The Burnaby Inter-Faith Network is inviting the public to tour the local Ismaili Centre next week in an effort to “build bridges of understanding and communication.”
“We do this to kind of break down those barriers and the stereotypes people build of each other,” network co-chair Don Dyck told the NOW.
The ad-hoc group, which includes members from a variety of faiths and backgrounds, advocacy groups and settlement services, was established in 2010 by the Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table. Part of its mandate has been to collaborate with faith-based centres and organize tours.
Dyck, a pastor at the Brentwood Park Alliance Church on Delta Avenue, toured the Ismaili Centre shortly after 9/11.
“I felt compelled to learn more about Islam and what it meant to be a Muslim in this time, and to learn from somebody who was a Muslim, as opposed to from somebody who might have an axe to grind with them,” he said.
The experience, Dyck noted, was eye-opening.
“It gave me a deeper understanding of their reverence for God. I thought we could learn a lot about that from them; the realization that a lot of our roots are similar. It gave me a deeper understanding that there is some radicalized groups of course that don’t really represent the whole, just like in my own faith; that the ones that make the news are the radicalized people who are actually an embarrassment to us and don’t represent who we are.”
Dyck added most faiths share a common thread of compassion.
“Most faith communities are already doing a lot that goes unnoticed in many ways, in terms of looking after homeless, newcomers to Canada, in terms of just taking care of social issues,” he told the NOW. “Our purpose is to say, where do we find that common ground among our faiths where we can stand together and make our communities a better place?”
The Oct. 20 event will be the seventh tour the network has organized. Attendance in the past has usually been between 30 and 40 people, according to Dyck, who would like to see a bigger turnout this time around.
The invite has been extended to representatives of Burnaby faith communities, individuals of faith and anyone who may not align with a specific belief, but is curious.
The tour runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with a light dinner included. Admission is free, but registration is required. Call 604-294-7421 or email [email protected].
Ismaili Centres celebrate the faith of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. The gathering place is one of many around the world, with other centres located in London, Dubai and Toronto.
“Rooted in the rich tapestry of Islamic heritage and traditions, the architecture of the Ismaili Centres identify a community that is at once confident of its past and modern in its outlook,” states a write-up on the official website.
The Burnaby branch is at 4010 Canada Way.
