A good-faith gesture

It's no surprise that it was in California where a Muslim community allowed a Christian offshoot group to hold Easter services in their mosque.

Mutual acceptance and tolerance are a way of life in California, where many religious faiths and spiritual movements all exist side by side, usually with very little friction. So it is not surprising that it was in California where a Muslim community allowed a Christian offshoot group to hold Easter services in their mosque.

This generous gesture will, we hope, counteract to a degree the falsely negative image sometimes attributed to Islam in the US.

The Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims (SALAM) opened its mosque on Sunday to the pastor and parishioners of The Spiritual Life Center.

Pastor Michael Moran, whose lease on another building expired in March, expressed gratitude for the "openheartedness" and "generosity" of the Muslim group, while Dr Irfan Haq of SALAM said people of all faiths "need to create a better world, a world of peace, a world of love".

A few mainstream Christians have grumbled about the one-time arrangement, but we're not sure why: surely this is solid evidence that whatever people believe, there are always ways we can cooperate and grow closer.