TORONTO — Guests at last week’s interfaith evening at Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue were encouraged to learn a lesson from Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye of Nigeria.
The subjects of the documentary The Imam and the Pastor, which was screened at the event, the pair started up the Interfaith Media Centre in Nigeria and undertook peace-making initiatives despite ongoing violence between Christians and Muslims in that country.
The evening was part of Initiatives of Change, a network committed to transforming society through changes in individuals and relationships, under the auspices of the Mike and Sue Feldman Centre for Toronto Community Dialogue.
In introductory remarks before the film, Dean Bye, a Christian pastor and founder and executive director of Return Ministries and Land and People Communications who leads solidarity tours to Israel, said that in his visits to that country, he has seen Jews and Muslims sharing hospital rooms and getting better together.
“When we visited the [newborn] babies, we didn’t know who was Jewish and who was Muslim,” he said.
“We ate in restaurants and found Jewish and Muslim employees working together. We get a lot of bad news out of Israel, but the good news is that there are Jews and Arabs living interfaith lives. Dialogue is great, but we can’t stop here. Once we leave this room we have to [begin] interfaith living.”
Richards Weeks of Initiatives of Change said last week’s event was one small step, “but we can never tell where it might lead. We have a huge challenge before us, but the first step is closer than we realize.”
Imam Hamid Slimi, executive director of Faith of Life Network and chair of the Canadian Council of Imams, called the evening a “faith” event. “Religion can blind people. It is good to have history and pride but we can’t have the feeling of Cain and Abel. Before we pray, God wants us to be better people.”
Reflecting on the film, Rabbi Jonathan Crane, who recently completed a PhD in modern Jewish thought at University of Toronto, said that it gives viewers an appreciation of clergy on the other side of the world. “[They] are inspiring.”
He said the Imam and the Pastor relates to the Canadian experience because it bodes well for Jews, Muslims and Christians to coexist. “They’re not converting each other, and each remains true to his own interests. We want to live in a society where differences are celebrated.”
Imam Abdul Hai Patel, director of Interfaith relations for the Canadian Council of Imams, president of the Ontario Multifaith Council and a chaplain with York Regional Police, called the film an education for Muslims, Christians and Jews.
“It is an example of [how we can] strengthen our relationships. We have to come together as a family, and ward off anti-religious challenges. As followers of true faith, we must teach the world how people in Nigeria came up with a solution.”
