Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid had a choice to make.

Interfaith Action of Evanston had invited Mujahid, chairman of the Parliament of the World's Religions, to speak at the organization's 12^th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.

He figured he could either keep his message light, uplifting and full of optimism, or he could speak of harsh truths that all too often go unspoken.

Mujahid decided to take the path less traveled: So on the eve before America counts its blessings, he urged the 300 plus people gathered at the Unitarian Church of Evanston to make better use of theirs.

"Help us become better neighbors and better human beings," prayed the man who has devoted his life to interfaith dialogue. "Strengthen our resolve to be better citizens of our global village."

The U.S., he said, is no doubt a country filled with abundant blessings, but those blessings come with responsibility, he noted. And sometimes America shirks that responsibility, much to its own detriment, Mujahid said.

He used the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as examples.

"We are borrowing a trillion dollars from China and using it for bombs," he said. "We need to transform our engagement from wars to human development."

Citing the generous support Americans offered the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and recent earthquakes in Pakistan, Mujahid pointed out that international opinion of the U.S. skyrockets when the country uses its resources to help others.

On the other hand, American military intervention has the opposite effect, he said.

His comments highlighted the Interfaith Action of Evanston-sponsored service, which brought together people from all faiths – or no faith at all – and asked them to set aside their differences to work for civic good.

"Our well being depends on the well-being of every single person on this planet," Mujahid said, adding he was thankful to have an audience "willing to listen to difficult messages."

Difficult, maybe, but to Carolyn Gifford, Mujahid's message is needed now more than ever.

The president of Interfaith Action was the primary organizer of the service, and she said she could think of no better person to give the keynote address.

"In this time of increasing religious tension, it's marvelous to have Malik," said Gifford, who describes herself as broadly Protestant. "He's a voice of reason and a strong supporter of interfaith dialogue. To have him here, I see it as a sign of hope."

While Mujahid might have been the headliner, the event Wednesday was much more than a simple lecture.

It featured music from a combined choir consisting of members of UCE and the Baha'i Temple. Furthermore, representatives from seven different religious traditions, ranging from Roman Catholic to Islam and Judaism to the Ethical Humanist Society, said words of blessing inspired from their particular worldview.

That part of the service especially appealed to Chris Isley, who said he is put off by some partisan religious ideologues.

"It's nice to have a forum that is tolerant and nonjudgmental," Isley said. "You can have your own beliefs while recognizing and respecting what others believe, including those who believe nothing at all."

Such forums take time to build, Mujahid said.

And in order for them to bring about change, their leaders need to be direct – even when it's difficult.

"People of faith sometimes get into vagueness, unity through vagueness," Mujahid said. "But unity from clarity is much more beneficial and useful."