Canadian Muslims and Christians celebrate longtime interfaith cooperation

Canadian Christian and Muslim organizations celebrated decades of friendship and cooperation at a dinner held on Monday, October 2nd at the Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Toronto.

“In a world where so many forces seem determined to divide and create hatred among us, building relationships of mutuality and respect as we have been doing through these dinners and through the work of the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee is a vital piece of work,” said Gail Allan, the Christian Co-Chair of the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee (NMCLC), in her welcoming remarks at the annual dinner organized by the interfaith committee.

The National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee (NMCLC) brings representatives of Muslim and Christian organizations into a forum for respectful dialogue on themes of common interest, and for the exchange of and response to faith-related concerns and areas of sensitivity between Muslims and Christians.

“I give thanks to those who created the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee many years ago and for all those, who over the years, have helped us work towards our vision of interfaith friendship and cooperation,” added Allan.

Active since the early 1990s, NMCLC has sponsored regular dialogue and learning events, consulted on documents and resources and collaborated on social issues.

Members of NMCLC share a vision that Christians and Muslims realize the full potential of their relationship – appreciate, respect, support and understand each other – leading to the betterment of our society.

The theme of the evening’s program was “Interfaith Alliances at the Service of the Common Good: How Do We Do it Together?” and featured presentations and a panel discussion with Dr. Lucy Cummings, Executive Director of Faith & the Common Good, Dr. Peter Russell, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and Firaaz Azeez, Manager of Special Projects at Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto.

Two well-known interfaith leaders – Fr. Damian MacPherson and Hanny Hassan – were also recognized for fostering relations between Muslims and Christians.

Fr. Damian MacPherson, SA is the outgoing director for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs for the Archdiocese of Toronto and Hanny Hassan is the outgoing Muslim Co-Chair of NMCLC.

“May our meeting tonight serve to move us ahead to build stronger relationships and trust with each other, and cause us to advance and see growth in all areas of our lives,” noted Muneeb Nasir, the incoming Muslim Co-Chair of NMCLC, in his closing remarks.