

The statement recognizes everyone's right to free speech, but also acknowledges that there are "inappropriate methods" of expressing disagreement with other members of the community.

"We also know," the document states, "that compassion and loving acceptance of all community members, regardless of their beliefs of ethnicity, breaks the cycle of fear and mistrust. We are not asking for acceptance of another's belief or actions, but we do appeal for acceptance of the individual."

Bobbie Coray, a Cache Chamber of Commerce representative to the group, said that fortunately there have not been any incidences of bigotry locally that she knew of that required that this statement be made.

"I think the people of Cache Valley have been very good," she said. "They have responded in their normal, usual, kind way."

She said she remembered during Desert Storm when USU students from Iran and Iraq were frequently checked up on by concerned professors wanting to make sure the students and their families were safe.

She said the statement was made because the group felt it was necessary to let people know that there shouldn't be any problems.

"We just want to do everything we can to make this a wonderful, cohesive community," she said.

And hopefully Rama and his fellow Cache Valley Muslims will continue to be, as he puts it, "just a normal minority."

Cache Valley Connections includes representatives from: the Logan Islamic Center, the Baha'i Community, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Cache Valley Buddhist Sangha, the Hispanic Center of Cache Valley, the Metropolitan Community Church, St. Johns Episcopal Church, the Faith and Fellowship Center, the Jewish Community, First Presbyterian Church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Emmanuel Baptist Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Bridgerland Bible Church, Cache Valley Unitarian Universalists, Cache Valle Bible Fellowship, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), the University Counsel and Chief of Staff, the Church of Christ, the Cache Valley Christian Center, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, the Cache Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Doug Thomas and Teresa Harris of the City of Logan.

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