Lifestyle

A collection of 253 posts

531

A Catholic perspective on the theology of Tariq Ramadan

By Hind Al-Abadleh On Friday, February 12, 2010, Professor Gregory Baum from the Centre Justice et Foi and McGill University delivered a public lecture at the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON. The title of his talk was Islam and Democracy: A Catholic Perspective on Reform

Lifestyle

The Quest for Meaning

How different are the various religions and traditions of thought? How can we see past our differences and discover what we have in common? In his upcoming book scheduled to be released later this year, Tariq Ramadan, philosopher and Islamic scholar, invites the reader to join him on a journey

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Toronto Financial Services Alliance welcomes CMHC report on Islamic financing

(January 29, 2010) – The Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA) welcomed the release this week of a report prepared for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) that concludes that Islamic financing products – and, in particular, housing loans – can be accommodated under Canadian legal and accounting rules. “The TFSA has recently established

Lifestyle

Making twins out of synagogues and mosques

(Jan 24, 2010) – At a time when many have despaired of hope for Jewish-Muslim understanding due to the ongoing impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nearly 200 Muslims and Jews gathered in Paris recently to say: “Now is the time to build ties of friendship and understanding between our faiths for

Haiti

Heartbroken and overwhelmed by the magnitude of this catastrophe – Governor General

Statement from the Governor General following the earthquake in Haiti Dear friends. Exactly one year ago, I was in Haiti to assess the damage caused by the hurricanes that had cruelly ravaged a country that has suffered so much, and to support the reconstruction efforts there. Yesterday, fate once again

2010 World Religions Summit

A Time for Inspired Leadership and Action

Steering Committee for the “World Religion Summit 2010 Interfaith Leaders in the G8/G20 Nations” and four Tony Blair Faith Acts Fellows. Since 2005 faith leaders from around the globe have met in parallel to the G8 Leaders’ Summit. The leaders gather to challenge the G8 nations to live up

Farheen Khan

When Food Becomes the Enemy!

By Farheen Khan (January 8, 2010) – We all know that food insecurity and hunger are an issue in the city. The reason is that individuals are unable to eat foods due to their socio-economic status. There is another group of individuals that would like to eat, and can probably afford

ansar financial group

Olive Tree Foundation Announces Ansar Healthcare Fund

(December 24, 2009) – Olive Tree Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the Ansar Healthcare Fund. Ansar Financial Group had long desired setting up a fund to perpetually focus on the growing healthcare needs of the aging population. After extensive consideration, it has selected Olive Tree Foundation to fulfill

Lifestyle

ReliefWorks Launches “Feed me Winter Campaign” across Canada during the Holidays

(December 22, 2009) – December 22nd, 2009 marks the launch of the 1st Muslim national hunger campaign. The “FeedMe Winter Campaign”, a partnership between ReliefWorks [http://relief-works.com/], a non-profit that promotes local relief effort through Islamic music and art, and Meal Exchange, a leading national food/fundraising organization, marks the

531

Is the Qur’an hostile to Jews and Christians?

By Leena El-Ali (December 12, 2009) – When violence is committed in the name of Islam, the perpetrators often say that Muslims were never meant to enjoy good relations with followers of other religions, specifically Jews and Christians. They invariably quote verses from the Qur’an which they argue prove that

Hopenhagen

'Let’s turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen'

“Let’s turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen” is the call to action from website Hopenhagen.org [http://Hopenhagen.org],which has created a global petition urging world leaders to attend and support the COP15 conference, and to reach an agreement regarding carbon emissions and climate change. From the website: Hopenhagen is

531

Why Interfaith Dialogue?

By Abdul Malik Mujahid I saw two groups demonstrating against the Parliament of World Religions at Cape Town University in South Africa in 1999. One was of white Christians and the other of Indian Muslims. They were standing apart from each other despite their common cause against the Parliament. What

531

Eid ul-Adha – A time to learn what sustains us

By Wael Haddara [The following is a transcript of the Eid ul-Adha sermon deliver by Dr. Wael Hadarra at the CNE Queen Elizabeth building in Toronto on Friday, November 27, 2009] We are gathered here today to mark two traditions – one, a tradition or sunnah of our Prophet, peace be

531

Toronto Celebrates Charter for Compassion

(November 20, 2009) – Toronto residents took part in the launch of the Charter for Compassion [http://www.charterforcompassion.org] last week by holding lectures, discussions, film screenings, reflective walks and dedicating weekly sermons to the topic of compassion. The Charter for Compassion, officially launched on November 12, is a 330-word

531

Be more proactive – Monia Mazigh to Canadian Muslims

(November 17, 2009) – Canadian Muslims need to be more proactive when it comes to supporting other Canadians who are detained overseas, according Dr. Monia Mazigh. Mazigh, the wife of Maher Arar, was a keynote speaker at the Inspired and Engaged Citizens: Canadian Muslim Conference held over the weekend in Hamilton,

IDRF

Virtual History of Toronto’s First Mosque – a great resource says Minister of Education

(November 10, 2009) – The online archive and virtual museum of Toronto’s first mosque will be a great educational resource said Kathleen Wynne, Ontario’s Minister of Education. Minister Wynne was speaking earlier today at the launch of Mosqueone.com, an oral history project of the Dundas Street Mosque, the

Charter for Compassion

Charter for Compassion

A call to bring the world together… The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures,

531

Erosion of Human Values

By Imam Abdul Hai Patel (Sermon delivered at the Anglican Church of the Transfiguration in Toronto, during the church’s Second Annual Interfaith Evensong organized by the Neighbourhood Interfaith Group on October 18, 2009). In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Praised be to God, who has given

a Torch for Peace

The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace

(November 3, 2009) – The Canadian premiere of documentary film, The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace, takes place on Wednesday, 4 November in Toronto at the International Diaspora Film Festival. Twenty-one years in the making, this dramatic feature length documentary tells the extraordinary story of Muslim peacemaker, Badshah

Charter for Compassion

Countdown to Charter for Compassion begins

(November 1, 2009) – Today, TED.com [http://TED.com]released six short talks on compassion from six different perspectives — from a Rabbi, an Imam, a Reverend, a Tenzin, a Swami and a secular voice of compassion. These short talks are being presented prior to the launch of the Charter for

Asim Siddiqui

An Islam at home in Britain

By Asim Siddiqui (October 28, 2009) – This month saw the launch of a report authored by a theologically diverse group of leading British Muslims entitled “Contextualising Islam in Britain”. The scholars and practitioners who contributed to the report, published by Cambridge University, sought to answer a deceptively simple question: What

Ibrahim Shalaby

Dr. Ibrahim Shalaby - A Gifted Painter from Palestine

(October 19, 2009) – Dr. Ibrahim Shalaby is a Canadian-Jerusalemite architect and interior designer who says “I don’t live in Jerusalem, it lives in me.” According to Ibrahim, “I paint real places I have visited on my life journey in Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, Morocco, Cyprus,

531

World Leaders and Scholars Discuss Interfaith Challenges

(October 9, 2009) – Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, called upon faith groups to highlight interfaith commonalities to address global issues of peace and security at a two-day conference on Muslim-Christian relations this week. “The best hope for faith in the 21st century is that we confront all of this

Gadi Kenny

The loneliest man in the world

By Mona Eltahawy (October 7, 2009) – Izzeldine Abuelaish could be the loneliest man on earth. A Palestinian father who lost three daughters when Israeli shells struck their home in Gaza two days before a cease-fire ended the war between Israel and Hamas, he seems to be the only person left

Alzheimer

Alzheimer, Dementia, and Islam

By J. Samia Mair Recently, on World Alzheimer’s Day, Alzheimer’s Disease International released its 2009 Report [http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/media/releases-worldalzday09.htm]in order “to raise awareness for this disease that will have a dramatic impact on individuals and healthcare systems globally.” The estimates are alarming.