Source: The Fresno Bee
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/45706.html
The imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno arrived at a National Day of Prayer celebration Thursday morning with a heavy heart.
Seyed Ali Ghazvini, the imam, recently received news that a cousin, Mehdi Ghazvini, 24, was killed Saturday by a car bomb in Karbala, Iraq, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.
"I'm going to do pray for our nation and Iraq to have peace -- and to have innocent lives protected," Ghazvini said.
Moments later, Ghazvini joined nearly 50 other leaders of various faiths at the National Day of Prayer "Celebration for All Faiths" gathering, which began outdoors in the 7 a.m. chill near the Fresno County Courthouse.
It was one of several central San Joaquin Valley events presented in conjunction with National Day of Prayer, which is held annually on the first Thursday in May.
Also at 7 a.m., nearly 700 people gathered for the annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast at the Visalia Convention Center, where singer Barry McGuire performed with the New Christy Minstrels musical group. McGuire also gave a talk about his Christian faith.