Drat! I Missed ISNA's Latest Tasty Samosas 'n' Abe Event

I hate when that happens! Here's what, unbeknownst to me until this moment, was going down this very day:

 Members of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faith

communities are invited to participate in an interfaith event entitled

“The Gifts of Abraham"

being held Sunday, October 16, 2011 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the Shaarei-

Beth El Congregation, 186 Morrison Road in Oakville.

The purpose of the event is to learn about the significance of Abraham for the three faiths

and how the gifts of Abraham can foster mutual understanding, cooperation and the

promotion of a more peaceful and just world.

Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to three significant speakers: Rabbi Stephen

Wise from Shaarei Beth El Congregation, The Venerable Dr. Michael Thompson, Rector,

St. Jude’s Anglican Church and Sheikh Alaa Elsayed, Director of Religious Affairs for

the Islamic Centre of Canada.

“Abraham is considered to be a forefather for three faiths, Judaism, Christianity and

Islam,” said Rabbi Stephen Wise. “I am looking forward to presenting the impact

Abraham has had on Jewish thought and practice and learning from my interfaith

colleagues of their understanding of him.”

Following the presentations and a question and answer session with the panel,

participants will engage in small group discussions and report back on insights and

opportunities to continue an interfaith dialogue amongst and between each of the faith

communities.

There is a $5.00 registration fee for the event. Registration forms will be available in

September.

Light refreshments will be served.

For more information please contact: Ingrid Cooper at Shaarei-Beth El Congregation

(905-849-6000), Mervyn Russell at St. Jude’s Anglican Church (905-844-3972) or Aisha

Rakie at the Islamic Society of North America (905-403-8406)

If I were Abe the Patriarch, I'd be really pissed off at how I was being used by canny Islamists bent on inserting sharia by hook or by crook (or tasty samosa) into the free West. And, as a rule of thumb, I would avoid like the plague any interfaith gathering that harped on Abe, "our common ancestor."