Brescia University College and London Muslim Mosque celebrate 800 years of interfaith dialogue toward peace with film screening & community dialogue

October 4, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London, ON – Brescia University College and the London Muslim Mosque will celebrate eight centuries of interfaith dialogue at the Rediscovering Peace: The Sultan and The Saint event on Tuesday, October 8th, 2019. Taking place at Brescia’s St. James Auditorium, this public event is designed to spark reflection and renewed community dialogue through facilitated discussions and the complimentary film screening of the docudrama The Sultan and The Saint, which explores the pivotal encounter of peace between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik Al-Kamil in 1219.

In anticipation of this collaborative event, Brescia’s Director of Campus Ministry, Catherinanne George, says, “Today, perhaps more than ever, when we hear of tragedies occurring across our globe—shootings at synagogues, mosques, and churches, shootings in schools, places of entertainment and freeways—there is a yearning for peace.” She goes on to say, “We need to remind ourselves that interfaith dialogue toward peace has existed for centuries, and that we have much to learn from this encounter. This event at Brescia provides a wonderful opportunity for all members of our London community to come together and celebrate, be inspired, engage in future-forward dialogue, and really ask ourselves what we can do to help facilitate peace today.”

Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons, The Sultan and The Saint explores the long and epic journey taken by St. Francis of Assisi during the period of the Christian–Muslim conflict, known as the Crusades, in 1219. The story depicts two men of faith, one a Christian preacher, who travels from Italy to Egypt to meet with the ruler of a Muslim Kingdom—after a century of war, distrust and propaganda—in search of peace. For Brescia’s event, the film will be used as a catalyst for active discussion sessions, facilitated by community members through questions created in collaboration with Brescia’s students.

Brescia student, Zeba Hashmi, a member of the London Muslim Mosque and Internal Coordinator, Muslim Outreach Committee, shares, “For our collective community, this is an exciting opportunity to learn from a historical moment, when an incredible act of compassion prompted peace – in a time of extreme tension and animosity. To understand the historical thought-process and emotions, through the screening of The Sultan and The Saint, is an opportunity for us to reflect upon the possibilities today.”

Media and members of the London community are invited to attend Rediscovering Peace: The Sultan and The Saint, taking place at Brescia’s St. James Auditorium on Tuesday, October 8th, 2019 from 7:00 through 9:00 p.m. Admission and parking are complimentary. For additional information, please visit: http://brescia.uwo.ca/.

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Interview & Photo Opportunities

Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Location: St. James Auditorium, Brescia University College, 1285 Western Road
Time: 6:45 – 7:15 p.m. Dialogue Session
7:15 – 8:15 p.m. Film Screening
8:15 – 9:00 p.m. Community Dialogue and Closing Remarks

For more information, please contact:

Rhea Johnson, Director, Communications & External Relations at 519-432-8353, ext. 28293 or at rhea.johnson@uwo.ca, or Caitlin Core, Communications, Marketing & External Relations Officer at 519-432-8353, ext. 28280 or at ccore@uwo.ca.

Ali D. Chahbar, Interfaith Coordinator, Muslim Outreach Committee, London Muslim Mosque at 519-870-5968.

Brescia University College, Canada’s women’s university college, is affiliated with Western University. The 1,500 women registered as either full- or part-time students at Brescia study a wide variety of subjects in the Schools of Behavioural & Social Sciences, Food & Nutritional Sciences, Humanities and Leadership & Social Change in an empowering, compassionate, student-centred and invigorating environment. Degrees are granted by Western. The Catholic University College welcomes students from all backgrounds and values diversity. For more current and archived news, a listing of faculty experts, and photos please visit our Online Media Room, at http://media.bresciauc.ca/ .

The London Muslim Mosque has been serving a growing and flourishing community since it first opened its doors in 1964. Hailed as the first mosque in Ontario and the second mosque in Canada, its vision is to be a holistic Islamic community focused on education, jurisprudence, and social activities, and to provide an environment for spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical balance in accordance with Quran and Sunnah. Guiding principles include acquiring knowledge, developing empathy and acting with it, adapting with boundaries in mind, showing love for others in what we love for ourselves and respecting their choices, supporting environmental and financial sustainability, and maintaining an extraordinary place to work, volunteer, and visit. For more information visit www.londonmosque.ca.