Muslim youth hold information session at library

MOUNT FOREST – Six members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association hosted an open house at the Mount Forest library on Jan. 17 to encourage interfaith dialogue and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. 

Similar events are being held across the country all year with an emphasis on small towns that may not have large Muslim populations. 

According to organizer Ihtisham Ahmed Rana, “We want to give people a chance to speak with a Muslim and see what a Muslim is really like. 

“The unfortunate reality is that there’s a lot of geopolitical issues going on in the world that’s causing a division in our part of the world, so this is our way of building a bridge between communities to foster peace.”

Rana added, “So far, we have run into some hostility and some hesitation from folks to attend this event, but that’s actually the reason we are doing it – to tackle that and to show people that our goal is to respond to hate with love.

“The motto of our community is love for all, hatred for none. We believe that this is our God given responsibility and duty to serve our community and have a real bond with people.”

Originally from Kuwait, Rana came to Canada 10 years ago and speaks English without an accent because he attended an English school. 

Now living in Barrie, Rana says he can relate to the residents of Mount Forest and the enormous amounts of snow that both communities receive during the winter.

“A lot of people think that we are here to cause a division,” he said. 

“We are not here for that. Here’s the reality, Muslims love Jesus. Christians love Jesus. We are here to bond over our love for Jesus, peace be upon him.

“And Jesus is mentioned in the Quran quite a bit. His mother Mary is mentioned in the Quran. We love Jesus and we’re just here to talk about him and bond over this figure we all know.”

For more information about the nation-wide event, or to learn more about the Muslim perspective, go to truestoryofjesus.com.