Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims really Think! - Calgary Premiere

Muslim Council of Calgary (MCC) Proudly Presents

the Calgary premiere of

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims really Think!

When: January 3, 2010 @ 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)

Where: Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (1415 14th Ave NW, Calgary)

Tickets: $15 & $20 (fom Ticketmaster)

Panelists:

John Esposito: Professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. Director of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal centre for Muslim-Christian understanding.

Hamid Slimi: Chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams, Imam of the Sayeda Khadija Centre, President of Faith of Life Network.

Jon Kay: Comment pages editor of the National Post. he is a columnist for the National Post op-ed page, contributor to Commentary magazine and the New York Post.

Sheema Khan: Past-president of CAIR-CAN, Columnist and Editor for the Toronto Globe and Mail. Author of "Of Hockey and Hijab"

Upcoming Inter-Faith Network of Calgary meeting at Deer Park United Church

The next meeting of the Inter-Faith Network of Calgary (IFNC) will be hosted by Deer Park United Church (77 Deerpoint Rd S.E.) on Wednesday, December 9th at 7:30 p.m.

Our theme for this year is: 'How is your faith tradition responding to the challenges of life in 21st century Calgary?'

Reverend Tom Melvin will provide some thoughts from the United Church context on sexuality, climate change, and how to reach out in an increasingly secular society.

IFNC is an informal and grassroots group of Calgarians, belonging to several faith traditions, who have come together to promote goodwill and mutual understanding.
We believe that this objective is best achieved by interaction and dialogue among the followers of different faiths. This belief is based on our conviction that while the general tendency is to highlight the differences among different faiths, a deeper study would reveal that we have more in common than is generally believed.

We hope that through these gatherings, we will encourage mutual respect and peace in our community.

We meet once a month to discuss questions related to our personal spirituality and religious practice.

The venues of the gatherings rotate among the places of worship.

Calgary says NO to hate - Thursday, November 26 2009

"Calgary says NO to hate!" rally

When: Thursday, Nov. 26th 2009 at 5:30 pm
Where: Boyce Theatre, 1410 Olympic Way S.E. (Stampede Grounds)

This rally is in response to the recent Antisemitic vandalism and graffitti that was inflicted on the Jewish Community last week.

All our communities are vulnerable to hate mongering and we need to make a strong statement showing ZERO TOLERANCE for hate incitement in Calgary.

The event is co-sponsored by the following organizations:

Government of Alberta,
HR (Alberta Human Rights Commission)
Centre for Faith and the Media
Calgary Centre for Culture, Equity, and Diversity
MCC (Muslim Council of Calgary)
ECCC (Ethno Cultural Council of Calgary)
CCCJ (Canadian Council of Christians and Jews)
AHCC (Alberta Hate Crimes Committee)
CJCC (Calgary Jewish Community Council)
AAME (Alberta Association for Multicultural Education)
Calgary Outlink (Centre for Gender and Cultural Diversity)
Faith and the Common Good
The Calgary Council of Churches
The Muslim-Christian Dialogue Group of Calgary
Unitarian Church of Calgary
The Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership

Anti-Semitic Graffiti in Calgary – My Response

Source

Deplorable
By Almoonir Dewji
Calgary Herald November 18, 2009

Re: "Police treat graffiti as possible hate crime," Nov. 17.

I was horrified to read that a fellow citizen committed such a ghastly act. I was saddened to think of my Jewish friends who woke up that morning to a grotesque message in my city.

Calgary prides itself on being a growing, pluralistic community and normally sets an example for communities elsewhere. We try to build a community which respects the dignity of each person.

Tolerance and respect for all are fundamental values of Canadian society. Lack of such respect is offensive to us all.

I normally stand as a proud Calgarian; however, today I hold my head in shame.

Almoonir Dewji,
Calgary

Inter-Faith Network of Calgary meeting at the Beth Tzedec Synagogue

On October 15, 2009 the Inter-Faith Network of Calgary (IFNC) met at the Beth Tzedec Synagogue.

Azim Jivraj, the Muslim representative on the executive of IFNC, provided the following summary of the session:

Topics to be discussed were "What is the spiritual significance of climate change and humanity's role in it; what can I and my faith group do about climate change, etc."

The evening started with a short presentation by Mishka Lysack, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. He briefed us on the then upcoming Meeting and Retreat on "Climate Change as a Moral Issue" on Oct 25 and 26 respectively.

Rabbi Saul Osadchey mentioned it was the ethical responsibility of all faiths to look after the environment as mentioned in all major scriptures. He mentioned the following:

• Shabbat Noach, when Jews around the world read the Torah portion about the Flood, the Ark and the Rainbow, comes on October 23-24. Torah passages remind Jews to focus on the danger of destruction of life on our planet and actions they need to take to preserve life
• The Rabbinical Assembly, in conjunction with Shabbat Noach, cosponsored Global Climate Healing Shabbat on October 23-24
• Suggested Jews should pledge to integrate education, action and advocacy about environment and sustainability
• Shared "Greening Synagogues Resources" compiled by Rabbi Fred Scherlinder e.g. use programmable thermostats divided by zones in buildings, reduce heating and cooling by 1 degree, reuse and recycle, teach children about nature and Judaism together, teach adults Creation topics together with Torah teachings
• Jewish law has long dealt with environmental matters e.g Bal Tashkhit prohibits needless destruction of resources, Human beings are "shomrim" i.e. protectors or guardians of earth
• Shared some Jewish texts from Deuteronomy, Talmud of Babylonia, Maimonides on biodiversity and human responsibility

General discussion followed the presentation. Items discussed included environmental impact of the oil sands, urban sprawl, responsibility of individuals and institutions, changes must be made at home, current trend towards materialism i.e. enjoy resources but at what cost, practice moderation, etc.

Upcoming Inter-Faith Network of Calgary meeting at Calgary Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre

The next meeting of the IFNC for this year will be hosted by the Calgary Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre (1128 45th Ave. NE ) on Sunday, November 15 2009 at 2:30pm.

Our theme for this year is:‘How is your faith tradition responding to the challenges of life in 21st century Calgary?'

The discussions will be lead by Rani Murji and her topic is "Expression of faith through literature".

Inter-Faith Network of Calgary (IFNC) is an informal and grassroots group of Calgarians, belonging to several faith traditions, who have come together to promote goodwill and mutual understanding.

We believe that this objective is best achieved by interaction and dialogue among the followers of different faiths. This belief is based on our conviction that while the general tendency is to highlight the differences among different faiths, a deeper study would reveal that we have more in common than is generally believed.

We hope that through these gatherings, we will encourage mutual respect and peace in our community.

We meet once a month to discuss questions related to our personal spirituality and religious practice.

The venues of the gatherings rotate among the places of worship.

Catholic World Religion Students Visits Calgary Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre

On October 7 and 8, 2009 Chaplain Mike Javier accompanied Grade 11 and 12 students from Father Lacombe High School (Calgary) and St. Martin de Porres School (Airdrie) to visit the Calgary Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre, as part of the Canadian Centre for Diversity's "Discover Religious Diversity: Full day guided outing" program.

The Catholic tradition is inclusive and respectful of other faith traditions. Based on this tradition, the Calgary Catholic School District has a course entitled "The Study of Other Religious Traditions" as part of its high school curriculum.


Student from St. Martin de Porres School (Airdrie)
at the Calgary Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre

I met Chaplain Mike three years ago when he first brought students to the Jamatkhana. He always requests that I share with the students from Father Lacombe High School my experience as an immigrant to Canada who grew up in that neighborhood and attended Forest Lawn High School.

Chaplain Mike Javier with Almoonir Dewji at
the Calgary Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre