Dozens of people gathered in New Berlin for a "Meet a Muslim" event Thursday, organized in response to controversy surrounding Mayor Dave Ament's social media activity.Ament came under fire in recent weeks after reposting conten t on his personal Facebook page that included a video of people holding "Ban Islam Now" signs and another showing military men throwing bacon with the caption "How to stop a Muslim invasion." The series of posts was widely described as anti-Muslim, anti-Black, and misogynistic.The mayor apologized at a New Berlin Common Council meeting last week before leaving the room before public comment. Many community members called for his resignation.Rizwan Ahmad, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Milwaukee chapter, organized Thursday's event. Ahmad has lived in New Berlin for more than 32 years and said Ament's posts struck a personal chord."My entire adult life is spent here. I'm raising my family here, so it was kind of, it kind of, it literally hit home for me," Ahmad said.The event brought neighbors together to talk openly about what it means to be Muslim, share personal experiences, and ask questions. Watch the Full Story Below"It's a way of life. It's a way of life that people oftentimes have these false thoughts about how we are and how we aren't. It's just a code of conduct how I live my life on a daily basis," Ahmad said. Ahmad said the goal was to replace misinformation with direct conversation."Let's have conversations. Conversations will help eliminate the misinformation that's out there," Ahmad said.New Berlin resident Wajiha Ahmad echoed that sentiment."Rather than just assuming and wondering about us, just ask us. Ask us," Wajiha Ahmad said. Attendees said the evening felt like a turning point."I applaud the Muslim community for inviting us here because their goal is a peaceful life. And if we can talk about peace and love and how we can treat each other, we will solve the problems," New Berlin resident Maureen Siwula said.Wajiha Ahmad said she found meaning in the community's response to the controversy."Something good came out of this," Wajiha Ahmad said Here for example, we are building bridges. Neighbors and friends coming out, asking us questions. And we building bridges, and we are making a connection here.Rizwan Ahmad said the approach taken at the event reflects his faith."You had asked about how what it is to be a Muslim, handling it this way, in a productive, constructive dialog, is part of the reason is the teachings of Islam," Ahmad said.Mayor Ament was invited to the event but said he had a prior commitment. Rizwan Ahmad said he hopes to speak with the mayor soon.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less