All three attention-grabbing incidences were just some of a few presented in videos to a group of about 50 Muslims and non-Muslims who had gathered at the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley (ICTV) to learn about more about Islam.

In the question and answer session, audience members asked questions pertaining to the Muslim view of evolution and the prayer that takes place five times a day, among others.

The event on April 15, co-organized by ICTV and MuslimBridges.org was an attempt to reach out to the non-Muslim community in what organizer Tarek Ayoub describes as "not just a ‘nice idea’ but a matter critical to our survival."

Ayoub, who is a volunteer with MuslimBridges.org, said that slick anti-Muslim websites attract-ing large amounts of traffic were "spreading hate and Islamophobia 24/7."

"Muslims need to do more of these presentations in their neighborhoods," said Ayoub.

Ayoub commended ICTV for being the first in responding to MuslimBridges.org’s campaign to have this presentation and urged other centers to follow suit.

Recognizing that "most Islamic Centers are often too busy with day to day issues," he added that their website had two trainers ready to offer help and tools absolutely free to launch the campaign.

For a list of upcoming presentations, visit http://www.muslimbridges.org/content/view/278/.