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Interfaith Unity
is a free publication of Interfaith and Inter-Spiritual activities, news, and resources,
in Toronto, Southern Ontario, Nationally and Internationally
Event listings are run free of charge. Please submit by the deadline date shown on the current newsletter.
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LINKS TO ESSAYS
RUMIFEST ROCKED
DIVISION VS UNITY
FROM FIRE STORM TO ILLUMINATION
ISLAMIC REFORM IS ALIVE AND WELL!
Interfaith Dialogue: The What The Why And The How?
THE ULTIMATE JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF OUR FAITHS
A WORLD WITHOUT HATRED
THE NEW INTERFAITH GENERATION
THE BIG HUG OF JERUSALEM , JUNE 24, 2008
Helena’s Voyage and Paul’s journey
RELIGION IN PUBLIC LIFE:
GLOBALISATION FOR THE COMMON GOOD
GUIDELINES FOR ARRANGING GROUP VISITS TO HOUSES
OF WORSHIP
POVERTY REDUCTION IN QUEBEC & NOW ONTARIO
The Golden Rule in World Religions
THE GOLDEN RULE POSTER Multi-faith Sacred Writings and Symbols from 13 Traditions
UNITED NATIONS DECADE (2011 – 2020) Of Interreligious Dialogue And Cooperation For Peace
Mayor David Miller Meets With The Toronto Area Interfaith Council
TRANSFORMING DEVELOPMENT
Exploring Approaches to Development Perspectives
IMPRESSIONS ON THE URI ASIA REGIONAL
ASSEMBLY in New Delhi, India
AN ODYSSEY IN FAITH By Farzana Hassan
A SALUTE TO CANADA My Adopted Land Of Unparalleled Religious Diversity
NAIN GATHERS IN VANCOUVER – Stealing away to Paradise
THE GOLDEN RULE: Unity
in Diversity
Toronto Participation
in the Parliament of World Religions
By Paul McKenna
READ THE COMPLETE ESSAY
- an overview of a unique event in Toronto , Canada
By: Raheel Raza
On Saturday October 23, 2010 the first Rumi Fest organized by Nomans Land Promotions took place at the Trinity-St. Paul Center in the heart of Toronto . As a start the venue spoke to the spirituality of Rumi because it’s a heritage building called a Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts. More than 750 eager Rumi fans and some just plain curious, from across North America came to this historical Church to experience Rumi.
By Eboo Patel
In the late 19th century, the forces of religious division in America targeted Catholics. Josiah Strong's book Our Country: Its Possible Future and Present Crisis referred to Catholics as "the alien Romanist" who swore allegiance to the pope instead of the country and rejected core American values such as freedom of the press and religious liberty. The book remained in print for decades and sold nearly 200,000 copies...
FROM FIRE STORM TO ILLUMINATION:
Interreligious Reflections on the New York Center and Mosque Project
What some in the media have referred to as "a fire storm" over the mosque debate in lower Manhattan is turning out to be a catalyst to launch a much needed national discussion (and tutorial) on Muslims in America.
By Raheel Raza July 3 2010
“It was a regular day of a regular week in Toronto dealing with irregular issues like the Niqab debate when I received an email Dr. Taj Hargey (Chair of MECO http://www.meco.org.uk) inviting me to come to their annual conference CRITICAL THINKERS FOR ISLAMIC REFORM - The Way Forward being held in Oxford, U.K. from June 11 to 13, 2010.
Dr. Hargey was very persuasive when he convinced me that there can be no reform without equal participation of women. This lead up to his next question about inviting me to lead mixed gender Friday prayers on June 11, 2010. Having done this before in Canada and New York, with full support from my family, I had no problems but asked him why he did not get someone from UK or Europe and he said he had looked but could not find anyone. So on a leap of faith, I agreed. I have to admit the idea of being in Oxford was very attractive.
Jonathan Napier MA, Wilfrid Laurier University
April 8, 2010
Review of The Golden Rule Movie
Subtitle: Youth and the Global Human Family
Review by: Rev. Terry Weller, Christian Interfaith Minister,
Publisher of Interfaith Unity News
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW
With loving memories of Yezdi Antia
Delivered by Phee Vania
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour today of speaking about our very beloved Yezdi uncle.
GOLDEN HEALING IN DAMASCUS, SYRIA
By: Judy Csillag, Director, Partnerships
Canadian Centre for Diversity
One day last spring, my friend Hind Kabawat and I were enjoying the first new rays of a warm sun in her beautiful home. Hind was musing about her other home in Damascus where she was born and raised and from where she decided to devote herself to world wide peace activism.
FIRST NATIONS PROPHECIES,
By Bea Castro
Aho, mitakwe oyasin, This phrase means-All My Relations. It is from the Sioux/Lakota Language
My name is Bea Castro, and I’m from Auburn Hills , MI . My mother’s People are Yaquis, from Northwestern Mexico . I am in the process of learning about my own traditions, but as I’ve begun on this path, I have had the honor and privilege of learning about many of the other Traditions. It would be preferable for First Nations members to speak about their own traditions, language and prophesies, Therefore, I will, very briefly, share various first Nation traditions on Prophesy. I have gleaned the information on these prophecies from several sources. A list of reference materials, from these sources, is available below.
When a First Nations individual visits the homeland of another tribe, it is customary to ask permission to speak. And to give thanks to the hosting Nations and their Elders. Therefore, I’d like to thank Frances Sanderson, Executive Director of Nishnawbe Homes in Toronto , the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, the Grandmothers and Grandfathers who are here and who have passed on.
Read the Complete Essay
Raheel Raza – December 2008
The month of December holds a special meaning for our family. Twenty years ago, we landed at Toronto airport on a snowy, wintry, freezing December night. Alone, scared and cold, we were welcomed by the warmth of Christmas cheer so this time of the year is very poignant. This year December heralds Eid, Hanukkah and Christmas so we wanted to do something special to celebrate 2 decades of living in this multi-faith mosaic we call home.
By Leslie Mezei
Scarboro Missions Magazine, July-August 2008
As part of its Interfaith Education Series, Scarboro Missions hosted a session in which participants envisioned ways to creating a more peaceful world. This is Leslie's description of the events with summary at the end.
Read Complete Article
THE NEW INTERFAITH GENERATION by Eboo Patel from newsweek.washingtonpost.com
Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit working to build mutual respect and pluralism among religiously diverse young people by empowering them to work together to serve others. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation, released by Beacon Press in June 2007.
Read complete article
Eliyahu McLean, Jerusalem Peacemakers, co-director. Here is an update of some of the work with Jerusalem Peacemakers. Please send your prayers and support for this year's 'Big Hug of Jerusalem' event, taking place today June 24th. We are expecting thousands of Israelis, Palestinians and internationals to gather for a prayer of peace and unity around the walls of the Old City.
JOURNEYS TO THE CENTER OF OUR SOUL
- Helena’s Voyage and Paul’s journey.
By: Raheel Raza, Director Raheel Raza Diversity Inc./Forum for Learning
A review of ‘ Helena ’s Voyage’ with personal reflections
RELIGION IN PUBLIC LIFE: GLOBALISATION FOR THE COMMON GOOD
A Lecture delivered by: Kamran Mofid PhD (ECON) Founder, Globalization for the Common Good Initiative
At an Invited seminar in Oxford University convened by:
The Rev. Canon Vincent Strudwick Chamberlain and Fellow Emeritus, Kellogg College ,
Emeritus member of the Theology Faculty,
University of Oxford Mawby Pavilion, Rewley House, June 5th 2008
Essay is filed on PDF format click: http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/june-2008-oxford-lecture.pdf
GUIDELINES FOR ARRANGING GROUP VISITS TO HOUSES OF WORSHIP
“Interfaith Unity is proud to announce the addition of a useful resource to its interfaith website -- Visiting houses of worship of other faith traditions is one of the most effective ways to learn about other religions. This set of comprehensive guidelines provides all the necessary information for making a group visit a wonderful cultural, religious and educational experience. The guidelines were written by JW Windland, a highly respected multifaith educator with 40 years of experience in visiting houses of worship. < Read complete article >
ISARC’s Religious Leaders’ Forum at Queen’s Park
An essay by ISARC reporting on ISARC’s Religious Leaders’ Forum at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.
< Read complete article >
THE GOLDEN RULE IN WORLD RELIGIONS
Leslie Gabriel Mezei
Paul McKenna of the Scarboro Missions and I were treated as honoured guests at the beautiful wooded campus of Bard College www.bard.edu just North of New York City on April 15-17, 2008. Their Institute of Advanced Theology www.bard.edu/iat hosted an academic conference on The Golden Rule in the Religions of the World.
May 2002 Spiritan Missionary News
On the morning of September 11th 2001 I was driving north from Toronto to Tottenham , Ontario to interview Paul McKenna about the colourful Golden Rule Poster he created, with sacred writings from 13 faith traditions, representing the overwhelming majority of the world’s peoples and cultures. As the horrible news came blaring from the radio, at first I thought it must be a hoax, like the 1938 Orson Wells’ Martian invasion broadcast. Then I asked myself, “How can human beings become so desperate and full of hate to sacrifice thousands of innocent civilians?” This is supposed to be an age of increasing acceptance of diversity, of interfaith dialogue. Obviously, we haven’t universally applied the millennia-old Golden Rule, which urges us to treat everyone in our human family generously, even our enemy.
UNITED NATIONS DECADE (2011 – 2020) OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION FOR PEACE Advancing the Culture of Peace through dialogue and cooperation among individuals and communities of diverse religions and beliefs. The UN Decade of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace 2011-2020 (or DECADE) is aimed at promoting partnership between UN Member States, UN Agencies, Religious and Spiritual Communities and Civil Society Organizations to advance the culture of peace. < Read complete article >
MAYOR DAVID MILLER MEETS WITH THE TORONTO AREA INTERFAITH COUNCIL - March, 2007
The aim of this first breakfast meeting was to initiate a dialogue among leaders of city government and of faith communities to create a foundation for understanding, co-operation and partnership between the City of Toronto and the Faith Communities in the Toronto area. Mayor Miller welcomed this initiative and, with the TAIC, sees this dialogue as the first step of many we can take together. < Read complete article >
…For the first time in recent history, International Development Agencies and the official aid organisations in many Donor countries have made a paradigm shift in their thinking by acknowledging that Material and Spiritual development are two sides of the same coin and that one cannot succeed without the other. …
…While there is no dearth of research material documenting the recent discourse on the engagement of Faith Based Organizations in transforming development initiatives, conspicuous by its absence to some extent is the Hindu perspective. < Read complete article >
The URI Pakistan delegates, consisting of 26 members, got unique and significant opportunity and experience by attending the URI Asia Regional Assembly at New Delhi , India from 22 to 25 November 2007. The theme of the conference ”Promoting Peace: Through Reconciliation” was so impressive and healthy. It is because, the peace environment of this region is not stable. It was historic moment when the Pakistani delegates meet other members of the URI family from all over Asia. < Read complete article >
AN ODYSSEY IN FAITH
By Farzana Hassan
April is the month when Jewish people and Christians celebrate Passover and Easter. For me, a Muslim, April 2007 was a time of spiritual odyssey, as a synagogue and a Christian church welcomed me into their worship services and learning circles. < Read complete article >
A SALUTE TO CANADA – MY ADOPTED LAND OF UNPARALLELED
MULTICULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY by Chander Khanna
To quote Thomas Merton, we have reached a fork in the road in our individual and collective journeys as peoples, societies and cultures where it is imperative to not just accept or tolerate each other’s faiths and belief systems but to actually celebrate and share in the traditions of our neighbors. < Read complete article >
NAIN GATHERS IN VANCOUVER – STEALING AWAY TO PARADISE,
by Paul Chaffee
For two years, the North America Interfaith Network (NAIN) has partnered with other North American interfaith organizations for summer gatherings, valuable experiences that bear repeating. This summer, though, NAIN gathered in Vancouver for four days to rediscover its own roots by doing what it does best. < Read complete article >
THE GOLDEN RULE: UNITY IN DIVERSITY
by Leslie Mezei - Scarboro Mission’s first Golden Rule Ambassador Award
Scarboro Missions has responded to the inspiration of the Interfaith Peace Initiative in Ethiopia which is encouraging organizations around the world to recognize Golden Rule Ambassadors for Peace among their constituencies. < Read complete article >
