November 5thA Common World Alberta Interfaith Dialogue
On Saturday October 25, the 13th A Common World Alberta Interfaith Dialogue took place at the Al Ameen Masjit in Edmonton. Seventy-six Muslims and Christians gathered to explore together the shared story of Abraham/Ibrahim welcoming the strangers/visitors/angels. Six of the Christians present were Edmonton Mennonites.
We opened with a Quranic reading read by the Sheikh of Al Ameen Masjit. This was followed by a land acknowledgement and an Indigenous teaching offered by Candida Shepherd, one of our teachers at our annual dialogue in 2023 on the topic of the medicine wheel.
The speakers this year were Imam Jamal from Al Rashid Mosque for the Muslim voice and Pastor Suzanne Gross from Holyrood Mennonite for the Christian voice.
The theme was hospitality, sharing together how we are called through this story to be hospitable in a world full of fear of each other. Christian representation included Catholics, LDS, Anglicans, Mennonites and non-church goers who grew up Christian. Anke Jessen, one of the Mennonite participants who attends Lendrum Mennonite Church had the following to share:
"It was a wonderful event and I enjoyed it and learned a lot. At my table I had participants aged mid-teens to at least mid-70s from & 6 co-nationalities (if you count the young Christian woman who joined us after the main program & who grew up in Dubai and is of Chinese descent). One woman had been part of the group from its origins, while two heard about it for the first time from Eventbrite. And before that I met an engaging couple originally from Turkey at my original table. The warmth and variety of people I met was further enhanced by the great programming a delicious food!, of course! I will do what I can to encourage more Christians to participate next time! We were definitely out numbered 😉 It was a rich experience and I hope more folks take part in it next time!"
