Mormons and Muslims Break the Fast Together in Montreal

​One year ago, members of the Church were invited by IDI to participate in their annual Ramadan “Meet Your Neighbour” program. This program offers non-Muslims a chance to share iftar and to be welcomed into a Muslim home during the month of Ramadan. After participating in such a dinner last year, Janell Gehmlich, director of public affairs for the Montreal Quebec Mount Royal Stake, decided this year to invite Serif Damar, director of the IDI, to co-host an interfaith dinner on the fast Sunday that fell during the month of Ramadan.

“It is important to recognize how much we have in common with other people of faith and take the time to get to know each other. Fasting is a significant ritual in Muslim and Mormon religious communities, so the one day a year that we were both observing the fast seemed the perfect opportunity to invite our Muslim neighbors into our chapel to share our respective faith traditions around fasting and enjoy a meal together,” Gemlich said.
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Mr. Damar observed, “In every language, in every culture, there is a notion of fearing what we do not know. These kinds of events eliminate fear by lowering the barriers that separate people, communities and cultures.”

Read the rest of the news report in Mormon Newsroom Canada