Area churches to host Islamic Cleric

News Release

Since the tragic event of 9/11, a great deal of misunderstanding and confusion has arisen about Islam and its relationship with other faiths. This has too frequently resulted in our building up of walls between people and cultures, even leading to acts of aggression and violence as we have sought to come to terms with the knowledge we currently have (or lack thereof) about this global crisis. Our world today is very uncertain. Our fears and prejudices have left us vulnerable; our hopes and dreams for a better and peaceful society, challenged. Given the complexities of this global landscape, we cannot afford to be ignorant or worse yet, complacent about our relationships with those of other faiths and cultures who share our common humanity.
We are both honoured and excited to invite to our community Mohammad Attieque who will be conducting a two day seminar entitled “That we may know each other: A conversation between Islam and Christianity”. Mohammad is an Imam (minister of religion), an Islamic scholar, a chaplain in hospitals and penitentiaries, a pharmacist and retired civil servant of Ontario. Born in India but raised in Pakistan before moving to England for further education then finally Scarborough, Ontario where he currently resides, Mohammad is a member of the Islamic Circle of North America, which in Toronto, boasts more than 100 volunteers visiting in eight different Toronto hospitals. He delivers lectures in schools, churches, social clubs, colleges and universities and is actively involved in inter-faith dialogue at different levels. He is also a counselor for youth, marriages and families and leads weekly prayers in different Mosques. In all that activity, Mohammad has added one more job to his to-do list: “to demystify and correct public misunderstandings about Islam”.
The event is being hosted by St. John’s Anglican, Knox United and Zion Lutheran Churches and will take place over two evening sessions (November 27th and November 28th). All sessions will be held at St. John’s, 360 Church Street, Fort Frances, and will start at 7:00 p.m. Session One (Nov. 27th ) will explore the question, “What is Islam” and will seek to clarify the basic characteristics of the Islamic faith. Session Two (Nov. 28th) will deal more specifically with the role of Islam in the 21st century both here in Canada and abroad. Mohammad will also be present at the High School on Nov. 28th, to those students who would like to dialogue with him, though no student will be required to participate. There will also be a morning session for clergy on Nov 29th at 9:30 a.m. at Knox. Ample opportunity for participants to ask questions about the topics will be available. The event is open to all and there will be no charge. Those who would like further information are invited to call St. John’s Church at 274-7692. The church is wheelchair accessible. Fr. Wayne McIntosh