The Multifaith Library exists to support the work of spiritual and religious
caregivers in their efforts to understand the many faiths represented in our
population. You will find resources on a broad spectrum of faith groups. We have books,
articles, websites, on-line books and a telephone for those who need quick
information or more in-depth research.
Town councils opt for silence instead of Lord’s Prayer, while GTA sticks to tradition, Toronto Star, NOOR JAVED APRIL 23, 2012
Abraham Festival the weekend of April 20-22, 2012 .Theme of this year is the United Nations Millenium Goals. Details of the event are in th
e poster, brochure and poster. www.abrahamfestival.org
Kingston Penitentiary, Leclerc Institution to be closed, 19 April, 2012, CBC.ca
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life To Release New 50-State Survey of Prison: Study Provides Rare Window into Religion Behind Bars: www.pewforum.org --Webcast: Release Event for Survey of Prison Chaplains
Washington, D.C. — From the perspective of the nation’s professional prison chaplains, America’s state penitentiaries are a bustle of religious activity. According to “Religion in Prisons: A 50-State Survey of Prison Chaplains,” a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, more than seven-in-ten state prison chaplains (73%) say that efforts by inmates to proselytize or convert other inmates are either very common (31%) or somewhat common (43%). About three-quarters of the chaplains say that a lot (26%) or some (51%) religious switching occurs among inmates in the prisons where they work. Many chaplains report growth from religious switching in the numbers of Muslims and Protestant Christians, in particular.
Overwhelmingly, state prison chaplains consider religious counseling and other religion-based programming an important aspect of rehabilitating prisoners. Nearly three-quarters of the chaplains (73%), for example, say they consider access to religion-related programs in prison to be “absolutely critical” to successful rehabilitation of inmates. Among chaplains working in prisons that have religion-related rehabilitation or re-entry programs, more than half (57%) say the quality of such programs has improved over the last three years and six-in-ten (61%) say participation in such programs has gone up. At the same time, a sizable minority of chaplains say that religious extremism is either very common (12%) or somewhat common (29%) among inmates. Religious extremism is reported by the chaplains as especially common among Muslim inmates (including followers of the Nation of Islam and the Moorish Science Temple of America) and, to a substantial but lesser degree, among followers of pagan or earth-based religions such as Odinism and other small religious groups that many Americans may never have heard of. An overwhelming majority of chaplains, however, report that religious extremism seldom poses a threat to the security of the facility in which they work, with only 4% of chaplains saying religious extremism among inmates “almost always” poses a threat to prison security and an additional 19% saying it “sometimes” poses a threat. These are among the key findings of the survey, which was conducted from Sept. 21 to Dec. 23, 2011, using Web and paper questionnaires. The Pew Forum attempted to contact all 1,474 professional chaplains working in state prisons across the country, and 730 chaplains returned completed questionnaires, a response rate of nearly 50%.
A Muslim chaplain who matters for non-Muslims, too
by Noah J. Silverman, Common Ground News Service 28 February 2012
UNDERSTANDING ISLAM - FOUR-EVENING EDUCATIONAL SERIES ON ISLAM AT SCARBORO MISSONS, Scarborough, ON Tuesdays 7 to 9 pm, February 7-28, 2012. For more details, click here -- Youtube links to talks by Shaykh Yusuf Badat: Islam as a Way of Life Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 ~ The Five Pillars and the Six Principles of Islam by Imam Dr. Hamid Slimi: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 ~ The Prophet Muhammad & The Origins of Islam by
Shaykh Imran Ally Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 ~ Living the Message of the Qur'an by Dr. Katherine Bullock: Part 1 / Part 2
Queen highlights Church of England's duty to all faiths, Interfaith News, 18 Feb 2012 -- See also: Queen
launches Diamond Jubilee year with multifaith reception, Bahá’í International Community, AND Lambeth Palace / Sacred Objects by representatives of faith communities in the UK, Jain Samaj Leicester
In a speech at London's Lambeth Palace, she argued the Church's role was not to "defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions". She added the concept of an established Church was "occasionally misunderstood" and "commonly under-appreciated". The Queen was accompanied by Prince Philip at the multi-faith reception. The royal couple were greeted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, before meeting representatives of the Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian communities, as well as Christian representatives. BBC News
Ontario court overturns racial bias verdict in case of librarian who asked black lawyer for identification,
National Post - Wednesday. Feb. 15, 2012
Sikh wins turban case against France at UN Human Rights Committee, metro.co.uk, 16th January
You can’t have a ‘Jewish interfaith’ cemetery, rabbis of all stripes insist
Written by Joanne Hill, Jewish Tribune, Tuesday, 14 February 2012
TORONTO – It is not possible in Jewish law to have a truly interfaith cemetery that is also truly Jewish, according to Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Rabbis consulted by the Jewish Tribune.
Amidst concern over Shaarey Zedek Synagogue’s new ‘Jewish interfaith cemetery’ in Winnipeg, some religious leaders have told the Tribune that you can have a Jewish cemetery that permits the burial of non-Jews under strict conditions, or you can have a public cemetery that allows everyone to be buried according to their own faith traditions, but you can’t have both. Orthodox rabbis say only Jews can be buried in Jewish cemeteries. continue reading [see also: Winnipeg synagogue builds Canada’s first Jewish interfaith cemetery, National Post Jan 31, 2012 ]
Interfaith harmony week celebrated at United Nation
February 14th, 2012, United Nations’ Interfaith Harmony Week; See also World Interfaith Harmony Week Resolution UNGA A/65/PV.34 [pdf]; Interfaith Harmony award for M A Yusufali [details: Khaleej Times Online and here]
US Supreme Court Affirms Special Employment Rules for Religious Organizations, Hinduism Today, 2012/1/11
The theme of this year's event is “Social Justice: The Key to Harmony” @ World Religion Day Celebration on January 15, 2012 from 2:00-4pm pm at Uxbridge Community Centre (Arena), 291 Brock Street West, Uxbridge, Ontario. For details click here.