Jane Tibbetts
Three members of St. John’s Anglican Church here in Fort Frances have concluded there is plenty of work for Christian compassion to accomplish.
Since 9/11, the media has equated the word “Muslim” with “terrorist.” But the North American Muslim community wants the general public to know the vast majority of members of this faith are peaceful, family-oriented, and law-abiding—and abhor the fundamentalist distortion of Islamic principles.
In 2007, Muhammed Attique wrote letters to 1,000 churches in Ontario requesting an invitation to explain shared origins and similarities of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
He received only 25 invitations from interested churches, and a year-and-a-half ago he spoke to audiences in Fort Frances, which was the only site outside of the greater Toronto area to respond.
There has been continued interfaith interest here, and three members recently were invited to be guests in the home of a Muslim family and participate in the observance of their faith and culture.
This interfaith initiative was sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America/Canada (ICNA), an association of progressive Muslims.
Over the May long weekend, Fr. Wayne McIntosh, along with Alan and Jane Tibbetts, graciously were welcomed as Christian visitors to the home and faith community by respected Muslim community leader Abdul Qayyum Mufti, his wife, Asmah, and their three sons who reside in Mississauga.
In addition to providing warm hospitality, the hosts were most eager to compare aspects of faith, as well as share traditions, food, and customs.
The Fort Frances trio visited many mosques, the first being Al-Rhaman Masjid, a small neighbourhood mosque located in a strip mall. It was explained that there are now more than 80 mosques located in the Toronto area.
All of them are always open and used by any who wish to offer prayers during the five daily prayer times—dawn, mid-day, afternoon, dusk, and day’s end.
The Al-Rhaman mosque also treated them to an early-morning “Nashta,” or breakfast, on the final day of their trip. Members prepared breakfast foods of sooji and puri, and shared in faith-based conversation.
The Fort Frances visitors learned that mosque etiquette includes the removal of shoes before entering the prayer area, and that women cover their heads with a scarf out of respect for the blessed Virgin Mary.
The congregation prays standing in rows facing the direction of Mecca with elbows touching, as all people are connected by prayer.
While there are no clergy in Islam, a leader is chosen to conduct the 10-minute ritual of alternately kneeling, bowing, and standing while chanting prayers in Arabic. Women pray in the “Sister’s Area” behind the men so as to avoid any awkwardness that might occur during the prayer movements.
On Fridays, the mid-day service is an hour in length as it includes a sermon message from the Imam, and attendance is required of all men (optional for women).
On May 15, the local Anglicans visited the ISNA mosque in Mississauga—the largest in the city with a capacity for 3,000 at prayer. It also includes a school complex, bookstore, and mortuary facility.
The sermon was on the swine ’flu and how to avoid its spread, a topic much in the news lately.
Following the prayers, the Fort Frances visitors met for an impromptu interfaith meeting in the conference room with several Islamic scholars. The topic for discussion was “How can the ‘silent majority’ of moderate Christian and Muslim faiths work together to repair the damage created by media coverage of radical fundamentalist factions?”
Later, the visitors toured of the city’s oldest mosque complex (complete with minarets)—the Islamic Foundation of Toronto in Scarborough.
Besides providing prayer space for 2,500 people, it includes a K-12 school, a cafeteria with meal service for the needy, support programs for new immigrants, adult education classes, social services and marriage preparation, mortuary services, and the provision of humanitarian assistance for both Muslim and non-Muslim relief efforts such as the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Pakistan, and war-torn Sri Lanka.
A highlight of the visit was an interfaith conference held at the Al Falah Islamic Center in Oakville organized by the ICNA group, which included representatives from the Jewish, Muslim, Buddist, Bahai, Hindu, Sikh, and Christian communities.
The topic for discussion was “The Role of Women in Scripture.”
In addition to speakers from the various faiths, messages of support and co-operation were presented from the Mayor of Oakville, Halton Regional Police Services, and the chairman of Halton Region.
“This weekend was a rare experience and an opportunity for all to clarify perceptions about their faith and to improve understanding,” noted Jane Tibbetts.
“Certainly, mutual dialogue and respectful discussion is the best way to learn about another people—to build bridges and create a more civilized and peaceful community,” she concluded.
The Fort Frances group also was able to include a visit to the CN Tower and downtown Toronto, as well as a tour of “Little India” in the city’s east end, as part of their busy weekend of activities.
