Conflict will not divide us: Jafari Centre Event
Please see the note below by Shari, asking that we join together on Thursday, July 24th for 7: 00 p.m. at the Jafari Centre (ISIJ) to show that racism and hate crimes have no place in Canada. Please click here to email Shari Goldberg and RSVP.
Hi everyone,
Many of you will have by now heard of the hate crime committed outside the Jafari Centre in Richmond Hill. While I feel mostly powerless against the devastating bloodshed happening overseas, I cannot allow that hatred to spill over into our communities here. I have spoken to some friends at the Jafari Centre and I have suggested that a group of us could come out to show solidarity with community and send a strong message that such horrifying racist acts will not be tolerated here.
It was suggested that we could meet outside the mosque around 7:00 and perhaps bring flowers from Shoresh’s nearby Kavanah garden, containers of dates and other packaged goods that the community could partake of at iftar. This mosque hosts about 2,000 every evening for iftar, so it was suggested that it would be less chaotic and our presence would be more noticeable if we arrived earlier in the evening to present our ‘gifts’ to the mosque administration. I was also thinking it would be great if some of us could arrive with posters with messages like “Conflict will not divide us”, “In the GTA, we celebrate diversity” or perhaps even the golden rule in multiple languages (I know it is a bit of a cliché, but Love thy Neighbour seems particularly apt here!).
Anyway, please feel free to circulate this through your networks! The more people we are able to get out to show support the better…
The Jafari Centre is located at 9000 Bathurst, Thornhill, ON L4J 8A7.
Thanks so much in advance for your help with this…
B’shalom/salaam,
Shari Goldberg
Founder, Shema & Iqra’: The Jewish-Muslim Text Project
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Here is a little more information from our hosts about the schedule for our visit.
- The mosque has asked that we limit our numbers and come a bit later. Please see the details below from Shari, and e-mail her directly at sharigolberg@gmail.com if you plan on attending.
- All 25 guests are welcome to stay for iftaar and vegetarian food will be provided. (iftar will be around 9:20)
- 8:15-8:30 Registration at Door 3 (men and women both arrive there – special parking close by will be allocated)
- 8:30 – Guests enter Boardroom where Maulana Rizvi will greet them
- 8:45 – Guests enter main hall
- Guests are welcome to stay or leave from Door 3 after that.
- Also female guests are requested to wear a scarf upon entering the mosque but they will also be provided by the door.
- There are still 12 spaces available right now.
Thanks again, everyone, for your support.