On the evening of Monday, March 22nd, an assembly gathered at the church of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa. This was no ordinary church gathering; it was the coming together of two different faiths, in the spirit of mutual understanding and bridge-building.

The event was organized by Cordova Academy in cooperation with The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa. About two-hundred people, of the Christian faith, curious and open-minded, sat in the chairs of the congregation hall — serene.

The inspiration for the event came from the very words of God Almighty: “Say: ‘O people of the book, let us come to common grounds between us and you...” (Quran, ch.3, v. 64)

With the many misconceptions and propaganda harboured about Islam and Muslims, this event served as a means, following the long history of interfaith dialogues in the Ottawa community, to educate others about Islam.

“It was an interesting event”, said Khadijah Haffajee, a prominent Muslim activist who attended the event. “The attendance was good, Imam Jebara used a different way of presenting, it was a feel-good presentation; interesting to see.”

The evening started off with an introduction by a member of the First Unitarian Congregation, followed by an enlightening presentation by Brother Mohamad Jebara, headmaster of the Cordova Academy. Brother Mohamad addressed the crowd, explaining the basic tenants of the Islamic faith. The presentation was followed by a plethora of questions from the curious crowd.

“It is important to build bridges now, it has always been important to build bridges,” Brother Mohamad said in an interview with CBC Radio prior to the event.

“The first thing the Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, did when he entered the city of Madina, was to hold a council with the Jews and pagans…to discuss what was the common good of the city, and how to establish the society as a whole,” Brother Mohamad added.

The response from the congregation was positive. Many described it as a learning experience. Audrey Saparno, a Muslim, shared one such experience with a non-Muslim attendee who said:

“It was nice to hear a lot of commonalities between our faith and your faith, I feel a lot closer (compared) to what you would hear on the radio (about Islam). Today, I learned an aspect of the faith that I didn’t know about, such as the concept of being a good neighbour, and wanting for others what you would want for yourself.”

The evening concluded with a delightful reception where the congregation had the chance to interact with Brother Mohamad and his students.■